The UK’s climate involves eight months of dark days, long nights and gloomy weather, but the country is transformed into the best of what it can be when summer hits.
1. Beer’s summer appeal holds fast
2. The long march of RTDs continues
3. Spirits are getting creative
With so much pent-up optimism, as soon as calendars start showing May and June, family gatherings, parties and meet-ups move from kitchens, sitting rooms and pubs, to beaches, parks, glades, and wherever else takes our fancy – often enhanced by a drink to mark the return of good times, and good climes.
So for summer 2025, here are the trends and insights retailers should consider when stocking their forecourt shops, and catering for cars crammed with people off on their warm-weather adventures.
1. Beer’s summer appeal holds fast
For many, a cold beer is the perfect accompaniment to a warm summer’s day. And while it might be stretching things to refer to April as summer, retailers will undoubtedly have the Emirates FA Cup semi-finals and finals on their radar due to the uptick in alcohol sales these matches will bring.
Carling is marking the occasion with an Emirates FA Cup on-pack promotion, which brings with it the chance to win four tickets to Wembley for the May final, a pre-match tour of the stadium, plus Deliveroo and £20 gift vouchers.
Offered across 4x440ml, 10x440ml and 18x440ml packs, lager fans can scan QR codes on the packaging for full details and entry to the competition, which runs until 30 June 2025.
Brewdog’s off-trade category development executive, Caitlin Brown, highlights that lager remains the default choice for most beer drinkers, representing 94% of the category, meaning retailers should consider the independent brewer’s Lost Lager and Cold Beer products, with the latter’s 3.4% strength holding appeal for summer shoppers seeking easy-drinking beers.
Brewdog’s Punk IPA and Hazy Jane, meanwhile, make up 37% of all craft beer impulse purchases, while craft beer buyers spend 22.5% more than average beer shoppers. Retailers should give chiller space over to craft beer if possible, as 76% of male craft shoppers want pre-cooled beer when buying from convenience stores. Brown says that 42% of 45-59 year olds would buy beer on impulse, indicating that feature and off-shelf displays can help boost sales as a result. Brewdog’s Wingman, a 4.3% session IPA launched earlier in the year, is the firm’s newest line, and is likely to hold appeal with impulse buyers.
Heineken points out that its 15x440ml and 12x330ml multipacks represent the best value in its range, while also highlighting that sales of world lager grew 2.8% last summer. The firm’s bestselling lines for small packs in this area is Birra Moretti 4x440ml and Desperados four-pack cans, while Cruzcampo, the Spanish lager, is a popular impulse purchase in 10x440ml format. Moretti and Cruzcampo could also help retailers target premium-beer buyers, with this segment making up 25% of sales, and traditionally growing significantly over summer.
2. The long march of RTDs continues
The rise of the ready-to-drink market owes much to the fact that while little compares to a well-made cocktail, the list of ingredients needed for some concoctions runs several lines long.
And while the idea of pre-mixed drinks has been knocking about for well over a century, the last decade or two has seen the sector really come of age, with everything from bloody Marys and pina coladas coming in a can, and new creations limited only by their distillers’ imaginations.
Michigan-based Gypsy Spirits is the brainchild of twin brothers who launched Gypsy Vodka in the US in 2015, and brought in the UK in late 2024.
The firm has developed a trio of vodka-based RTD cocktails offering ginger beer and lime; iced tea and lemonade; and wildberry and pomegranate flavours, known respectively as Clean Lime, Clean Berry, and Clean Hard Tea.
Priced at a premium £20 for half a dozen cans promising “bold, crisp flavours and premium vodka” together with slick branding, all Gypsy’s RTDs are 8% ABV, and contain no sugar, carbohydrates or gluten.
Absolut has been around since 1879, but that hasn’t stopped the Swedish brand from innovating well into the 21st century. Absolut, owned by Pernod Ricard since 2008, teamed up with Coca-Cola’s Sprite in late 2024 with an RTD vodka cocktail, and the pair have now launched Absolut Vodka & Sprite Watermelon, which promises “the flavour of summer in a can”.
The 5% RTD cocktail is around £2.30 for a 250ml can that features a “vibrant pink-to-green gradient design”, which its makers say ensures “strong visibility on shelf”. The new drink is backed up by a “dynamic summer marketing campaign” comprising out-of-home advertising, influencer partnerships and social-media promotions.
Little in life is as American as Coca-Cola but Jack Daniel’s gives it a close run, with the ‘Jack and Coke’ pairing a pub, bar and nightclub institution.
So while it might seem as if an RTD version of that cocktail has been around for years, Jack Daniel’s and Coca‑Cola cans only arrived on UK shelves in March 2023. With sales of £55m since then, it’s little surprise the pair have developed a new take on the format in the shape of Jack Daniels & Coca-Cola Cherry, a 5% 330ml RTD offering a “sweet cherry twist”, and pitched at around £2.30 a can.
Coca-Cola has also partnered with Bacardi to bring another staple, Bacardi & Coca-Cola, to market in RTD format, offered in 250ml cans with a £2.30 RRP.
Other new entrants to the sector this summer include VK’s Lemon and Lime, a “crystal-clear”, vegan-friendly, gluten-free 3.4% alcopop containing 14mg of caffeine per 100ml; Aperol’s Spritz RTD, a 9% RTD cocktail with an RRP of £13 for four 200ml bottles; and Cîroc Colada RTD, a 5% vodka-based cocktail with coconut and pineapple flavours, and an RRP of £2.75 for a 250ml can.
3. Spirits are getting creative
Vodka remains the most popular alcoholic drink among 18–24-year-olds, so it’s little surprise innovation is the name of the game here. Cîroc’s new Strawberry Limonade is a limited-edition five-times-distilled vodka, and the firm’s first coloured drink, intended to give consumers “a taste of the sun-kissed coastline of the French Riviera” with its blend of natural strawberry and lemon flavours.
Another limited-edition drink for the summer comes from Jamaican firm Wray & Nephew. The firm’s Wray’s 43 is a full-proof 43% unaged white rum with “notes of rich fruits, charred pineapple and molasses”, which its makers say is “ideal for long drinks” and mixers such as pineapple juice, ginger ale or coconut water. Wray’s 43 is offered to retailers exclusively by Booker, and can be bought by consumers at convenience stores, and on Amazon.
Smirnoff is one of the best-known vodka brands in the world but, as with Wray & Nephew, it’s not letting its century-plus heritage stymie innovation. The firm’s new 35% Miami Peach flavour spirit combines “juicy-sweet peach flavours with the smooth taste of Smirnoff Vodka”, and is available in 70cl bottles with an RRP of £19, or in 5% RTD cans pre-mixed with lemonade.
4. Ciders branch out further
While not be as much of a default choice as beer, the UK is the world’s biggest producer, and consumer of cider on a par capita basis, worth £819m in grocery and £372m in convenience. It’s therefore hardly surprising that the multi-billion-pound cider sector has been developing significantly over recent years.
Inch’s Cider recently introduced a new Cloudy variant, with this 4.0% cider made from British apples and offering a “crisp, highly refreshing” taste its makers hope will make it a “summer staple”. Available in 4x440ml and 10x440ml multipacks, Inch’s Cloudy aims to appeal to younger cider drinkers “looking for a naturally sweeter innovation”. The brand has also introduced an alcohol-free offering in Inch’s 0.0, said to be “the first dealcoholised cider in the UK” and available in 4x440ml packs.
Somerset brand Brothers Cider, meanwhile, is sponsoring the UK’s biggest music event to become the official cider of Glastonbury, having had a presence at the festival since 1995. Brothers is also running, until 31 May, a competition to win five pairs of tickets to the sold-out festival, supported by social-media and digital advertising campaigns.
Not to be outdone by its UK competitors, Swedish cider Kopparberg recently launched two new flavours, with 3.4% Kopparberg Mango said to blend the tropical taste of mango with the crispness of apple cider. The firm’s new 7% Sweet Vintage Apple Cider, meanwhile, aims to bring a “crisp, full-bodied taste” by capturing “the essence of perfectly ripened apples”.
5. Summertime, summer wine
As with cider the UK is a core market for winemakers, with over 1.5 billion bottles imported each year, and a further 20 million produced in these isles.
And, despite having been around for 8,000 years or so, developments in wine continue apace, with Accolade Wines, the Australian business behind Hardys, Kumala, Jam Shed and other well-known brands recently launching a new retailer support platform offering insights into planogram optimisation, point-of-sale materials and brand updates. Retailers seeking to capitalise on summer trade who sign up and use the service get a free case of wine, too.
One of Accolade’s newer launches comes from songstress Dolly Parton, who’s Dolly Wines range was first offered in Asda, and is now available from Booker and Nisa wholesalers (the latter recently rebranded as Co-op Wholesale). Dolly Rosé, with an RRP of £9.50, and Dolly Prosecco (£11), are said to respectively be “delicate and romantic”, and “fresh and zingy”.
Having been in the UK since 2001, Yellow Tail may be a more established presence on the scene, but the Australian wine – said to be the top performer in the value category – recently rebranded with a “sleek and contemporary” design featuring a more “dynamic” kangaroo logo, and supported by advertising campaigns across TV, digital and social, which is likely to bring increased demand over the season.
And for those who want to enjoy a glass without worrying about overindulging, non-alcoholic wine brand Bolle has introduced its first still offering to the UK, with Bolle 0% Chardonnay (RRP £14,99) promising to capture “the essence of its terroir” with citrus and ripe pear notes.
