Over the last few years, while addiction levels have increased as a result of the likes of recent events and the current economic climate, so has the number of people who are shifting their lives towards mindful drinking and a healthier lifestyle.
The non-alcoholic drinks market has increased at a staggering rate over the last few years, with the global market for Zero-ABC spirits alone estimated to be worth $271billion by 2033, while you only have to go down the aisles of the supermarket to see how rapidly non-alcoholic beer is growing.
Around one in five Brits now pick non-alcoholic beer as the drink of choice, and combined with the amount of people who are going through private and NHS alcohol rehab, as well as people turning to a healthier lifestyle, that number is only going to grow.
Which begs the question, while more of us are picking up Guinness 0% and Becks Blue in the shops, is there space for non-alcoholic bars, or temperance bars as they were once known, in our towns and cities?
It’s an interesting question, and perhaps not the time to be answering it, given that the hospitality sector as a whole is facing serious struggles.
Pubs are closing down at an alarming rate, with many professionals in the industry calling for a tax cut to 10% VAT. It’s something the government simply has to address if we don’t want more of our bars, restaurants, and pubs to follow suit.
However, let’s put that to one side. The big question would be, is the appetite there?
Some business owners certainly think so. In Manchester, Love From launched late last year at Kampus, a new, trendy part of town with the idea that not all their residents want to be surrounded by alcohol and people that are under the influence of it, while once upon a time Coventry had its own in the form of Universe.
Love From has opened to a positive reception, while an interesting slant on whether it could work as a much larger, wider concept is to look at the dessert shops across the country, which welcome a largely non-drinking market through their doors as spots to meet up and gather with friends.
That shows there is a market for people wanting to socialize for the evening, but does it translate to a pub-like environment without the alcohol?
Given that millennials are drinking less than Generation X, and Gen Z are abstaining from alcohol more than millennials, the argument is perhaps yes, while as older people seek to find non-alcoholic alternatives in pubs too, it could well be the next trend in bars and restaurants to hit the high streets, particularly as there are so many empty units across towns and cities these days.
There’s no doubt we will start to see more temperance bars pop up across the UK and right here in Coventry, but whether they will be here to stay, well, that all depends on getting the business model and USP right, doesn’t it?
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