Alcohol-Free Christmas Trend Grows for UK Retailer
Wise Bartender records strongest advent calendar sales, with 68% new customers.
Alcohol-free drinks are becoming an increasingly normal part of Christmas celebrations in the UK, a trend reflected in the sales figures from online retailer Wise Bartender. The company reported a 37% increase in net advent calendar sales in 2025 compared with 2024, alongside its strongest festive trading period since 2021 for November and December 2025 sales.
Significantly, 68% of customers who purchased a Wise Bartender advent calendar across 2024 and 2025 were new to the retailer. This comes as Mintel reported that 53% of UK adults had consumed a low or no-alcohol beer, wine, cider, spirit or cocktail in the previous 12 months as of May 2025. Drinkaware also reported that the use of alcohol-free drinks has more than doubled since 2018, rising from 16% to 34% of drinkers.
Tom Ward, Managing Director of Wise Bartender, commented: “When we launched Wise Bartender, choosing alcohol-free was something people often felt they had to explain. Now it’s completely normal. At Christmas we’re seeing people actively looking for better alcohol-free choices, whether that’s for themselves or as a gift. The fact that 68% of our recent advent calendar customers were new to us shows just how many people are discovering the category.”
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The wider market supports this growth, with IWSR reporting 20% growth in no-alcohol beer sales in 2024. The overall no-alcohol category is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 7% through to 2028.
For Christmas 2026, Wise Bartender is offering two alcohol-free advent calendars: a Beer Advent Calendar and a Mixed Drinks Advent Calendar, which includes beer, wine, cocktails, and other alcohol-free alternatives. Brands featured in this year’s calendars include Athletic Brewing Co, Firebrand Brewing, Nuwave Brewing, Lucky Saint, Nirvana Brewery and UNLTD.
Wise Bartender is a UK online retailer specialising in alcohol-free beer, wine, spirits, cocktails and other drinks.
