EU lawmakers watered down their warning over alcohol's links to cancer, stressing only excessive consumption as a risk factor and recommending labels should include advice on moderate drinking rather than a blunter health message.
The European Parliament's resolution is non-binding but could guide new rules from the European Commission, such as those due in 2023 on labelling of alcoholic drinks and possible tax revisions to discourage consumption.
The lawmakers agreed on the need for more cancer screening and curbs on smoking, but alcohol proved a contentious issue in a vote whose results were released on Wednesday.
The original resolution contained a reference to the view of the World Health Organization that there was no safe level of alcohol consumption when it came to cancer prevention and said alcohol consumption was a risk factor for many cancers.
However, a series of amendments passed, rephrasing the WHO reference to say it recognised the safest level of alcohol consumption is none and saying that only "harmful" alcohol consumption should be seen as a risk.
The lawmakers also steered away from recommending health warnings on alcoholic drinks labels and instead said they should include information on moderate and responsible drinking.
The initial resolution had also called for a ban on sports sponsorship by alcoholic drinks companies, but the revised text instead said that ban should only apply to events that were mainly attended by minors.
Asda on Friday reported a decline in its annual sales for the 2024 financial year, but the retailer has seen profits rising on margin gains.
The supermarket chain said its total revenue for the year to 31 December 2024 declined by 0.8 per cent to £21.7 billion, while like-for-like sales (excluding fuel) were lower by 3.4 per cent.
Asda grew adjusted EBITDA after rent by 5.8 per cent to £1.14bn during the year, driven by improved gross margins, particularly in non-food reflecting the strength and scale of its George business, as well as a full year of profit from the 356 Asda Express convenience stores and forecourt sites acquired from EG Group.
“Everyone is focused on making Asda the number one choice again for busy hard-working families who demand value. This is what’s driving all of our actions across pricing, ranging, merchandising and every part of the business,” Allan Leighton, Asda’s executive chairman, said.
Since the year end, Asda stepped up its investment in value by bringing back its Rollback to Asda Price proposition. Launched at the end of January, with an average reduction of 25 per cent across 4,000 popular products, Rollback has now been expanded to roughly a quarter of Asda’s entire range.
Asda said it will add thousands more products to Rollback at regular intervals during the year as part of its strategic shift to move its entire product range to a new low ‘Asda Price’ by the end of 2026.
Asda delivered £0.6bn in free cashflow during FY24, which helped reduce net leverage to 2.9x (FY23: 3.0x). The retailer said this enables it to invest in new value propositions like Rollback and Asda Price.
During the year Asda refinanced the vast majority of its 2025 and 2026 maturities of £3.2bn, including paying down £0.3bn from cash. This pushed out all the remaining maturities into the next decade.
“Looking ahead we still have plenty of work to get our business firing on all cylinders again,” Leighton said.
“While regaining customers’ trust will take time, we will undertake a substantive and well backed programme of investment in price, availability and the shopping experience to deliver this. This will materially reduce our profitability this year, which we expect to reverse as our market share recovers and improves over time.”
The unstoppable rise of crafted apple cider is setting the benchmark for success in the UK’s £1.1 billion off-trade cider market, according to the latest Westons Cider Report.
The leading cider producer advises that convenience retailers who prioritise premium products and strategic ranging will be best placed to drive sales in 2025.
Despite crafted cider thriving across the broader market, its share in convenience still lags slightly behind (20% vs. 24%). This gap presents an exciting opportunity for convenience retailers to tap into the premium crafted cider trend and unlock significant revenue.
Westons Cider’s milestone report reveals that, while total cider sales have edged up by just 0.1 per cent YOY, crafted cider is experiencing remarkable growth with a significant 14.6 per cent surge in convenience alone.
As consumers increasingly seek authenticity, quality, and heritage, premium crafted ciders are becoming essential for retailers eager to drive long-term success.
A decade of transformation in cider
Westons Cider predicted the rise of crafted cider in 2018 and, seven years on, the numbers prove just how transformative this shift has been. Back then, crafted cider made up just 9 per cent of apple cider sales — today, it accounts for nearly a quarter of the total cider market, adding an impressive £26.3 million to the category in the past year alone.
While the overall cider category has edged forward (+0.1%), crafted cider has surged ahead, growing at ten times (11.1%) the rate of the total market. This unwavering momentum cements crafted cider’s place as the fastest-growing segment in the industry.
This shift reflects a fundamental change in consumer preferences. A decade ago, cider was a broader, more fragmented category, featuring more brands and greater variety. Today, the focus has shifted — fewer brands, stronger premium offerings, and an emphasis on quality over quantity.
Crafted cider: A major untapped opportunity in convenience
Despite commanding a premium price of £4.32 per litre in convenience, compared to £2.76 for the total category, crafted cider remains underrepresented in this channel, with distribution at 95.4 per cent compared to 98.4 per cent across the total market. Bridging this gap could unlock an impressive £3.7m in value sales.
Even with limited shelf space, crafted cider continues to show a solid 5.8 per cent YOY growth, highlighting a strong and growing consumer appetite for high-quality options.
“Shoppers are looking for premium cider options in convenience, and retailers who give crafted cider the prominence it deserves will reap the rewards,” said Tim Williams, insight and innovation manager at Westons Cider.
“With crafted cider delivering strong margins and demonstrating double-digit growth, giving it prime position in chillers and on shelves will drive greater profits. The demand is already there – retailers just need to back the right brands.”
Key growth opportunities for 2025
The opportunity to recruit younger drinkers is ripe for the taking. While cider remains a household staple, penetration has slipped to 40.9 per cent, down from 43.9 per cent in 2022, showing that the category must evolve to stay relevant.
However, younger shoppers, particularly those under 45, are actively trading up to premium drinks, making crafted cider an aspirational yet accessible choice. Crafted cider is already gaining traction with affluent consumers, with ABC1 shoppers now accounting for 65.8 per cent of spend — up from 61 per cent last year.
Notably, crafted cider has the highest proportion of younger shoppers, with under-45s making up a larger share of spend compared to any other cider segment. This clear shift towards quality and authenticity presents a huge opportunity for convenience retailers to refresh their cider range and attract a new wave of consumers.
Apple cider remains the core of the category
Apple cider remains the core of the category. Accounting for nearly two-thirds (63.7%) of market value, apple cider continues to dominate. While pear cider’s overall share remains small at 4 per cent, premium crafted pear ciders are seeing renewed interest. Henry Westons Vintage Pear has added £550,000 in sales over the last year, alongside growth in other premium pear offerings. This suggests a clear opportunity for retailers to premiumise the pear cider segment, tapping into the same consumer demand that has propelled crafted apple ciders to success.
With limited chiller space in convenience, ensuring crafted apple cider has adequate facings is crucial to maximising sales. Stocking the right mix of single-serve formats for impulse purchases and larger multipacks for planned consumption will help capitalise on both shopper missions.
Shoppers are trading up across the drinks aisle, and cider is no exception. The crafted cider segment’s growth of over 10 per cent highlights the increasing willingness of consumers to pay more for quality, taste, and heritage. Convenience retailers who prioritise premium SKUs stand to gain the most from this trend.
Convenience category spotlights:
Crafted cider’s Southern stronghold: Crafted cider is particularly strong in the South, accounting for 73 per cent of volume in the five most southern TV regions. Convenience retailers in these areas should allocate more shelf space to premium crafted options to maximise sales.
British weather may be unpredictable, but cider sales don’t have to be: While summer remains cider’s peak season, unpredictable British weather has led to inconsistent sales patterns in recent years. June 2024 was unseasonably cool, leading to a 20.5 per cent drop in cider volume sales YOY, while August saw more rainfall than previous years, pushing volume down 12.5 per cent versus 2022. However, sales rebounded slightly compared to August 2023, which had particularly poor weather. Given this volatility, retailers should double down on major selling moments — like bank holidays and sporting events — where demand remains strong regardless of weather conditions.
No & low is pouring into the mainstream: The segment has grown 8.4 per cent YOY, highlighting increasing moderation trends. Stocking low/no alcohol apple and fruit ciders ensures a complete range to meet evolving consumer needs.
Independent retailers are outperforming the market: While total convenience cider value is up 2.1 per cent YOY, independent retailers are growing even faster, at 4.4 per cent YOY. This shows a particularly strong opportunity for crafted cider, which still holds only 17 per cent share in independents versus 20 per cent across total convenience. There is clear potential for independent retailers to expand their crafted cider offering and close this gap.
“As Westons celebrates 145 years of cider-making, it’s remarkable to reflect on how much the category has evolved,” Darryl Hinksman, head of business development at Westons Cider, said.
“What’s also clear is that authenticity and provenance matter more than ever. The past decade has seen major brewers attempt to capitalise on cider’s popularity with brand extensions, yet these failed to resonate with consumers in the long term. This reinforces a key lesson — shoppers are looking for genuine cider brands with real heritage, not just big names entering the category.
“Looking ahead to the next decade, we expect this refinement to continue, with cider becoming even more premium-driven. Shoppers are actively seeking authentic, high-quality options, and convenience retailers who align their ranges with these consumer trends and prioritise best-selling premium ciders, like Henry Westons and Stowford Press, will be the ones to unlock growth and maximise their cider sales.”
Top ten cider SKUs in the convenience channelWestons Cider Report
Henry Westons Vintage 500ml is the number one SKU in the convenience channel, more than twice the size of the second-placed product and in strong growth (+8.2%). Thatchers Gold 500mlx4 was ranked eighth last year and has risen to second. Inch’s is new to the top ten this year in eighth place.
Pack sizes are smaller in this channel with singles and four packs dominating the top ten. Larger packs have a role, however, as Strongbow Dark Fruit 10 pack is the third highest ranked pack.
The full report – including impartial stocking advice for retailers – is also available for digital download here.
All data Westons Cider Report 2025, Circana 52 w/e 28 December 2024 and Kantar, 24 December 2024.
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Too Late Mini Market, in Barton Street, Gloucester shut down again over illegal tobacco sales
A multi-agency operation has led to the closure of a shop in Gloucester which was found selling illegal tobacco.
Too Late Mini Market, in Barton Street, has been issued with a three-month closure order following a case brought before Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.
This means the shop cannot trade for a period of three months and will not be able to reopen until 5 June.
It follows an operation involving Gloucestershire Trading Standards, Gloucestershire Constabulary, including Vanguard Team and Barton neighbourhood policing team, and Gloucester Solace, a multi-agency team of Gloucestershire councils, police and police community support officers working to prevent anti-social behaviour.
Gloucestershire County Council said the shop has been under investigation by Trading Standards for many months and was previously closed following a police closure order in October 2024, which expired on 9 January 2025.
Despite being closed for three months, the shop quickly returned to its old ways selling illegal tobacco. Trading Standards carried out test purchase operations on several occasions throughout February when illegal tobacco was obtained.
An inspection of the premises on 4 February resulted in the seizure of £500 worth of illegal tobacco and a small quantity of illegal vapes. Trading standards officers were also called to the shop on 19 February by police who had discovered illegal tobacco at the premises and as a result Trading Standards seized £1,945 worth of illegal tobacco.
Police served the closure notice on the premises on 4 March, when further illegal tobacco was found.
“Trading standards officers regularly work with police and district councils to enforce legislation to protect the public and it is great to see this collaborative work bringing results such as this. I hope to see this collaboration continue to target illegal businesses which try to operate to the detriment of the public,” Cllr Dave Norman, cabinet member for trading standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said.
“No one benefits from shops selling illegal tobacco and vape products and we will take robust action to stop them trading.”
A Gloucestershire Constabulary spokesperson said: “We hope this sends a clear message that this type of criminality will not be tolerated and provides confidence to the community that we are listening to them. We would encourage members of the public to continue to report any suspicions they have about possible illegal activity so that we can take the appropriate action.”
The council said the Trading Standards will now liaise with the landlord of the shop to ensure the property is let to a tenant who will use the shop for lawful purposes.
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A file photo of Buns and Buns restaurant in Covent Garden Market, London. Sectors like accommodation and food services are expected to be hit hard by higher living wage and employer national insurance contributions in April.
Britain's economy unexpectedly shrank in January, official data showed Friday, piling more pressure on the Labour government ahead of its Spring Statement on the economy.
Gross domestic product contracted 0.1 per cent in the month after GDP rose 0.4 per cent in December, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to make billions of pounds of spending cuts, including to welfare, in the government's Spring Statement on March 26, a follow-up to her inaugural budget last October, as public finances struggle under high inflation and borrowing.
"The world has changed and across the globe we are feeling the consequences," Reeves said in a statement responding to the data.
The data provides a fresh blow to the government and prime minister Keir Starmer, who has put growing the UK economy at the top of his mission since Labour won a general election in July.
"The fall in January was driven by a notable slowdown in manufacturing, with oil and gas extraction and construction also having weak months," noted Liz McKeown, director of economics at the ONS.
"However, services continued to grow in January led by a strong month for retail, especially food stores, as people ate and drank at home more," she added.
Nicholas Hyett, investment manager, Wealth Club noted that the dramatic slowdown in sectors like accommodation and food services which expect to be hit hard by higher living wage and employer national insurance contributions in April, is “really worrying.”
“Tariffs and increased labour costs were more worries than reality in January, the month covered by these numbers. Those worries will soon be transforming into realities,” Hyett said.
“That leaves plenty of room for economic growth to deteriorate further, with far fewer catalysts to spark an economic recovery. We could be at the start of a long slow slide into recession.”
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Products containing corrosive substances sold to minors by Gloucestershire shops
An undercover operation by Gloucestershire Trading Standards has found most shops in the county selling products containing corrosive substances to underage buyers.
In total, 10 stores were visited and eight made sales to underage volunteers.
The test purchases were carried out by Trading Standards, with the support of police cadets, in February. The volunteers visited stores across Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud, the Forest of Dean and Tewkesbury.
Eight different businesses sold a product containing corrosive substances to a young person under 18, without any checks on their age or requests for identification. The products sold included brick and patio cleaner, plughole unblocker and caustic soda drain unblocker.
Gloucestershire Trading Standards said it will be contacting the shops that failed the test to inform them of the sale and offer advice on their legal obligations. If these businesses do not heed this advice and evidence of selling to minors is found in the future, then Trading Standards have warned that more formal action could be taken which could include prosecution.
The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 makes it an offence to sell certain products which have a high percentage of corrosive chemicals to under 18s. Products which may have a high percentage of chemicals such as caustic soda, drain cleaners/unblockers and patio cleaners contain such chemicals, which can be dangerous if not used correctly.
“It’s disappointing to see that a number of retailers in the county have sold products containing corrosive substances to underage buyers,” Cllr Dave Norman, cabinet member for trading standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said.
“It’s important they seek advice and ensure that age-restricted goods are not sold to young people. Our Trading Standards team will be offering relevant advice to these businesses.”
If a business is unsure of their obligations, then they can find advice on the Trading Standards website.