year ago, I argued that ready to drink (RTD) was more than a summer novelty. The market has since proved the point. Convenience RTD value has pushed past £226 million and in 2025 the category overtook vodka in global value. This is a lasting change in how people buy a drink.
Britain is an underdeveloped RTD market – in our pubs, bars and restaurants, RTDs account for less than 1 per cent of spending on spirits and long drinks. In Australia the figure is 14 per cent, where more than half of consumers buy the category. Closing even a fraction of that gap is worth hundreds of millions of pounds. Independent retailers are unusually well-placed, because a cold can by the till is exactly the impulse buy the supermarkets struggle to land.
RTDs tend to carry higher cash margins per unit than entry level spirits, particularly on chilled single serves, so stock the category properly. Canned cocktails are the engine, so let them lead the range; but big brands can be bland, while smaller producers tend to build their cans around real ingredients and proper spirits. Taste what you stock before it reaches your shelf.
In the trade, some argue RTDs are a gateway. A great Paloma built on a real tequila gives a curious shopper a low-risk way in. Over time it can widen what they buy and tempt them towards the bottle on the shelf behind it.
Others take the opposite view, that the best RTDs are a destination in their own right, bought by people who want a good drink in a can and have no wish to be walked towards anything else. Both camps land in the same place at your fixture, which is the part that counts: quality earns the second purchase. Stock cans worth coming back for and the debate resolves itself in your favour.
Packaging earns the first sale. Slimline cans read as more premium, store neatly in a tight fridge and photograph well for the feeds where younger shoppers plan their weekend. Presentation alone isn’t enough. A handsome can that disappoints on the first sip does not earn a second purchase. The producers worth your space match three things in one can: flavour, quality and presentation.
Read More: RTD alcohol sales surge as shoppers seek affordable convenience
RTDs are no longer the fling. They are a fixture and Britain has barely started. Get the range right, lead with cocktails, back the producers who get the liquid right and keep the fridge cold. The category is doing the hard work. Your job is to give it the space it has earned.
Nick Gillett Photo: Handout