Hospitality closures and restrictions on socialising as a result of Covid-19, led to an impact on consumer’s buying behaviour. Data from Euromoniter International found that consumers bought 15.8b fewer liters of alcohol beverages in 2020. When collecting data from over 100 countries, they found that global alcohol sales volumes declined by more than 6%.

President and chief executive of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), Henry Ashworth said, “Despite reports of people rushing to stock up on alcohol in supermarkets, pictures of empty shelves, and fears that people would drink more when confined to their homes, these sales figures definitively show that less alcohol was bought in 2020.”

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Despite the decline in global sales volumes, the data shows that certain populations were still drinking at dangerous levels in the previous year. This stresses the importance of delivering appropriate support to those who have suffered the most during the pandemic

YouGov surveys for IARD in May and November 2020, found that 84 percent and 86 percent of drinkers consumed the same amount or less alcohol during the shutdowns, respectively.

“Although the majority of drinkers continue to consume alcohol at moderate levels, we recognize that the pandemic reinforced harmful drinking patterns for some people.” Ashworth added.

“As societies begin to reopen it is essential for private, public, and civil society to come together to ensure that targeted and appropriate support is available for those who need it most.”

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