The Impact of Introducing Alcohol-Free Beer Options in Bars and Public Houses on Alcohol Sales and Revenue: A Randomised Crossover Field Trial

Abstract

Aims. The study aimed to estimate the impact of introducing a draught alcohol-free beer, thereby increasing the relative availability of these products, on alcohol sales and monetary takings in bars and pubs in England.Design. Randomised crossover field trial.Participants. Fourteen venues that did not previously sell draught alcohol-free beer.Intervention. Venues completed two intervention periods and two control periods in a randomised order over 8 weeks. Intervention periods involved replacing one draught alcoholic beer with an alcohol-free beer. Control periods operated business as usual.Measurements: The primary outcome was mean weekly volume (in litres) of draught alcoholic beer sold. The secondary outcome was mean weekly revenue (in GBP [£]) from all drinks. Analyses adjusted for randomised order; special events; season; and busyness.Findings. The adjusted mean difference in weekly sales of draught alcoholic beer was -20 litres (95% CI -41 to +0.4), equivalent to a 4% reduction (95% CI 8% reduction to 0.1% increase) in the volume of alcoholic draught beer sold when draught alcohol-free beer was available. Excluding venues that failed at least one fidelity check resulted in an adjusted mean difference of -29 litres per week (95% CI -53 to -5), equivalent to a 5% reduction (95% CI 8% reduction to 0.8% reduction). The adjusted mean difference in weekly revenue was +61 GBP per week (95% CI -328 to +450), equivalent to a 1% increase (95% CI 5% decrease to 7% increase) when draught alcohol-free beer was available.Conclusions. Introducing a draught alcohol-free beer in bars and pubs may reduce the volume of draught alcoholic beer sold without substantially impacting net revenue. While further research would help to refine the precision of these estimates, the reduction in sales of alcoholic beer of 4 to 5% could have a positive impact on public health at a population level.

Non‐alcoholic beverage consumption among US adults who consume alcohol

“…Household data from Spain highlight that 12% of all beer purchases and 4% of all wine purchases were non-alcoholic, and these purchases were associated with subsequent reduction in full-strength alcohol purchases [10]. A recent UK field trial found that regular-strength beer sales decreased when pubs added a non-alcoholic beer option (with no loss of profits) [11]. However, household purchase data are limited by not capturing all purchases a household makes and, as with the field trial, not directly assessing who is consuming NABs or for what purpose.…”