Bar owner 'shocked' by rise of no-booze drinks

BIG SURGE IN SALES FOR LOW AND ZERO-ALCOHOL PRODUCTS

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

Mark James with a pint of Stella Artois 0.0 at The Boot Room in West Bridgford

(JOSEPH RAYNOR)

A NOTTINGHAM bar owner has been “shocked” by the popularity of nonalcoholic beer since putting it on draught for Christmas amid a surge in sales all over the country.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) says 2025 was the most successful year on record for the sale of no and low-alcohol beer, predicting 200 million pints would have been sold by the end of December.

That would be an increase of almost 20% on 2024's figures and would mean the sector now represents 2.7% of the UK's total beer market.

Mark James runs The Boot Room bar and eatery next to the City Ground. Around the start of December, the venue began serving zero-alcohol Stella Artois on draught.