BYO refillable wine bottles could become the norm claims UK supermarket

Buying wine in refillable bottles could soon become the norm, according to UK grocery retailer Waitrose which has been running a trial offering shoppers the chance to buy wine and beer in reusable containers.

The retailer claimed the Unpacked pilot, which offered customers at its Oxford Botley Road store four types of wine and four draught beers in the BYO format had been  “”phenomenal”, with ten weeks of beer selling out in only four days.

Wine and a glass bottle costs £7.99, while a refill costs £6.99. That compares to a 2.25L  bag-in-box (equivalent to three bottles) which costs £24.99, or £8.33 per bottle, making a refill would be 16% cheaper for an eco-friendly shopper.

As a result of its success, Waitrose has extended the trial to three more stores, it revealed in its recently released  Food & Drink Report 2019-20

"Sustainability, personalisation and value for money are the main reasons for this rise in refillables - a concept that comes from America, where 'growlers' are popular," said Pierpaolo Petrassi MW, partner & head of BWS and Soft Drinks.

In line with the sustainability trend, the report also revealed a surge in Waitrose sales of canned alcoholic drinks, including RTD cocktails and English wine.

"Aluminium is proving popular as it is easily recyclable and cans already contain a high proportion of recycled content, making them a green choice."

Orange wine was one emerging trend and one to watch going forward, said the retailer which was the first UK supermarket to sell the wine with its Litmus Orange listing.

Eastern European wine was also proving increasingly popular amongst Waitrose cusotomers, who were becoming increasingly confident in their choices. Reflecting this, sales of Waitrose's dry Slovenian Furmit have surged 159%, according to the supermarket, which has tapped into the 'controlled discovery' with the launch of nine lesser-known wines.