Cider Category Now Worth £2bn to UK Pubs and Bars

HEINEKEN UK has unveiled its new Cider Report 2026: In-Cider Knowledge, which shows that we remain a nation of cider fans, with sales up 3.5%, making Cider the second fastest growing drinks category in the on-trade according to the latest data from NIQ.

Cider now has more than 9% volume share of total wet sales in the on-trade, selling the equivalent of 96 pints and 25 bottles per pub per week across the UK on-trade. The category is therefore worth approximately £443 in sales to an average pub every week.

The new figures also show that Cider has seen the largest increase in serves per occasion in the last year, up by nearly a fifth (+19%) to 3.2 serves per occasion. This is in line with Beer, at 3.3 serves per occasion, and more than cocktails (2.3 serves).

Growth is being driven by the rising popularity of Mainstream Apple and Premium Draught, as evidenced by the brands which experienced the two biggest increases in value over the period – Inch’s, up 28% to £260m, and Aspall Cyder, up 14% to £149m.

While it remains a crucial choice for wet-led occasions, cider is evolving, with over 40% of cider occasions now taking place while eating. This demonstrates how the drink is able to fit a wide range of occasions that other categories can’t always meet.

Will Rice, On-trade Sales Director from HEINEKEN UK says: “The UK is world’s largest cider market, with over 450 cider makers across the country producing from orchard to glass, and this latest report shows that, as a nation, our passion for cider remains strong.

“As the second fastest growing drinks category in the UK on-trade and growing in popularity across new occasions, particularly with food, cider is a category fully deserving of space and focus in pubs and bars of all sizes and shapes.

“Our goal at HEINEKEN UK is always help licensees maximise value in their outlets and so we’ve designed this report to help them make the most of the opportunity and to sell more cider, to more people, more often.”

Download the full report here: www.ciderreport.co.uk