The heatwave in Europe calls into question the assumption that hot summers entail an increase in alcoholic beverage sales, with research showing that consumers are less inclined to enjoy an ice-cold beer or an Aperol Spritz when it is excessively hot.
On average, sales of alcoholic beverages increase when the temperature exceeds 32 degrees Celsius, a threshold which, however, if surpassed reduces the positive effect, researchers from the University of California, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), and North Carolina State University found.
The effect on drinking differs depending on the region and is less pronounced in already hot climates, as emphasized in this March study, which was based on U.S. retail sales data from 2006 to 2023.
"Generally speaking, warm weather is good for consumption. But there is also an upper limit...beyond which it is simply unpleasantly hot," says Marten Lodewijks, president of beverage market research company IWSR, adding that this reverses the trend for some consumers.
This summer's heatwave in Europe, which began on June 20, was the most severe ever recorded on the continent, causing thousands of excess deaths and straining health systems, creating problems in energy production and destroying infrastructure.
European health authorities have announced that citizens should avoid alcohol, which increases dehydration and body temperature.
The consumption of alcohol and its sale in shops were banned for a short period in Paris.
"There is a significant difference between warm weather and extreme heat," explains Carlsberg public relations director Christian Henningsen, adding that extreme heat may lead consumers to stay indoors instead of going out for a drink.
The Danish brewery is focusing on offering more choices to consumers, such as non-alcoholic beers or soft drinks, partly so they can adapt to such changes, Henningsen told Reuters.
Leading brewers, such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, have in the past blamed lower- or higher-than-seasonal temperatures for their disappointing revenues during the summer, when consumers usually turn to lighter and more refreshing drinks such as beer.
Spiros Malandrakis, an alcoholic beverages market analyst at multinational company Euromonitor International, says that more waves of extreme heat could have mixed effects for those active in the drinks trade.
Besides pushing some people to drink less, heatwaves can hit economies and purchasing power as well as agriculture, increasing the production costs of alcoholic beverages, he explains.
Malandrakis nevertheless predicted that some will drink more in a world that "feels like it is literally burning."
The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service announced that heatwaves will become more frequent and more intense, while scientists have said that the heatwave in Europe would have been almost impossible without human-caused climate change, which is warming it at a faster rate than any other continent.
SOURCE: ANA