More than a Store is a regular column that delves into the experiential side of grocery retailing.
More consumers are imbibing nonalcoholic beverages or ones with lower alcohol content, also known as “NoLo” drinks, but you wouldn’t necessarily know that based on merchandising in typical grocery store aisles.
During visits to different grocers in Washington, D.C., I’ve wished that grocers would make shopping for low- or no-alcohol drinks and mocktails easier and more enjoyable with aisle signage and creative endcaps — like how some grocers highlight Kosher or organic items.
Doing so could help grocers join a party that’s in full swing. According to global analytics and advisory firm Gallup, the percentage of people in the U.S. who reported drinking alcohol dropped from 62% in 2023 to 54% in 2025. The firm said this trend is especially pronounced among women. Concerns about alcohol’s impact on people’s health are also on the rise among age cohorts, Gallup noted.
While alcohol is no doubt a lucrative category for grocers, sales and product innovation are on the rise for the nonalcoholic beverage sector. The International Wine and Spirits Record projected in May that nonalcoholic beer will overtake ale as the second-largest beer category worldwide in 2025.
While I jokingly have the title of “booze reporter,” given how much I enjoy covering alcohol in the grocery industry, I love to mix up my own mocktails at home. I just wish that grocery stores did a better job at making alcohol-free beverages easier for me to find.
That’s why I was excited when I spotted a photo on LinkedIn showcasing a merchandising tactic that grocers can use for NoLo alcohol products.
During the summer, Diana Leza Sheehan, principal and CEO of research and consulting firm PDG Insights, posted a photo of a large “Non-Alcoholic” sign in a slideshow of photos taken at an H-E-B Central Market in Dallas. Additional signage shows the section offers sodas and tonics, beer, spirits and wine. The shelves include a wide selection of brands, including Badger Bevs tonic water, Sierra Nevada Hop Splash sparkling water and Deschutes Black Butte nonalcoholic porter.
“Why aren’t more grocers doing this?” I thought when I saw that photo.
Grocers are missing prime opportunities to cater to interest in NoLo alcoholic products. At a Giant Food store near where I live, the Liquid Death canned water was in the same display as wine, while a local Wegmans store had a puny sign the size of a piece of printer paper that said, “Your non-alcohol destination.” It was on an endcap that only displayed three brands. In another part of the alcohol section, I spotted a sign for “N/A beer.”
To be fair, not all Wegmans stores are coming up short on NoLo alcohol merchandising. Another location in New York, for example, fashioned a nonalcoholic endcap.
I’m not the only one clamoring for more NoLo alcohol merchandising. Across the pond, Olivier Ward, a specialist in alcoholic spirits, recently shared on LinkedIn disappointment in the evolution of the nonalcoholic section at British supermarket chain Waitrose. Two years ago, Ward had sung the praises of Waitrose for its “Alcohol free and low alcohol” section, but a year later, Ward said the brands offered in that section haven’t changed much.
“No iterations, testing new presentation ideas - it feels a bit stagnant,” Ward said, adding that a broader selection of brands may help.
Some people might read this and wonder why NoLo consumers like me don’t just head to the soda aisle or grab some juice from the refrigerated cases. That’s because mocktails share similar vibes to cocktails. It’s more appetizing — and more convenient — to pick up premade Virgin Mary mix in the alcohol aisle than traverse several aisles to grab tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and hot sauce.
Grocers should consider taking a page from that H-E-B Central Market store’s playbook and make it easier for customers to find items with prominent shelf and aisle signage. Stores can offer endcaps or aisle displays to call attention to trendy brands. They can go even further and provide in-store tastings to fuel product discovery or have videos or flyers for mocktail recipes or food pairings.
I, for one, would love a low-alcohol take on which wines to enjoy with Halloween candy. Or what about some low-alcohol private label wine?
