𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

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Heineken has urged British pubs and bars to adapt to the rising popularity of weight-loss drugs or risk losing trade, in a rare admission from a major brewer that such treatments threaten alcohol sales.

The guidance was detailed in a previously unreported company presentation seen by Reuters.

The warning comes amid a surge in GLP-1 use, with around 10 million people in the US taking medications such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy last year, according to JPMorgan research.

This growing trend is impacting the wider consumer sector, curbing cravings for sweets and snacks, increasing demand for clothing alterations, and triggering a scramble to sell products that counter side-effects.

Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer behind AB InBev, cautioned hospitality customers that GLP-1 drugs suppress the desire to drink and place pressure on beer and cider sales due to “fullness and fewer serves”. It warned that traditional drinking occasions centred around multiple pints could become harder to sustain.

The presentation, sent to venues this month, recommends promoting half-pints, low- and no-alcohol drinks, and pairing drinks with small plates. It warns of declining visits and spending as use of the medicines becomes increasingly mainstream in Britain.

The alcohol industry is already grappling with years of falling sales in some major markets as consumers cut back on drinking for health and economic reasons.

Heineken told Reuters the presentation was shared as part of its regular engagement with UK hospitality businesses to help them understand how the market is evolving.

“We see some changes in consumption behaviour among (GLP-1) users and will continue to monitor how these behaviours evolve in 2027,” Heineken said.

GLP-1 users were not abandoning alcohol altogether but were increasingly opting for smaller serves, lower-alcohol drinks and more premium products, aligning with broader ongoing trends, it continued, adding its portfolio is well positioned to meet these demands.

Europe is the Dutch brewer’s largest market by revenue, but growth has been sluggish. Heineken has singled out Britain, where it owns more than 2,000 pubs, as a relative bright spot.

Beer generated nearly £14 billion of sales in British pubs, bars and restaurants in the year to February 2026, with less than £300 million of that from no- and low-alcohol beers, according to a Heineken UK report.

Although drinks companies have largely played down the threat from GLP-1 medicines, emerging spending data points to an impact on purchases.

A group of US households with a GLP-1 user tracked by market research firm Circana between 2024 and 2026 reduced spending on alcohol for both at-home and out-of-home consumption compared with households without a user.

After two years on the drugs, they spent about 7% less per month on alcohol versus non-using households, including around 13.5 per cent less on beer.

Top spirits maker Diageo has told investors any impact from GLP-1 drugs should be manageable even if use becomes more widespread. Carlsberg told Reuters existing data did not yet support the view that the drugs were a clear driver of beer consumption trends. Anheuser-Busch InBev declined to comment.

Surveys in Europe and the UK by Circana, market researcher NIQ and specialist UK-based hospitality researcher KAM have also pointed to reduced drinking by GLP-1 users. Ten of 11 GLP-1 users Reuters interviewed said they had reduced their drinking, sometimes significantly, saying it left them feeling uncomfortable or unwell, or they simply no longer had any desire to drink.

UK-based Daniel Cornwell, founder of hospitality executive recruitment business SPE Resourcing, said he used to drink regularly at work events and on weekends but now finds alcohol causes him discomfort and results in a multi-day hangover.

GLP-1’s effects on the brain may also affect users’ motivation to drink, said Joseph Schacht, a professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz, who led a randomised controlled trial on the impact of GLP-1s on people with alcohol use disorder. He said trials have consistently shown a reduction in cravings and consumption for people with AUD.

Schacht said the medicines could create a potential “Prozac moment” for AUD treatment, while also posing a challenge for alcohol producers if broader groups of drinkers cut back too.