Target is taking booze-less spirits mainstream

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN

New York (CNN) — With sales of non-alcoholic beverages recently becoming a nearly half-billion dollar industry, even Target is becoming sober curious.

The chain is partnering with Sèchey, an online retailer that sells alcohol-free spirits and wines, to add a selection of popular brands rolling out to 450 Target stores across the US ahead of the typically booze-filled holiday party season.

Drinks in the lineup include two celebrity-backed companies: Kin Euphorics, a trendy brand co-founded by model Bella Hadid, and Katy Perry’s De Soi, which makes non-alcoholic apéritifs. Other brands include NOPE and Ghia, both of which produce non-alcoholic canned cocktails, and alcohol-free wine company Surely.

Target said in a statement that it’s adding the selection for customers “to enjoy as they prepare to entertain for the holiday season and beyond.” The company regularly partners with external companies to lure in customers, and this holiday season added a collection from jewelry designer Kendra Scott.

“Séchey is a great curator of non-alcoholic brands and will help Target to really elevate its offer,” Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director at GlobalData Retail, told CNN. “This is good for the younger generations that Target already attracts, it’s also a sensible way of creating some interest in the grocery side of the business.”

Booze-less boom

Drinkers, or perhaps non-drinkers, are increasingly looking for elevated offerings instead of water and soda. Also, younger people are ditching alcohol and emphasizing wellness. That has created a boom in sales for non-alcohol spirits, wine and beer, which surpassed $500 million this year according to research firm NIQ.

Both big brands and celebrity-backed startups are taking note. Earlier this year, beer maker Molson Coors launched a zero-proof canned cocktail called Roxie, which was created when the company noticed that its customers were moderating their alcohol intake.

Roxie lets “consumers to ‘stay in the moment’ while they are drinking their favorite alcoholic beverage, but can also vacillate between an alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage as well,” Jamie Rotnicki, vice president of innovation for Molson Coors, previously told CNN.

For Katy Perry, helping to make De Soi with cofounder Morgan McLachlan was the result of the superstar taking breaks from drinking, often when she was touring or writing her music and wanted an alternative.

“We created this line out of my desire for still wanting to be part of the party, but wanted to wake up the next morning with full clarity and control,” Perry told CNN.

Perry, who still drinks in moderation, said she’s often approached to promote various alcoholic drinks but that she would rather sell an “empowering” product since alcohol “is really fun but could be really challenging for some people.”

This year, De Soi added new retailers including Whole Foods and Fresh Thyme supermarkets, and the company told CNN that it expects sales to more than double year over year in 2024.

Edited to show that De Soi is currently at Fresh Thyme markets and not Sprouts.

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