Tesco boss Ken Murphy predicts a 'more moderate Christmas' as weight-loss jabs and health drive cut demand for alcohol

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026 · last updated 9 October 2026.

Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy says Britons are set to drink less this Christmas, pointing to a 'general trend toward healthier living' that accelerated during Covid and is now being turbocharged by the rise of weight-loss jabs such as Mounjaro.

GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro are thought to reduce alcohol's appeal by altering the brain's pleasure response and triggering nausea.

Murphy still expects festive spending overall to hold up, predicting strong sales of pre-mixed cocktails and low and no-alcohol lines, including new mocktail cans.

Tesco reported like-for-like sales growth of 1% for the six months to August, with the retailer lifting its profit forecast on the back of resilient consumer confidence.