Christmas is crucial to the beers, wines and spirits (BWS) category and the week leading up to December 25 is the most important time, when 38% of December alcohol sales occur (Nielsen data).

The alcohol market is arguably undergoing one of the most innovative and interesting times in its history with both big brands and smaller local producers bringing out new products at a rate of knots; and categories fragmenting into myriad niches that allow consumers to make new discoveries. An over-arching trend is a move towards drinking less volume but better quality, supported by off-trade stats from Nielsen, which show total take-home sales in 2017 were ahead by 4% in value, to just under £16.5bn, in a year when volume consumption actually fell by 1%.

Craft: Small is widely seen as good in alcohol at the moment, so much so that big global players have been busy buying up smaller players. In boutique gin, Pernod Ricard UK has taken a majority stake in Monkey 47 gin, Beam Suntory has bought Sipsmith and Campari has swallowed up Bulldog, while in beer AB-Inbev has bought craft brewers Goose Island in the US and Camden Town in the UK.

Consumer health concerns are causing big drinks' suppliers to look at their portfolios with alcohol-free, lower-abv and lower-calorie alternatives appearing in increasing numbers across many sub-categories. AB-Inbev feels the time may finally be right for Bud Light, the lower calorie version of Budweiser which lasted just two years after it was first launched in the UK in 1998. It contains just 27 calories per 100ml and has been brewed to 3.5% abv. A premium light lager, it is described as delivering a "fresh, clean and subtle hop aroma, delicate malt sweetness and a crisp finish". The company has also begun importing Franziskaner Alkoholfrei wheat beer while Heineken has launched Heineken 0.0, an alcohol-free version of its flagship lager brand.

After the post-Magners boom of the 2000s, cider has been having a tougher time lately and the category as a whole fell 2% in volume and 1% in value in the off trade last year, according to Nielsen.

The alcoholic drinks market is more dynamic and exciting than it's been for many years, pointing to a profitable summer for retailers if the weather delivers the goods.

The right to sell alcohol was a hard-won battle for forecourts. So it's perhaps surprising that, having gone to the trouble of gaining a licence, so many forecourt retailers are content to let their beers, wines and spirits (BWS) section take a passive role in the product mix rather than making it stand out and seduce.

In Scotland, obtaining an off licence can be a difficult task without a full understanding of the process. And with the Scottish Government having recently concluded a consultation on alcohol licensing laws, there is potential for significant change to the current legislation. Andrew Hunter, a partner in Harper Macleod and specialist in licensing north of the Border, looks at the state of forecourt licensing in Scotland and considers the key points to consider when applying for an off licence.