Waitrose has partnered with alcoholic beverage company Diageo to launch a dedicated space for low and alcohol-free drinks.

The dedicated space will be available in 253 Waitrose shops across the UK.

The area will feature the retailer’s full range of more than 70 low and alcohol-free drinks, from beer and cider to wines and spirits.

Waitrose said the change would add 60% more space to low and alcohol-free drinks across its portfolio.

Waitrose beers, wines and spirits head and wine master Pierpaolo Petrassi said: “Demand for low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks is growing at a phenomenal rate. It’s now the norm for customers to buy both.  We expect this year to be the biggest year to date for sales and are preparing for strong demand at Christmas.

“The growth is down to our customers wanting to moderate their alcohol consumption, but is also heavily driven by the creation of new, great quality new drinks such as Guinness 0.0, Tanqueray 0.0 and Gordon's Pink 0.0. We’ve added ten new low and alcohol-free products this year and will launch more before Christmas.”

The partnership comes as Waitrose registered 20% sales growth in its low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks over the past year.

According to Diageo-commissioned research, seven in ten UK adults want low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks to be more accessible.

Diageo GB managing director Nuno Teles said: “We know that UK drinkers are becoming more sophisticated and thinking more about how much they drink. The alcohol-free and low-alcohol category plays a critical role in providing quality choices for those looking to moderate without compromising on experience.”