On-trade distribution metrics: numeric, weighted, AURP and ROS, with maths
By Jack Sotti · Updated
Four numbers decide whether a drinks brand's on-trade business is real: numeric distribution (what % of target venues list you), weighted distribution (what % of category volume those venues pour), average units per listed outlet per period (labelled AURP here for clarity; confirm any vendor's acronym definition), and ROS (rate of sale, the same idea at outlet granularity). A listing without repeat sell-through needs a different response from a missing listing. Reviewing all four measures together makes that difference visible rather than treating account count as proof of demand.
These are FMCG-standard metrics, using explicit denominators and periods so reports can be compared without relying on an acronym, translated for UK on-trade where the brutal constraint is that nobody has a national pour feed. Every number below is computable by a brand with disciplined sell-in data plus a reported panel; the guide's job is making the four definitions exact enough that vendor decks and your own numbers mean the same thing.
The four definitions, precisely
Say you sell a London dry gin into a target universe of 2,000 cocktail-led venues. 340 list it. Your numeric distribution is 17%.
Those 340 venues pour 1.9M serves of gin categories annually against the universe's 9.8M. Your weighted distribution is 19.4%: the share of category consumption your listings sit inside. Notice how close the two numbers are here; that's unusual and it's the good case.
AURP = total units sold ÷ number of listed outlets. 41,000 bottles through 340 venues = 121 bottles per outlet per year, ~2.3 a week. Double AURP with the same numeric distribution and you've grown the business without a new listing.
ROS is the same units-per-outlet concept reported at a stated period and account grain: bottles (or 70cl-equivalents) per outlet per week, and the number your field team should be able to answer per account, this week.
Why weighted beats numeric, in one story
Numeric distribution rewards listing everything; a 40% numeric distribution can look stronger than 17% even when the latter accounts generate more brand sales, every quarter, right up until the P&L tells the truth. Weighted distribution asks: of the category volume in our target universe, how much can actually reach your brand? If numeric is 30% and weighted is 9%, you're listed in the venues that don't sell your kind of thing, which is a targeting failure disguised as growth, and it is a pattern worth investigating rather than treating listing count as the whole result.
The diagnostic split is three cells: numeric high + weighted high (targeting works, grow numeric); numeric high + weighted low (wrong venues, fix targeting before more listings); numeric low + weighted high (you win where it matters — the expansion brief writes itself: more venues like the ones that work).
The UK on-trade measurement problem, honestly
Grocery has EDI: every scan reported. On-trade has invoices out and hope in. Which means a brand's weighted-distribution denominator (category volume per venue) has to come from somewhere, and the honest menu is: commercial on-trade panels with defined sampling and coverage, distributor data where it's granular enough (rare), your own reported panel of friendly venues (free, biased, surprisingly useful for trend), or category proxies (cask-line counts, listing-adjacent data). None is perfect; all four beat the alternative, which is quoting numeric distribution in board decks and calling it reach.
Better Bartender's pilot model is built around being the reported-panel layer, venues that agree to share sell-through in exchange for the analytics, because we think the UK needs one and we'd rather build it transparently than pretend the numbers fall from the sky. That bias disclosed, the four definitions above are neutral arithmetic whoever computes them.
Worked: the four numbers on one account list
| Account | Category weekly serves | Brand weekly bottles (70cl) |
|---|---|---|
| Bar A | 900 | 6.0 |
| Bar B | 1,400 | 1.5 |
| Bar C | 600 | 4.5 |
| Bar D | 2,100 | 0.8 |
Numeric is 4/4 by construction, and useless. ROS says A and C are accounts; B and D are logos. Bar D, with 42% of the category volume in this list and 0.8 ROS, is a low-ROS account despite a strong category opportunity. All four listed venues mean weighted distribution is 100% within this small universe: poor sell-through is a different problem from missing category-weighted listings. The field answer is a serve-spec pitch, not another listing discount, and the next activation plan gets measured against this table, not against vibes.
Show the denominator beside distribution
Numeric distribution is listed outlets divided by the defined target universe. Weighted distribution is category sales in those listed outlets divided by category sales across that same universe. If every venue in a four-account example lists the brand, both forms of distribution are 100%, regardless of its weak sell-through at one account. Rate of sale measures the next question: what the brand actually sold within its reach. Distinguish all listed outlets from selling outlets and use outlet-weeks when coverage changes. A reported average can rise merely because zero-selling outlets were excluded; keep that denominator change visible before celebrating growth.
FAQ
What is weighted distribution? The share of category volume (or value) in a target universe that sits in venues listing your brand. Numeric counts venues; weighted weights them by how much they sell. It's the metric that catches "listed everywhere, selling nowhere".
What is AURP? Average units per retail outlet per period: total brand units ÷ listed outlets. AURP × numeric distribution × universe size = total volume, which makes it the cleanest growth lever statement in drinks: same listings, more per bar.
How do I calculate rate of sale for on-trade? Units sold per outlet per week, from sell-in adjusted for stock, a reported panel, or distributor scan-equivalents where they exist. Weekly per-account ROS is the field-team metric; annual AURP is the board metric; both should reconcile.
Why does weighted distribution matter more for premium brands? Because premium volume concentrates: a few hundred high-pouring venues carry a disproportionate share of category serves. Premium brands at low weighted distribution have missed exactly the venues where premium exists, and numeric distribution will hide that failure completely.
Category context for reading these numbers against the market sits in UK spirits category watch.
Method and assumptions
Numeric and weighted distribution follow the conventional count-versus-category-weight approach; this page defines average units per outlet explicitly rather than attributing its acronym to a particular data provider; no NIQ or Circana data is cited or implied, and the worked table is illustrative. The UK on-trade data gap is described as practitioners know it, not as a finding. Standards: data standards.
Last reviewed 19 October 2026.