Shoppers were buying fewer Fever-Tree mixers to have with their seasonal tipple than expected this Christmas, causing shares in the tonic maker to plunge on Monday.
UK revenue dropped by 1% in 2019, the company said, the first time since the firm listed that its sales fell in the home market.
Britain had previously been a huge boost to Fever-Tree - this time last year the company revealed that revenue had grown by 52% in 2018.
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"The wider retail environment in the UK experienced a challenging Christmas with the mixer category not immune from the weak consumer confidence and corresponding slowdown in spending," the company said in an update to shareholders.
Fever-Tree said it expects the conditions to "remain challenging in the first half of 2020". But management is hopeful that the UK can return to growth this year.
Investors were unforgiving on the market, sending the price of the company's shares down around a quarter to a low of 1,505.5p on Monday morning.
The tonic maker has been a victim of its own success, having delivered much higher growth in past years, said Nicholas Hyett, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
He said: "Year-on-year growth of 9.7% would be music to the ears of many consumer goods groups, but Fever-Tree's rating means investors demand more of it, and if it loses its sparkle the shares will quickly go flat - as they have been today."
It came despite 10% growth globally, driven by a 33% jump in US sales.
The US, where Fever-Tree sold drinks for £47.6 million, now represents just under a fifth of global sales. UK sales were £132.6 million last year, with global sales reaching £260.5 million.
However, US successes were tempered by the company as it revised down its prospect for growth in the country to low double-digits for 2020, a bump in the road before getting back to normal growth, Fever-Tree said.
"Fever-Tree's full-year trading update made for ugly reading," Mr Hyett said.
"Falling sales in the UK will inevitably spark fears the gin boom has turned to bust, while guidance for weaker sales in the US and lower margins undermine Fever_Tree's long-term pitch that it can replicate its success across the pond."
HS2 could cost up to £106 billion, according to a widely leaked Government-commissioned review.
An inquiry led by former HS2 Ltd chairman Doug Oakervee reportedly found there is "considerable risk" that the high-speed rail project's cost will rise by up to 20%.
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A report by current HS2 Ltd chairman Allan Cook, published just four months ago, set out an estimated cost range of between £81 billion and £88 billion.
HS2 was allocated £56 billion in 2015.
A decision on whether to go ahead with the project will be made in "weeks rather than months", Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.
Mr Oakervee's review recommends that work on phase 2b of HS2 from the West Midlands to Manchester and Leeds should be paused for six months to investigate if it could be a mix of conventional and high-speed lines, according to the Financial Times, which has seen a copy of the paper.
Department store chain Beales has collapsed into administration after failing to find a last-minute buyer to rescue the 139-year-old business.
About 1,000 jobs at the 23 stores are now at risk, as administrators from KPMG step in to see if the business can be saved.
The company's only Scottish store is in Perth.
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The company's website has been taken down, although the stores will continue trading while administrators look for a buyer.
The Bournemouth-based retailer is the latest high street name to suffer from soaring business rates and the public deserting shopping centres in record numbers.
Last month Beales hired advisers at KPMG to lead a strategic review in order to find a profitable future for the business.
The company was previously in talks with landlords over rent reductions, through a Company Voluntary Arrangement, and reports suggested two potential buyers had been lined up.
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