Imported Lagers

Beer sales up for first time in four years
British Beer and Pub Association credits World Cup and hot weather for 2.9% rise but sales in pubs slumped by 6.3%

Quarterly beer sales are up on 12 months ago for the first time in four years, boosted by the World Cup and the unusually hot weather.

According to the latest UK Quarterly Beer Barometer, beer sales in the second quarter of 2010 rose by 2.9% compared with the same time last year; the first like-for-like quarterly rise since the second quarter of 2006.

Overall, more than 2.2bn pints were sold during April to June – the best performance since the fourth quarter of 2008 – buoyed by large numbers of people watching the World Cup.

But supermarkets and shops drove the surge in sales as drinkers saved money by staying at home, with shoppers accounting for the retailers’ 13.7% rise in sales the second quarter. Year-on-year sales also edged up by 4.4%.

In pubs, beer sales slumped by 6.3% compared with the same period in 2009.

However, sales were 166m pints up on the first three months of 2010 – the first rise since the second quarter of 2009. Almost 1.1bn pints were sold in pubs during April to June compared with 923m in January to March.

Year-on-year the beer market is down 1.4 % – a significant slowdown in the rate of decline and the best result since the second quarter of 2006. Dwindling real ale (cask) sales account for just 8% of volumes, with the majority of drinkers choosing lager, standard bitter and stout.

Over the last two years Britain’s pubs have battled against the smoking ban, recession, above-inflation increases in beer duties and cheap alcohol offers from supermarkets.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the BBPA, urged the new coalition government to support its pledge to help community pubs through a sustained freeze in beer tax.

She said: “The World Cup has certainly been a benefit to Britain’s beer sector and we can now hope that the market is starting to turn a corner. However, while there is some reason for cheer, it has to be noted that beer sales in pubs are still falling and the nation’s pubs need support.

“The government must carefully consider how best to use its Review of Alcohol Taxation to rebalance the tax system, freeze beer tax and support Britain’s pubs, recognising the economic and social contribution of these vital community assets.”