Tuesday 25 October 2011

Trundling down the slope

The latest edition of the UK Quarterly Beer Barometer produced by the BBPA confirms the trend of the past two quarters, with a continued steady decline in on-trade beer sales, although not as steep as those often seen over the preceding three years. Over the past year, they are down by 5.2%, compared with an average of 7.4% in 2008-2010. This is more a steady trundle down a slope than a precipitate fall off a cliff. However, even this will lead to a halving of the figure in thirteen years.

Off-trade sales, which are always much more affected by seasonal fluctuations, are down by 3.6% in the year, although slightly up compared with the year to June 2011. The overall beer market is 4.4% down, which no doubt will give Don Shenker some cause for celebration. This may defer the arrival of the “tipping point” when off-trade sales exceed the on-trade, as the retailers seem to have largely passed on the recent duty increase, which has perhaps slowed the rate of change.

2 comments:

  1. Just been listening to a chap called Steve Morris from the 'The Alcohol Academy' being interviewed on LBC.
    As far as he is concerned (and no doubt his funding) drinking is on the up and a little blip in booze sales is nothing.
    Interesting that he has had his boozy uni culture with subsidized drinks days but doesn't want anyone else to have it.

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  2. Nothing worse, Anon, than a former boozer who has seen the light. The same applies to smokers: an ex-girlfriend was also an ex-smoker and the most rabid anti-smoker I knew. I didn't agree with some of her more extreme pronouncements. A few years ago when I bumped into her, she was smoking. I made some comment about the hard time she'd given smokers, and she had the grace to look rueful.

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