For the first time, supermarkets and off-licenses have sold more beer over a 12-month period than pubs and bars, according to new British Beer & Pub Association figures.

World Cup excitement and a late Easter contributed to an 8.6% year-on-year surge in off-trade sales of beer to 13.86 million barrels, while on-trade sales fell 0.6% to 13.78m barrels [BBPA Beer Barometer 12m/e June 2014].

Fourteen years ago, when the BBPA first started splitting on and off-trade sales, pubs and bars were selling 24.28 million barrels, and the off-trade 11.18 million.

In the past quarter, off-trade beer sales have rocketed 16.9%, while on-trade sales have risen 2.6% - the first quarterly growth recorded by the on-trade since 2011.

“It has been a good quarter,” said BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds, adding that two consecutive duty cuts had helped to boost trade.“These figures show in dramatic fashion the continued impact of the Government’s decision to cut beer duty again, to encourage consumers towards our British-made national drink.

“The boost for pubs is especially welcome. Two previous World Cup tournaments were unable to turn around declining sales – these new figures indicate the industry is moving in the right direction. With further cuts in beer duty, we can deliver on investment, growth and jobs.”

In the first week of the World Cup, off-trade lager sales rose 49.2% year-on-year by volume, while ale grew 26.5% [IRI w/e 14 June].

Promotions had a big role to play in the boom. In the run-up to the World Cup, deep promotions had pushed the average price of eight of Britain’s 10 biggest beer and cider brands below levels recorded at the start of the 2010 tournament. The steepest decline was on Foster’s lager, which had dropped 16.5% from £1.88 a litre four years ago to £1.57 this year, while Carlsberg and Carling were down by more than 10%.

Quarterly beer sales figures (000s barrels)

Off-trade

 Q1Q2Q3Q4
  Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change
2000 1,607 -7.9% 2,975 11.3% 2,895 -3.4% 3,738 -4.3%
2001 1,789 11.4% 3,048 2.5% 3,103 7.2% 3,923 4.9%
2002 2,067 15.6% 3,468 13.8% 3,191 2.8% 4,082 4.0%
2003 2,147 3.8% 3,601 3.8% 3,673 15.1% 4,190 2.7%
2004 2,486 15.8% 3,825 6.2% 3,373 -8.2% 4,444 6.1%
2005 2,390 -3.9% 3,744 -2.1% 3,702 9.7% 4,338 -2.4%
2006 2,496 4.4% 4,191 11.9% 3,427 -7.4% 4,392 1.3%
2007 2,485 -0.4% 3,872 -7.6% 3,642 6.3% 4,419 0.6%
2008 2,823 13.6% 4,031 4.1% 3,435 -5.7% 4,146 -6.2%
2009 2,531 -10.3% 3,797 -5.8% 3,578 4.2% 4,052 -2.3%
2010 2,550 0.7% 4,333 14.1% 3,151 -11.9% 3,982 -1.7%
2011 2,463 -3.4% 3,697 -14.7% 3,456 9.7% 3,936 -1.2%
2012 2,558 3.9% 3,462 -6.4% 3,216 -6.9% 3,634 -7.7%
2013 2,569 0.4% 3,346 -3.3% 3,623 12.7% 3,785 4.1%
2014 2,547 -0.9% 3,910 16.9%        

On-trade

 Q1Q2Q3Q4
  Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change
2000 5,246 -4.1% 6,096 -4.1% 5,969 -5.5% 6,047 -4.9%
2001 5,022 -4.3% 5,923 -2.8% 5,802 -2.8% 6,016 -0.5%
2002 5,069 0.9% 5,838 -1.4% 5,629 -3.0% 5,797 -3.6%
2003 4,901 -3.3% 5,685 -2.6% 5,597 -0.6% 5,706 -1.6%
2004 4,833 -1.4% 5,660 -0.4% 5,422 -3.1% 5,599 -1.9%
2005 4,701 -2.7% 5,343 -5.6% 5,293 -2.4% 5,393 -3.7%
2006 4,470 -4.9% 5,310 -0.6% 4,972 -6.1% 5,190 -3.8%
2007 4,298 -3.8% 4,963 -6.5% 4,716 -5.2% 4,761 -8.3%
2008 3,950 -8.1% 4,449 -10.3% 4,346 -7.8% 4,302 -9.6%
2009 3,720 -5.8% 4,266 -4.1% 4,162 -4.2% 4,108 -4.5%
2010 3,415 -8.2% 4,028 -5.6% 3,878 -6.8% 3,813 -7.2%
2011 3,355 -1.8% 3,933 -2.4% 3,792 -2.2% 3,844 0.8%
2012 3,212 -4.3% 3,770 -4.2% 3,620 -4.6% 3,659 -4.8%
2013 3,041 -5.3% 3,542 -6.0% 3,582 -1.0% 3,609 -1.4%
2014 2,959 -2.7% 3,633 2.6%        

 

Annual beer sales figures (000s barrels)

Off-trade

 Q1Q2Q3Q4
  Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change
2000 11,183 5.3% 11,484 12.9% 11,381 6.9% 11,215 -0.9%
2001 11,397 1.9% 11,471 -0.1% 11,679 2.6% 11,864 5.8%
2002 12,143 6.5% 12,562 9.5% 12,649 8.3% 12,808 8.0%
2003 12,888 0.0% 13,020 0.0% 13,502 0.0% 13,610 6.3%
2004 13,949 8.2% 14,174 8.9% 13,874 2.8% 14,128 3.8%
2005 14,032 0.6% 13,951 -1.6% 14,279 2.9% 14,173 0.3%
2006 14,278 1.8% 14,725 5.6% 14,451 1.2% 14,506 2.4%
2007 14,496 1.5% 14,177 -3.7% 14,391 -0.4% 14,418 -0.6%
2008 14,755 1.8% 14,915 5.2% 14,707 2.2% 14,434 0.1%
2009 14,143 -4.2% 13,909 -6.7% 14,052 -4.5% 13,958 -3.3%
2010 13,976 -1.2% 14,512 4.3% 14,084 0.2% 14,015 0.4%
2011 13,928 -0.3% 13,293 -8.4% 13,598 -3.5% 13,552 -3.3%
2012 13,647 -2.0% 13,412 0.9% 13,172 -3.1% 12,870 -5.0%
2013 12,881 -5.6% 12,765 -4.8% 13,173 0.0% 13,323 3.5%
2014 13,301 3.3% 13,866 8.6%        

On-trade

 Q1Q2Q3Q4
  Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change
2000 24,281 -3.1% 24,018 -3.2% 23,671 -4.4% 23,358 -4.7%
2001 23,134 -4.7% 22,961 -4.4% 22,794 -3.7% 22,763 -2.5%
2002 22,811 -1.4% 22,725 -1.0% 22,552 -1.1% 22,333 -1.9%
2003 22,165 0.0% 22,013 0.0% 21,981 0.0% 21,890 -2.0%
2004 21,821 -1.5% 21,796 -1.0% 21,621 -1.6% 21,513 -1.7%
2005 21,381 -2.0% 21,064 -3.4% 20,935 -3.2% 20,729 -3.6%
2006 20,499 -4.1% 20,466 -2.8% 20,145 -3.8% 19,942 -3.8%
2007 19,770 -3.6% 19,423 -5.1% 19,166 -4.9% 18,737 -6.0%
2008 18,389 -7.0% 17,876 -8.0% 17,506 -8.7% 17,048 -9.0%
2009 16,818 -8.5% 16,634 -6.9% 16,451 -6.0% 16,256 -4.6%
2010 15,951 -5.2% 15,714 -5.5% 15,430 -6.2% 15,135 -6.9%
2011 15,075 -5.5% 14,980 -4.7% 14,894 -3.5% 14,925 -1.4%
2012 14,782 -1.9% 14,619 -2.4% 14,446 -3.0% 14,261 -4.5%
2013 14,089 -4.7% 13,862 -5.2% 13,824 -4.3% 13,775 -3.4%
2014 13,693 -2.8% 13,784 -0.6%