beer

Off-trade beer sales were 6% lower in the second quarter of this year than the same period in 2014.

In stark contrast to Q2 last year – when the World Cup drove a 16.9% year-on-year boom – sales of beer through grocers and off-licenses fell 6.2% to 3.7 million barrels, according to the latest figures from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) Quarterly Beer Barometer. In better news for retailers, this year’s Q2 sales were 9.6% higher than those in 2013.

Pub and bar sales of beer were down 4.9% year on year in Q2 to 3.4 million barrels, with total beer across the on and off-trade down 5.6%.

The BBPA pointed out that, in addition to the impact of comparisons with the World Cup boom, sales had also been affected by Easter falling in early April in 2015. This meant some beer sales may have shifted into Q1 compared to 2014, when Easter was in late April.

And BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said the figures showed more action was needed on beer duty.

“While we may see a bounce back in Q3, these latest figures give no room for complacency,” she added. “The Chancellor has made a great start with his three 1p cuts, but with inflation very low, and an industry still experiencing the impact of the 42% duty rise under the previous Government’s escalator policy there is no doubt more action is need to create a more sustainable future for Britain’s national drink.”

Looking at the BBPA’s full-year sales figures, the decline was lower with off-trade sales down 1.9% over the 12 months to 13.6 million barrels and on trade down 2.9% to 13.3 million barrels. Total sales were down 2.4% on the previous 12 months.

World Cup beer sales were driven by deep discounting, with The Grocer revealing in June 2014 that eight of Britain’s 10 biggest beer and cider brands were cheaper then than at the start of the 2010 World Cup. The steepest decline was on Foster’s lager, which had dropped 16.5% from £1.88 a litre four years ago to £1.57, with Carlsberg and Carling also down by more than 10%.

 

 

UK Quarterly Beer Barometer    
2nd Quarter 2015 (April to June)            
Moving annual total beer sales (‘000 barrels)          
Total sales Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
  Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change Volume % change
2000 35,464 -0.6% 35,503 1.5% 35,052 -1.0% 34,572 -3.5%
2001 34,531 -2.6% 34,432 -3.0% 34,473 -1.7% 34,627 0.2%
2002 34,953 1.2% 35,287 2.5% 35,201 2.1% 35,141 1.5%
2003 35,052 0.0% 35,033 0.0% 35,483 0.0% 35,500 1.0%
2004 35,771 2.0% 35,969 2.7% 35,495 0.0% 35,641 0.4%
2005 35,413 -1.0% 35,015 -2.7% 35,215 -0.8% 34,902 -2.1%
2006 34,778 -1.8% 35,191 0.5% 34,596 -1.8% 34,448 -1.3%
2007 34,265 -1.5% 33,600 -4.5% 33,558 -3.0% 33,155 -3.8%
2008 33,144 -3.3% 32,790 -2.4% 32,213 -4.0% 31,482 -5.0%
2009 30,961 -6.6% 30,543 -6.9% 30,503 -5.3% 30,214 -4.0%
2010 29,927 -3.3% 30,225 -1.0% 29,514 -3.2% 29,150 -3.5%
2011 29,003 -3.1% 28,272 -6.5% 28,492 -3.5% 28,477 -2.3%
2012 28,412 -2.0% 27,984 -1.0% 27,548 -3.3% 27,031 -5.1%
2013 26,871 -5.4% 26,530 -5.2% 26,898 -2.4% 26,999 -0.1%
2014 26,892 0.1% 27,534 3.8% 27,262 1.4% 27,338 1.3%
2015 27,292 1.5% 26,874 -2.4%        
                 
On-trade sales Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
  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 14,766 -2.1% 14,576 -2.7% 14,379 -3.5% 14,166 -5.1%
2013 13,997 -5.2% 13,773 -5.5% 13,737 -4.5% 13,690 -3.4%
2014 13,599 -2.8% 13,678 -0.7% 13,610 -0.9% 13,537 -1.1%
2015 13,460 -1.0% 13,283 -2.9%        
                 
Off-trade sales Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
  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 13,646 -2.0% 13,409 0.9% 13,169 -3.2% 12,866 -5.1%
2013 12,875 -5.7% 12,757 -4.9% 13,161 -0.1% 13,308 3.4%
2014 13,293 3.2% 13,857 8.6% 13,652 3.7% 13,801 3.7%
2015 13,832 4.1% 13,591 -1.9%