Off-trade beer sales overtook that of on-trade last year for the first time since industry records began.
Of the 44 million hectolitres of beer sold in Britain 51% of sales came from supermarkets and off-licences with the remaining 49% coming from pubs, clubs, hotels and restaurants, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).
On-trade beer sales have been losing ground to supermarkets for years as they have struggled to compete with aggressive promotional activity, but this is the first time off-trade sales have accounted for more than on-trade since industry records began, said the BBPA.
In 1990, nearly 80% of beer was swigged in on-trade locations. This had decreased to two-thirds in 2000, according to the figures, which were published this week in a new statistical handbook by the BBPA.
The average pub price of a pint of draught lager ranges from £2.40 to £4.70 - 38% higher than a decade earlier, according to the BBPA, which said a pint of bitter had seen similar rises - up from £1.80-£2.56 in 2006 to £2.05-£3.90 this year, it said.
In comparison, Tesco was this weekend selling 18 cans of Stella Artois for £14, equivalent to £1 a pint, with Asda offering multipacks of 20 Carlsberg cans for £10 - 65p a pint.
The 2016 handbook also revealed that when it comes to beer, UK consumption is below the EU average, of about 72 litres per head, per year.
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