Beer market down 21% in April

The beer market, one of the growth drivers of the consumer goods market over the last two years, saw a dramatic sales decline in April this year against the similar time in 2008 – the 21% fall had not been anticipated, even by the most pessimistic producers. Overall beer production recorded in April of this year, which also includes alcohol-free beer, was 17% lower than in the similar period of 2008, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS). The decline could have been even deeper considering that Easter was celebrated in mid-April this year. “Recession as been felt more in the second quarter of the year, with consumption down, and even sales of modern retail chains suffering. The hot weather can somewhat boost beer sales, but not by too much, because people go out less to outdoor restaurants – an important channel for the beer industry,” said Shachar Shaine, president of United Romanian Breweries Bereprod, producer of Tuborg and Skol brands and former president of the Romanian Brewers Association.