Beer sales drop by 9.7pc
The amount of beer drunk in Britain fell by 9.7 per cent in the last three months, dashing hopes of a comeback by the brewing industry. Sales of beer in supermarkets and off-licences were down by 12 per cent in the third quarter, while sales in pubs dropped by 7.8 per cent. The latest figures are in stark contrast to those for the second quarter of 2010, in which sales rose by 2.9 per cent – their first quarterly increase for four years. But the latest results show that the industry is still in decline and second quarter results were a blip, caused in part by the World Cup, “As has occurred after every World Cup, the beer market hit a bump in the road, not helped by a wet summer,” said Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the BBPA.