Super-premium beer market takes London by storm, while Peroni is the highest-selling super-premium brand
Super-premium beer brands have risen from obscurity to corner 25 per cent of the London beer market today.
Around £1 in every £4 spent on beer in London now goes to a "super-premium" brand, which, according to Miller Brands, is beer that has a clearly defined and understood provenance, authenticity and brand story, and costs £4.15 per pint or higher.
The UK's number one super-premium beer is Peroni Nastro Azzurro, while the Czech-origin beers of Pilsner Urquell and Kozel both registered double-digit revenue growth in parent company SABMiller's full-year results, released today.
Gary Haigh, Managing Director of Miller Brands UK, said: "As we progress from world beer into a new era of high growth super-premium beer, we are immensely proud that Peroni Nastro Azzurro continues to spearhead this change.
Read more: Has craft beer lost its flavour to globalisation?
"The growth of Pilsner Urquell Tank Beer has been outstanding too, with acclaimed restaurateurs and premium pub owners wanting to centre new openings on its authentic, unpasteurised and fresh appeal. Since the launch of the inaugural Tank Beer in 2013, we’ve seen over half a million pints of Tank Beer sold.
"We have already seen the growth of super-premium spirits and now beer is heading in the same direction as consumers seek genuine, authentic taste and a story behind their beer."
Peroni, one of SABMiller's most recognisable beer brands, will be sold off to Japan's Asahi as part of AB InBev's £71bn takeover of the British drinks giant.
AB InBev also recently announced that the company's Central and Eastern European brands would also be put up for sale if the megabrew merger gets the go-ahead from competition regulators.
Craft, premium and everything in between
The rise of artisan, craft and other premium beers have taken the UK's alcohol market by storm in recent years.
UK pub owner and brewer Marston's, which also released financial results today, has seen its premium segment grow from around 40 per cent of its offerings in 2002 to 75 per cent in 2016.
Meanwhile, the seemingly unstoppable emergence of craft beer has been attributed to its status as a "luxury" product and is often viewed as an "aspirational item", according to accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young.