28/04/2009 - UK beer sales drop more than 8%
Beer sales in the UK dropped by more than 8% in the first three months of 2009, recording the worst quarterly fall in 12 years, new figures show.
Total beer sales plummeted 8.2% on last year, while sales in pubs, bars and restaurants were down 6.3% and supermarket and off-licence beer sales dropped 11%, according to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).
It said 1.7 million fewer pints were drunk every day during the quarter compared to last year, and that 326 million fewer pints were sold nationwide across the whole period compared with 10 years ago.
A spokesman said it was "highest quarter fall since 1997". The association has been running the Axe the Beer Tax - Save the Pub drive with the Campaign for Real Ale.
BBPA chief executive, David Long, said: "These figures provide more telling evidence of the intense pressure in one of Britain's most important sectors."
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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