30/07/2009 - Slowing decline of beer sales
The decline of beer sales has appeared to slow, with the brewing industry cautiously talking of there being "light at the end of the tunnel".
New figures from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) have shown total beer sales dropped 4.8% in the second quarter of 2009 compared to an 8.3% fall in the final quarter of 2008 and a 7.8% drop in the first three months of this year. Beer sales in pubs were down 4.5% compared to the same period last year, with supermarkets and off-licence sales down 5.2% this quarter compared with the same quarter in 2008.
Estimated government tax revenues from beer for the first half of the year will be down £156 million compared with the first six months of 2008, said the BBPA, which represents the brewing and pub sector.
"While welcoming a slowing of the decline in beer sales, we are wary about reading too much into these early signs," said David Long, BBPA chief executive.
"The new figures give some ground for cautious optimism that some speck of faint light may be appearing at the end of the tunnel. Consumer spending on beer remains constrained in both pubs and supermarkets."
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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