Sales of bottled ale could give brewing industry a boost
A BURTON brewing giant has proclaimed that 2012 is a year of ‘change and opportunity’ for the premium bottled ale (PBA) market.
Marston’s revealed that bottled beers were continuing to grow in its third annual report on the product, but retailers were being warned they needed to reassess the way they treated the brNDS.
Sales and marketing director James Coyle said: “Against the toughest economic background, growth in the ale market continues with the premium bottled ale category significantly outperforming a declining beer market, delivering increases in both volume, up 11 per cent, and value, up 12.2 per cent.”
He said that in the past year, 450,000 drinkers had decided to try the products but sales were being hit because some retailers were not re-stocking quick enough or not giving the brands enough prominence on the shelves.
Mr Coyle said: “Out-of-stocks are the number one issue for retailers, given that PBA shoppers deliver a higher average basket spend than shoppers from any other category of beer.
“The top 10 PBA brands are 45 per cent of the market but have 20 per cent of the space, and so they are probably out of stock.
“Old Speckled Hen is sold out, but you will see two bottles on display of Old Legover, or whatever.”
He added that there were twice as many shoppers for bottled ales compared to world or imported beers such as Budvar and Leffe.
Mr Coyle continued: “World beers have done a good job, but the reality is that consumers don’t have a clue what the definitions mean, they tend to morph.
“Retailers have a responsibility — they could call the fixtures World Beers and British Beers.
“World beer gets double the space. With the right prevailing wind, bottled ales could double in the next two years.”
On the back of the findings, Marston’s has also unveiled a three-strong range of beer-based products — Ginger Beard, Snakebite and Forest Fruits.
The report also revealed that that the popularity of fruit ciders was on the rise, with growth of 64 per cent.
