Pubs have recorded their highest rate of quarterly growth in beer volume sales this century, the latest UK quarterly Beer Barometer from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has revealed.
A second consecutive beer duty cut, the World Cup and a late Easter are all believed to have played their part in a 2.6% jump in beer volume sales for April to June this year.
It was the first quarterly beer sales increase in pubs in more than two years.
Volume sales in off-licences and supermarkets fared even better, with an increase of 16.9% on the same quarter in 2013.
It is also the first 12-month period since the survey began in 1997 where off-trade volume sales of beer were higher than on-trade sales.
Overall combined volume beer sales were up by 9.5% for the quarter.
The positive quarter also helped moving annual total (MAT) beer volume sales in pubs recover to a 0.6% deficit. At the end of the previous quarter (to the end of March), they were down 2.6% for the year.
BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said the figures showed “in dramatic fashion the continued impact of the Government’s decision to cut beer duty again, to encourage consumers towards our low-strength, British-made national drink”.
“Two previous World Cup tournaments were unable to turn around declining sales – these new figures indicate that the industry is moving in the right direction.
“With further cuts in beer duty, we can deliver on investment, growth and jobs.”
