The premium bottled ale category is on track to be worth £1bn a year by 2020 as off-trade beer sales outstrip those in pubs, new research has shown.
Marston’s Premium Bottled Ale Report 2015 shows that the category grew sales by 10% (£47m) in the past year with six bottles consumed every second across the UK.
Over the past five years the category has grown by 75%, driven by multi-packs and the gorwing availability of craft beer in the off-trade.
The report shows Marston’s as the top-selling brewer in the category with 16.5% of market share (up 8%), followed by Greene King with 14.5% (up 4%); Hall &Woodhouse with 7% (Up 3%); Shepherd Neame flat at 7.3% and Fuller’s up 8% to a 5.6% market share.
The report urges producers to target the growing market of under-30s.
The report follows figures released last month which showed off-trade beer sales overtaking those in the on-trade for the first time.
