SABMiller, the international brewer, has reported a 3% rise in lager volumes for the year to 31 March 2012, on the back of growth in emerging markets, which offset a 1% decline in volumes in Europe.
Group revenue grew 7% for the year, with group revenue per hectolitre up 4% with gains in every region except the US and Europe.
Fourth quarter group revenue grew by 10%, with group revenue per hectolitre up by 5%. Lager volumes also grew 3% in the fourth quarter.
It said that financial performance was in line with expectations.
The group said it achieved volume growth of 8% for the full year in the UK, led by the expansion of its Peroni Nastro Azzurro product in the on-premise channel.
The company said that beer market growth in Europe continued to be subdued. It also said that the overall decline in volumes across Europe was due to competitors “aggressively promoting economy brands and packs”.
The group said that lager volumes in Latin America were up 8% on an organic basis compared with the prior year, with “healthy growth” sustained through the fourth quarter.
Africa's full year lager volumes grew by 13%, with fourth quarter growth of 14%, which the group said was achieved despite strong prior year comparatives and emerging capacity constraints in some markets.
MillerCoors’ US domestic sales to retailers fell by 2.4%, with a 1.6% decline in the quarter to March. The company said that the mainstream beer segment had continued to be affected by economic pressure on key consumer demographics.
SABMiller said that soft drinks volumes were 7% higher than the prior year, and 12% higher in the final quarter.
