In spite of high excise rates, the Polish beer market remains attractive and displays growth potential, said Carlsberg Breweries in a statement about Carlsberg Okocim SA. From 1993 to 2000, total beer sales increased by 6 to 12% annually. The year 2001 brought stagnation, followed by 8% growth in 2002 to at total consumed volume of 26 million hl of beer. The increase goes hand-in-hand with a general fall in the consumption of spirits. There is a shift in the consumption structure, which seems to be healthy from a social point of view. Poles are choosing beer instead of spirits and currently the annual beer consumption per capita is 66 litre as opposed to a mere 30 litres ten years earlier.

According to recent studies on consumers of alcoholic drinks, as many as 56% of the Poles prefer beer, and consequently Poland has become Europe’s 5th largest beer market, after Germany, Great Britain, Russia and Spain. Globally, Poland ranks number 10.

The market is divided among three major players: the Zywiec Group (Heineken) Kompania Piwowarska (SABMiller) and the Carlsberg Okocim Group (10%). The remaining breweries have a total market share of 20%.

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