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%.