EU: Beer biggest driver of growth across FMCG last year
Beer was the biggest driver of growth across Europe's FMCG category last year despite a sales drop in Germany, new IRI analysis has shown.
In a sign of continuing demand for craft and premium brands, beer was the leading growth category in terms of absolute value year-on-year in five of the six EU countries covered in the report, IRI said on April 4. Beer sales in the UK were up EUR270 mln (US$331 mln), or 6%, while Spain added almost EUR90 mln in the 12 months, a 4% increase.
The increases across Europe, however, were not matched in Germany, which has one of the highest beer consumption rates in the world. The country's beer sales slid 0.5%, or EUR36 mln, driven by a decline in Pilsner lager. The decreases overshadowed growth from radlers and craft-style hell lager from Munich, IRI said.
In other categories, Champagne sales in the UK fell by EUR17 mln in the year as rival sparkling wines appeared to take share. According to IRI, sparkling wine was the fastest-moving sub-category in the UK, while gin also performed well (+24%). Spirits were strong across Europe - up 2% in Germany and 5% in the UK. In France, rum sales increased by 18%, driven by the same premiumisation trends as in beer.
One other beverage trend to emerge in the report, which studied supermarket and convenience store data from the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, was that bottled water outsold colas for the first time in the UK.
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