Canada: Beer is still by far the most popular alcoholic beverage among Canadian consumers, but their tastes are swinging more and more to imported brands, according to new data on sales, Statistics Canada revealed on October 29. As of March 31, 2003, imported beer had captured 12.2% of Canada's total beer market in terms of value, up from 9.6% the year before.

According to Statistics Canada beer accounted for 51% of total sales, spirits 25%, and wines 24%, roughly the same proportions as in 2001/02. On a per capita basis, consumers purchased an average of 85.6 litres of beer, 13.1 litres of wine, and 7.5 litres of spirits in 2002/03. The year before, they bought, on average, 84.7 litres of beer, 12.4 litres of wine, and 7.1 litres of spirits.

In total, Canada's 3,225 beer and liquor stores and agencies sold nearly $7.9 billion worth of beer in 2002/03, up 6.1% from the previous year and a 41.5% increase from a decade earlier.

Sales of imported brands increased at more than 10 times the pace of domestic brands during 2002/03.

Consumers purchased $959.6 million in imported beer, up 34.7% from the previous year and the ninth annual increase in a row. During the same period, sales of domestic brands increased only 3.1% to $6.9 billion.

Sales of beer reached $308 per person during 2002/03. Provincially, per capita sales were highest in Newfoundland and Labrador and lowest in Manitoba.

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