USA: Miller Brewing Co.’s sales declined slightly during its fiscal third quarter, but the nation’s second-largest brewer gained market share over its rivals, according to a company statement Tuesday, January 18. Miller’s sales volume to U.S. retailers dropped 0.3% during the period that began Oct. 1 and ended Dec. 31, compared with the same period in 2004, according to London-based SABMiller PLC, a global brewer that owns Milwaukee-based Miller.

Despite that decline, Miller managed to post an increase in market share, partly because of a weak environment for U.S. brewers, the company’s statement says. The statement didn’t specify the market share increase. Sales of Miller Lite, Miller’s largest brand, “continued to grow in line with our expectations,” the statement says.

After years of slumping sales, Miller Lite has been growing substantially since summer 2003. That sales boost has coincided with ads comparing Miller Lite’s lower carbohydrate count to rival Bud Light, and ads that compare taste tests between Miller Lite and Bud Light. Miller Lite accounts for around 40% of the company’s sales volume.

Miller’s other brands, including Miller Genuine Draft and Milwaukee’s Best, have continued to struggle over the past year. SABMiller did not provide information about those brands in Tuesday’s statement.

Miller’s third-quarter sales were “a bit behind expectation,” said Alexandra Oldroyd, an analyst with the London office of Morgan Stanley. But Oldroyd said Miller’s profit margin is improving despite the slowdown. Miller’s sales for the first three quarters of the fiscal year were 1.5% higher, SABMiller said.

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