Czech Republic: Czech beer exports up by 15.5% in Q1 2005, domestic sales down

In the first quarter of 2005 Czech breweries exported about 560,000 hectolitres of beer, an increase by 15.5 % year-on-year, Czech Association of Breweries and Malt Houses chairman Jan Vesely communicated on May 30. Most of the exports went to Germany where sales of Czech beer grew by 8 %. Exports to Slovakia rose by 50 % despite the fact that sale of Czech beer in Slovakia is falling, due to higher prices. Supplies to Britain grew by 17 %. Most of the beer is exported in bottles, Vesely said.

However beer sale on the domestic market decreased by nearly 5 % to 3.26 million hectolitres. The decline in domestic beer sales was attributed mainly to the cold February, according to the Association. Sale on the Czech market fell by nearly 5 % for both keg beers and lagers, but rose by 10 percent for non-alcoholic beers.

In the first-quarter total beer output fell by 2 % to 3.82 million hectolitres. Weather will be of key importance, but output in the first half is forecast to be at the level of the same period of last year. For the whole year 2005, output will grow thanks to higher exports, Vesely said. Output of special beers rose by some 3.5 %.

Czech breweries produced 18.75 million hectolitres of beer last year, up by 1.1 percent from 2003. While production for the domestic market fell moderately, exports rose by a quarter to 2.64 million hectolitres.

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