Foreign Legion

Retail News – Imported beers strengthen their grip, while premium lagers lose ground in value terms

Imported beers are increasing considerably, as consumers are increasing their annual consumption. It is clear that imported beers are performing most strongly within the market, becoming increasingly popular with the greatest drop in prices, but still seeing lower volume growth than other lagers.

The performance of premium lager within the market has fallen, with a noticeable decrease in buyers. The decrease in price has brought about an overall drop in value growth. However, the average amount purchased by each buyer over the year is growing.

The greatest difference between imported beers and other lagers is sales format.  Premium and standard lager are sold in larger packs, while imported beers are more commonly purchased in single or 4-pack format.

In terms of retailers, Tesco and Co-op undertrade in imported beers, tending to focus more heavily upon lager and premium ales. Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons overtrade in imported beers.

Considerable change is occurring when considering the top 10 brands of imported beer.  San Miguel and Peroni have successfully increased their number of buyers over the past two years. Heineken is losing popularity, despite its position within the top three.  InBev is seeing a reversal of fortunes with its imported beers with Hoegaarden losing buyers, as Leffe gains them.

db  March 2006

TNS is a leading global provider of market information. We provide research, advice and insight on market segmentation, advertising and communications, new product development and brand performance. The TNS Worldpanel data is based on our continuous panel of 20,000 households. TNS tracks the alcohol purchases across all major grocery multiples and co-ops. For further information, please contact David Buckley, business director for TNS Worldpanel on 020 8967 1513