Overall beer sales in the second quarter of 2019 were down 2.2% year-on-year, according to the latest Beer Barometer sales data from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).
The slump was driven by falling beer sales in the on-trade (pubs and bars), which decreased by 2.8% on the same period in 2018.
Sales of beer in the off-trade (supermarkets and off-licence shops), also fell, decreasing by 1.7%.
The BBPA highlighted that the decline was against a particularly strong second quarter in 2018, where sales were boosted by a long period of good weather and the group stages of the World Cup. Beer sales in the on-trade, however, remained under considerable pressure generally as pub numbers continued to decline.
Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, commented: “As the nation’s favourite alcoholic drink, it is important that the Chancellor supports beer and the pubs that serve it in their local communities.
“We know that cuts and freezes to beer duty make a big difference in helping pubs and boosting beer sales. There is a very real threat, however, that the Chancellor, Sajid Javid, will increase beer duty at the next Budget. After two back-to-back beer duty freezes in 2017 and 2018, an increase would be a big step back. What we really need is a beer duty cut to give pubs a big boost.”
