Individual beer consumption in Portugal has dropped by 25%, or 15 litres, per person, over the past decade.
According to data from the Portuguese Association of Beer Producers (APCV), each Portuguese citizen drank 46 litres of beer in 2015, compared to 61 litres in 2005.
The association links the drop in consumption to the financial crisis in 2008, as restaurant visits declined due to lack of funds. The HoReCa sector accounts for more than half (63%) of the beer consumed in Portugal, with the remaining 37% consumed at home.
To make matters worse, the VAT rate for the sector increased to 23% in 2012. However, the effect was reduced in July of this year with the reduction to 13% for meals and cafeteria services.
Although beer production in Portugal also fell by 11% in the decade leading up to 2015 as a consequence of the drop in consumption, the damage was not as significant, thanks to exports.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
