Beer sales in Italy grew by 2.7% in value terms in the period from January to November 2018, according to IRI’s latest report on the Italian beer market.
In volume terms, sales were up 1.7%, to 6.5 million hectolitres, in the period.
According to IRI’s report, the months of June, July and August saw a slight dip in year-on-year in sales (-1.0%) due to a cooler summer, but all other months saw growth.
Retailers are also devoting more space in store (per square metre) to beer, the study found, as well as including beer in more promotional material than in previous years.
New Launches
The beer industry has also been active in terms of developing new consumption occasions and increasing the range of specialty beers and non-alcoholic variants.
As a result of these strategies, there has been a growth in the sale of 33cl and 25l bottles, as well as specialty beers (+17.1% in volume and +12.6% in value).
The year 2018 also saw a decline in the flavoured-beer segment (-11.9% in volume), which has seen a negative performance in recent years.
While Italy remains below the European average in terms of beer consumption, the IRI report notes that there is fertile ground for the future development of the sector in the country.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
