Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Beer volumes stagnate while values make minor progress
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- Figure 1: Forecast of UK value sales of beer, 2010-20
- Figure 2: Forecast of UK volume sales of beer, 2010-20
- Lager’s fortunes dictate the market
- Companies, brands and innovation
- Stella holds off Foster’s challenge for top spot in lager
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- Figure 3: Retail value sales of the top 10 beer brands in the UK, 2014/15*
- Adspend plateaus in 2014
- The consumer
- 63% of adults drink beer
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- Figure 4: Usage of types of beer, October 2015
- Supermarkets remain the most popular place to buy beer
- Only 29% of beer drinkers are prepared to spend more than £4 per pint
- ‘Classic’ pint glasses remain most popular
- 47% of beer drinkers think that beer marketing/advertising is too heavily aimed at men
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- Figure 5: Attitudes towards beer, October 2015
- Low prices and recommendations key to trying something new
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- Figure 6: Factors for encouraging trialling of new beers, October 2015
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Finding selling space for smaller beer brands
- The facts
- The implications
- The importance of ‘craft’ and contract brewing
- The facts
- The implications
- Cross-category promotions can boost beer and cider sales
- The facts
- The implications
- How could the AB InBev acquisition of SABMiller alter the UK market?
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Beer volumes stagnate
- Lager’s fortunes dictate the market
- The off-trade outperforms the on-trade
Market Size and Segmentation
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- Beer volumes stagnate while values make minor progress
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- Figure 7: Total value and volume sales of beer, at current and constant prices, 2010-20
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- Figure 8: Forecast of UK value sales of beer, 2010-20
- Figure 9: Forecast of UK volume sales of beer, 2010-20
- Lager’s fortunes dictate the market
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- Figure 10: Total value and volume sales of lager, at current and constant prices, 2010-20
- Figure 11: Forecast of UK value sales of lager, 2010-20
- Ales continue to achieve encouraging growth
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- Figure 12: Total value and volume sales of ale/bitter, at current and constant prices, 2010-20
- Figure 13: Forecast of UK value sales of ale/bitter, 2010-20
- Stout’s decline slows
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- Figure 14: Total value and volume sales of stout/porter, at current and constant prices, 2010-20
- Figure 15: Forecast of UK value sales of stout/porter, 2010-20
Channels to Market
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- The off-trade outperforms the on-trade
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- Figure 16: Value and volume sales of beer, by channel, 2010-15
Market Drivers
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- Alcoholic drink prices continue to rise
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- Figure 17: UK excise duty rates for selected alcoholic drinks, 2005-15
- UK consumers continue to cut back on alcohol
- The continued rise of craft
- An embattled on-trade industry
- Bridging occasions and the gender divide
- Population changes could also impact the market
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- The UK market set for notable change
- Stella holds off Foster’s challenge for top spot in lager
- Traditional canned ales under pressure
- Little change in the stout/porter segment
- Adspend plateaus in 2014
- High-profile innovation remains commonplace
Market Share
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- The UK market set for notable change
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- Figure 18: Leading manufacturers’ shares of beer sales in the UK off-trade, 2014/15*
- Stella holds off Foster’s challenge for top spot in lager
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- Figure 19: Retail value sales of the leading lager brands in the UK, 2012/13-2014/15
- Budweiser and Corona drive AB InBev’s strong performance
- Molson Coors also sees a mixed performance
- Heineken on the march
- Traditional canned ales under pressure
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- Figure 20: Retail value sales of the leading ale/bitter brands in the UK, 2012/13-2014/15
- A number of big winners
- Little change in the stout/porter segment
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- Figure 21: Retail value sales of the leading stout/porter brands in the UK, 2012/13-2014/15
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Beer adspend plateaus in 2014
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- Figure 22: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on beer, 2012-15
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- Figure 23: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on beer, by category, 2012-15
- Heineken leads the way in beer advertising
- AB InBev and Diageo also invest in their leading brands
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- Figure 24: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on beer, by advertiser, 2014
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- Figure 25: Recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on beer, by top 15 highest-spending brands, 2012-15
- Other selected lager campaigns
- Other selected ale/bitter campaigns
- TV remains the most popular channel for advertisers
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Guinness pushes innovation
- Innovation in low- and non-alcoholic beer
- Innovation in spirit beers (‘speers’)
- Other selected NPD activity
Brand Research
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- What you need to know
- Brand map
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- Figure 26: Attitudes towards and usage of selected beer brands, October 2015
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 27: Key metrics for selected beer brands, October 2015
- Foster’s has perceived value advantage
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- Figure 28: Attitudes, by beer brand, October 2015
- Heineken most likely to be associated with being boring and tired
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- Figure 29: Brand personality – Macro image, October 2015
- Peroni offers a stylish option
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- Figure 30: Brand personality – micro image, October 2015
- Brand analysis
- Peroni enjoys a premium sophisticated and stylish image
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- Figure 31: User profile of Peroni, October 2015
- London Pride has a traditional and authentic image
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- Figure 32: User profile of London Pride, October 2015
- Doom Bar has potential for further growth
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- Figure 33: User profile of Doom Bar, October 2015
- Stella Artois scores highly on usage and trust
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- Figure 34: User profile of Stella Artois, October 2015
- Coors Light seen as cool and refreshing, but lacks trust among consumers
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- Figure 35: User profile of Coors Light, October 2015
- Foster’s value and convenience offsets negative perceptions
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- Figure 36: User profile of Foster’s, October 2015
- Heineken could be vulnerable to competitors
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- Figure 37: User profile of Heineken, October 2015
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- 63% of adults drink beer
- Supermarkets remain the most popular place to buy beer
- Only 29% of beer drinkers are prepared to go over £4 per pint
- ‘Classic’ pint glasses remain most popular
- 47% of beer drinkers think that beer marketing/advertising is too heavily aimed at men
- Low prices and recommendations key to trying something new
Usage of Beer
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- Beer penetration dips to 63%
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- Figure 38: Usage of types of beer, October 2015
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- Figure 39: Usage of types of beer, by location, October 2015
- Ale on the rise
- Craft beer penetration remains at 20%
- Under-35s drive usage in more niche segments
- 62% of beer drinkers do so at least once a week
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- Figure 40: Frequency of drinking beer, October 2015
Locations for Buying Beer
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- Supermarkets remain the most popular place to buy beer
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- Figure 41: Locations for buying beer, October 2015
- Online opportunities
- 64% of beer drinkers buy beer from pubs/bars
On-trade Spending
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- Only 29% of beer drinkers are prepared to spend more than £4 per pint
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- Figure 42: Amount willing to spend on a pint of beer, October 2015
- £2-2.49 can be a lucrative bracket for half pints
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- Figure 43: Amount willing to spend on a half pint of beer, October 2015
Glassware Preferences
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- ‘Classic’ pint glasses remain most popular
- Tulip glasses fall some way behind the nonic in popularity
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- Figure 44: Glassware preferences when drinking beer, October 2015
- Women are drawn to feminine glasses
Attitudes towards Beer
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- Attitudes towards buying beer
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- Figure 45: Attitudes towards beer, October 2015
- Buying online and in person
- Many beer drinkers still look for the familiar in the on-trade
- Attitudes towards craft beer
- Attitudes towards the positioning of beer
Enticements to Try New Beers
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- Low prices key to trying something new…
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- Figure 46: Factors for encouraging trialling of new beers, October 2015
- …along with recommendations
- Various other factors can also be strong enticements
- Other factors only have limited resonance
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Abbreviations
- Fan chart forecast
- Brand research
- Brand map
Appendix – Market Size and Segmentation
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- Figure 47: Best- and worst-case forecasts for the total beer market, by value, 2015-20
- Figure 48: Best- and worst-case forecasts for the total beer market, by volume, 2015-20
- Figure 49: Best- and worst-case forecasts for the lager market, by value, 2015-20
- Figure 50: Best- and worst-case forecasts for the lager market, by volume, 2015-20
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- Figure 51: Forecast of UK volume sales of lager, 2010-20
- Figure 52: Best- and worst-case forecasts for the ale/bitter market, by value, 2015-20
- Figure 53: Best- and worst-case forecasts for the ale/bitter market, by volume, 2015-20
- Figure 54: Forecast of UK volume sales of ale/bitter, 2010-20
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- Figure 55: Best- and worst-case forecasts for the stout/porter market, by value, 2015-20
- Figure 56: Best- and worst-case forecasts for the stout/porter market, by volume, 2015-20
- Figure 57: Forecast of UK volume sales of stout/porter, 2010-20
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Appendix – Market Share
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- Figure 58: Manufacturers’ shares of beer sales in the UK off-trade, 2014/15*
- Figure 59: Retail volume sales of the leading lager brands in the UK, 2012/13-2014/15
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- Figure 60: Retail volume sales of the leading ale/bitter brands in the UK, 2012/13-2014/15
- Figure 61: Retail volume sales of the leading stout/porter brands in the UK, 2012/13-2014/15
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