Beer Sales Get a Kick

UK sales of beer and lager during the Euro 2004 tournament are 25% higher than those seen at any point during the 2002 World Cup, with kick-off times a big factor, according to TNS Superpanel. TNS are running weekly reports on supermarket beer and lager sales throughout the Euro 2004 competition.

In the four-weeks to 20 June 2004, beer sales in Britain have reached their highest level, outside of Christmas sales, for three years. Sales actually dropped very slightly last week - probably a result of specific match schedules and the promotion of 24-pack purchases which meant drinkers stocked up early on in the tournament - but were still well above average weekly sales from last month.

The Carlsberg brand is both official sponsor to Euro 2004 and the official beer of the England team, and seems to be reaping the benefits with Carlsberg ranked as the leading brand performer in supermarkets for two weeks running. Other strong performances have been seen in the sales of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Kronenbourg 1664 during the week ending 20 June 2004.

Edward Garner, Communications Director at TNS, says that the more sociable kick-off times have encouraged more home drinking than the early morning match times seen during World Cup 2002. 'Retail outlets have created long-running promotional campaigns in response to the tournament' says Garner, 'with tempting offers on beer and lager to entice customers into the store. This strategy has proved particularly successful for Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda'.

'In the week ending 20 June, games have been played from 5.00pm (GMT) onwards, meaning many people will have stayed in their offices to watch or found their way to the nearest pub, rather than risking the traffic to get home. This is likely to have had a direct impact on beer and lager sales'.

As above, Carlsberg tops the league for brand performance - calculated by comparing the increase in supermarket sales in proportion to the brand's market share - in the week ending 20 June 2004, followed by Stella, Budweiser and Kronenbourg 1664 in that order.

TNS Superpanel was launched in 1991 and now consists of 15,000 households which are demographically and regionally balanced to offer a representative picture of the British marketplace. The group's web site is at www.tns-global.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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