NORWALK, CT ? According to the Beverage Information Group?s (BIG) 2011 Beer Handbook, the U.S. beer industry suffered its fourth-consecutive annual sales decline, losing 1.9% to total 2.8 billion cases.
BIG attributed the loss to continued declines in the light beer segment, which weighed heavily on the final numbers.
On the positive side, craft beers registered strong gains, while imports were up slightly by 0.9%, though still 11.1% lower than pre-recessionary levels
?Consumers are gravitating toward premium products with exciting and new flavors ? something the craft segment has done well in providing,? said Eric Schmidt, BIG?s manager of information services.
The handbook predicts a dim short-term future for the beer industry, with rising fuel costs and high unemployment rates among its core consumers two primary factors in its decline. However, BIG expects the super premium, craft/specialty and flavored malt beverage segments to show positive growth in the next five years, while premium, light, popular, ice and the malt liquor segments are likely to decline.
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