Lager drop "more than a blip

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The downward trend in lager sales this year may not just be a summer blip, according to research group Mintel.The average drinker will knock back 19...

The downward trend in lager sales this year may not just be a summer blip, according to research group Mintel.

The average drinker will knock back 19 pints a year less in 2012 than they do today, if the current trends continue.

Following a five per cent decline in volume sales since 2005, Mintel is expecting the lager market to fall by a further eight per cent to 2012 to reach 3.65 billion litres - some 307 million litres down on this year's sales.

On top of this value sales have dropped 4 per cent since 2005, to reach £10.9bn this year - with Mintel predicting they are unlikely to see any kind of recovery in the near future.

"The lager market has well and truly lost its head," explains Katy Child, senior market analyst at Mintel.

"UK drinkers are becoming much more sophisticated when it comes to alcohol and this trend looks set to continue. We are increasingly looking for different drinks for different occasions, such as wine with a meal, cocktails in the evening and champagne for a special celebration.

"As people are much more aware of the wide choice available, drinkers now realise that there is more to life than just a pint of lager."

Mintel's exclusive consumer research shows that only one in 10 (12 per cent) adults drink lager regularly and even amongst men, only one in five (22 per cent) enjoy the drink. As many as four in ten (42 per cent) never drink lager at all, as more drinkers switch to cider and rose wines.

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