Inbev: UK beer volumes down 10.3%
Stella Artois brewer Inbev saw UK beer volumes tumble by 10.3% last year.
Volumes in the fourth quarter were down 10.8% in the UK market as the smoke ban began to bite and the effects of a poor summer's weather were felt.
Inbev's total volumes fell by 4.9% in the Western European market but the UK market was the only one in which it lost some of its market share.
"It has been another tough year for the beer business in the UK - the worst in 30 years according to the British Beer and Pub Association - and despite having some of the best beer brands available in this country, it has been another tough year for us," said Inbev UK president Stuart MacFarlane.
"We are down just over 10% for the full year, but that's within a market which has dropped by 7.5%.
"It's obviously not what we would hope for, but let's maintain some perspective on this.
"The beer industry is facing some serious challenges such as increased competition for the leisure pound, huge rising costs, a slowing economy, and last year in particular, the introduction of the smoking ban coincided with a really bad summer - and all this within a declining market."
However, beer volumes worldwide for Inbev grew by 4.7% overall on last year and revenue increased 7.2%.
Net profit grew 22.4% for the year.
"In summary, we recognize that in 2008 there will be greater challenges to overcome than there have been over the past three years," said InBev in a statement.
