UK performance gives SABMiller a lift

SABMiller, the brewing behemoth behind Peroni and Pilsner Urquell, said it had seen a strong performance from its UK operations in the final three months of 2010.

The brewer said third quarter organic volumes across Europe were down in line with same period in the previous year, when it witnessed a two per cent decline.

However the region's volume performance "benefited from continuing strong growth in the United Kingdom".

Elsewhere, SABMiller said improving economic conditions in a number of its emerging markets helped push overall organic lager volumes higher as 2010 drew to a close.

In a trading update for the three months to the end of last year the brewer said lager volumes rose three per cent on the same period in 2009, while soft drinks volumes were up five per cent.

"Continued improvement in economic conditions in many of our emerging markets assisted our volume performance," it added in a statement.