Sales reached only 1.7 million hectoliters (170 million liters or 340 million 0.5l cans) in May, the same as in 2011, ZF has calculated based on the National Statistics Institute data.
The beer industry has not seen any monthly growth so far this year, so consumption shrank by 10% in January-May, continuing last year’s downward trend.
Brewers had pinned their hopes on the World Cup (soccer) in Brazil, which started in June, but so far there are no signals to show whether it did boost beer consumption or not.
“Sporting events like the World Cup may theoretically generate a rise in consumption, but this is only one of the factors that can influence the market,” says Mihai Bonca, marketing manager of Bergenbier.
“To any brewer the good weather is the most important growth vector in addition to other factors: the purchasing power, the economic stability and others.”
Summer sets the trend of the year because this is when 40% of the yearly sales volumes are made.
The Brewers of Romania Association, which groups together the largest brewers (Ursus, Heineken, Bergenbier and URBB) has not released any consumption data for 2014, but companies are signaling they had a difficult start of the year.
“The beginning of the year was not that favorable because of the low temperatures, the prolonged cold weather and the financial environment, which continues to be difficult and challenging and makes an impact on consumer sentiment. However, beer remains one of the favorite beverages of Romanian consumers,” says Narcis Horhoianu, marketing director of Heineken Romania.
Beer consumption stood at 81 liters per capita in 2013, putting Romania on the sixth place among European countries.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)