PET beer sales had previously dropped in 2014, but the decline was insignificant for a segment that had doubled in the past decade. Back in 2004, sales of PET bottled beer stood at a quarter of the market. At the time, sales of beer in glass bottles accounted for more than 60% of the market. Sales of beer in glass bottles ate into PET bottled beer sales last year, going from 24.8% in 2015 to more than 27.6% in 2016. Draught and canned beer sales, too, went down in 2016.
“Consumption of beer in glass bottles is on the rise because Romanians tend to choose premium products, go for higher quality products,” said Julia Leferman, general manager of Romanian Brewers Association.
The association members include: Bergenbier SA, Heineken Romania, United Romanian Breweries Bereprod (URBB), Ursus Breweries and Martens along with Clinica de Bere microbrewery. They supply more than 80% of the beer drunk in Romania. The association also includes representatives of raw material producers; Soufflet Malt Romania and the Association of the Hops Producers of Romania.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)