According to National Statistics Institute data, beer consumption dropped by 8% in the first half of this year against the year earlier period, being the weakest year-half in the past nine years. At the same time, the first two summer months, June and July, brought an overall 7% decline against the same period of 2013.
“The unfavorable weather conditions, doubled by the decline in Romania’s GDP in 1Q did not help the beer market (…) There is little time left until yearend to reverse the figures,” said Onno Rombouts.
The weather, followed by football competitions, purchasing power and macroeconomic stability are the main growth drivers for the beer market, according to brewers’ representatives.
This year’s weather conditions have not been favorable at all for the beer market and from a macroeconomic point of view Romania entered tehnical recession.
Rombouts, who runs Heineken Romania, a major brewer in Romania, is cautious in making projections about the trend of consumption in the entire 2014 and says he does not know yet how next year will look like for the industry he operates in.
In 2013, June and July posted a 13% decline against 2012, while in the entire 2013 beer consumption slid by 4% on the year, according to ZF calculations based on INS data.
With a volume of 3.7 million hectoliters consumed in June and July 2014, these two months are the weakest since 2005.
The beer market is one of the largest in the food and beverage industry, being valued at EUR1.8 billion, and directly or indirectly creates around 76,700 jobs in the local economy.
Romania ranks sixth in Europe by beer consumption, with 81 liters per capita. Around 97% of beer consumed in Romania is brewed locally, according to Romanian Brewers Association.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)