SABMiller first-half revenues rise, beer volumes down

It did not only rain a lot in Europe, it was also pouring down in China over the summer, it seems. SABMiller reported lower beer sales for the past quarter (July to September) and for the six months on 14 October 2014. Fortunately, SABMiller could boast of a 5 percent rise in first-half revenues as higher prices offset the impact of lower beer sales.

The brewer of Miller Lite, Grolsch and Peroni said the volume of beer sold during the six months to the end of September fell 1 percent, including a 3 percent decline in the latest quarter.

In the Asia Pacific region, where SABMiller achieves nearly a quarter of its beer sales, overall drinks volume fell 3 percent in the first half with an 8 percent drop in the second quarter. Beer volumes in China “declined markedly” during July and August, the company said, as poor weather in most of the central provinces meant people drank less lager.