Brewers hope for continued beer market growth

Poland | Carlsberg Polska, the local unit of Danish brewer Carlsberg, hopes that 2019 will be another bumper year for brewers, with beer sales (by value) nudging up 2 percent to 3 percent. At 40 million hl, Poland is the European Union’s third-largest beer market, behind Germany and the United Kingdom (for the time being).

Deputy CEO of Carlsberg Polska, Wojciech Zabinski, told delegates at a recent conference that volume sales are expected to remain at 2018 levels, as this year’s summer temperatures are unlikely to match those recorded in 2018. Also, the 2019 calendar lacks major sports events, like the FIFA Wold Cup, he observed.

Meanwhile, Carlsberg’s rival Grupa Zywiec/Heineken, has issued a more cautious outlook for 2019: it expects beer consumption to decline slightly.

In 2018, the Polish beer market expanded 7.1 percent to PLN 16.8 billion (USD 4.5 billion). Volume-wise the market increased by only 3.5 percent, according to data by Grupa Zywiec/Heineken. Per capita consumption of beer in Poland is estimated at around 100 litres.

Carlsberg’s market research shows that consumer trends in Poland are stable: sales of specialty and regional beers are growing; non-alcoholic beers are becoming more popular; while flavoured beers (that is Radlers and the like) are doing well.

Carlsberg Polska ranks third among brewers in Poland with a market share (by value) of 18 percent, behind market leader Kompania Piwowarska, owned by Asahi, at 34 percent, and Grupa Zywiec/Heineken at 29 percent. Independent brewers control the rest.

In March 2019, the Polish competition watchdog gave the green light to Grupa Zywiec’s purchase of regional brewer Namyslow for PLN 500 million (USD 144 million). The deal was inked in November 2018.