Beer from Britain’s local breweries has had a spectacular year, with a growth in sales of almost 11 per cent, according to the Local Beer Report 2008 published this week by SIBA, the Society of Independent Brewers.
This is the sixth annual report on the industry from SIBA, which represents more than 400 brewers ranging from long-established regional companies to small businesses supplying local pubs, off-licences and farmers’ markets.
The report says: “Against the background of the most challenging year for beer retailing for decades, the continued strong growth of demand for local beer is spectacular.
Counter to the trends of a market which saw consumption decline across many beer types, the average volume growth in sales of local beer was 10.7 per cent.”
It adds: “Business confidence is unsurprisingly generally good. The majority of local brewers are as confident or more confident about trading in 2008 compared to last year.”
SIBA chief executive Julian Grocock says: “There is an accelerating consumer movement towards principled and ethical purchasing, and buying local is taking precedence even over fair trade or organic.
“It shows how in tune local brewers are with current market trends”
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