Germany: Sales of beer up 0.3% in the first half of 2005

In the first half of this year the beer producing and storing establishments in Germany sold 51.9 million hl of beer, the Federal Statistical Office communicated on July 28. That was a increase of 0.2 million hl (+0.3%) from the corresponding period of the previous year. The rise was credited largely to increased exports to other European countries and rising sales of new mixed-drink beverages, according to analysts.

Exports to other EU countries rose by 7.3% in H1 2005, while sales of mixed drinks combining beer with juices or other soft drinks increased by 19.3%. Exports to countries outside the EU, however, declined by 5.8%, while domestic sales fell by 0.3%.

As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the beer producing and storing establishments in Germany sold 21.9 million hl of beer in the first quarter of 2005. That was a decrease of 0.8 million hl (–3.5%) from the corresponding period of the previous year.

In 2004, the beer producing and storing establishments in Germany sold 105.8 million hl of beer. That was an increase of 0.2 million hl (+0.2%) from the previous year, according to the Federal Statistical Office. The slight growth was attributable to the increased amount of beer exported into other EU Member States, while domestic sales declined.

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