Beer sales increased to over 230 million litres in June, compared with the same time last year, which means Romanians spent over 200 million euros on buying beer in the first month of the summer.
The growth rate registered in June may appear low taking into account the month's high temperatures, or considering the almost 40% and 42% increases registered in January and March respectively; however, figures are relatively high considering that in the last two years without any world or European football championships, beer consumption decreased by more than 10% in the June-July period compared with the "football years".
Therefore, the hot weather makes 2007 the first year where sales of beer increased by more than 10% in June without any major football championships being held. In comparison with 2005, another year without any major football competitions, sales of beer in the hotel-restaurant-catering sector fell by 38% during the June-July period, according to AC Nielsen data, against 2004, when Portugal hosted the European Football Championship.
"Football competitions definitely boost beer consumption because they create opportunities for people to get together, yet this is not the only factor that influences beer sales," explains Edwin Botterman, chairman of Heineken Romania and the leading player on the beer market, which registered a gross business in excess of 200 million euros last year.
He believes this year's market growth is not the result of high temperatures alone.
"In my opinion, an increase in the volumes sold is a result of the country's economic growth and the purchasing power of the people. You cannot separate a rise in temperatures from an increase in purchasing power, because both are responsible for the growth of the market," said Botterman.
Figures also reveal that Romanians drank more than 9.5 million hectolitres
