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Poland: Beer market in 2009

Polish beer producers which specialize in the manufacture of unpasteurized beer, porter and flavored beers are performing better than the large beer concerns during the crisis, according to Rzeczpospolita. In the first half of 2009 there was a 12.5% year-on-year reduction in beer consumption in Poland, whereas there was a 5% year-on-year reduction in the third quarter of 2009, as a result of the rise in excise duty and the economic downturn. The largest beer producers, Kompania Piwowarska, Grupa Zywiec and Carlsberg Polska, which control 90% of the beer market in Poland, have been reporting reductions in sales. Conversely, small brewers have reported an increase.

Royal Unibrew Polska, the largest regional beer producer on the Polish market, has reported a 4% increase in sales for the first ten months of 2009. The company has begun to sell the Lomza beer brand, which was previously present only in the northern and eastern Poland, countrywide. In addition, Van Pur and Browar Ciechan, other regional manufacturers, have reported an increase of well over 10% in sales since the beginning of 2009.

According to Andrzej Olkowski, the chairman of the Polish Regional Breweries Association (SRBP), only those producers who have decided to manufacture niche beers have a chance of surviving on a market dominated by mainstream beer brands. At present Polish customers are looking for original and regional products, and beer made by local breweries is, therefore, gaining in popularity. However, over the last five years the number of regional breweries has fallen by 40% to around 30 in Poland.
Sources:
http://www.ceeretail.com