The market share of non-alcoholic beers is growing in the German beverage trade. For breweries, however, the trend is only a small ray of hope in the midst of a serious crisis.
The German brewery industry has been hit hard by the extended lockdown and the catering crisis. Some brewers have to cope with a drop in sales of up to 85 percent. But one segment still gives the companies hope: the non-alcoholic beer. According to the German Brewers’ Association (DBB), there was also a decline in sales of 1.6 percent last year. However, the decline was significantly less than for the alcoholic varieties (5.5 percent). According to the Brewers’ Association, around 430 million liters of non-alcoholic beer and malt drink were produced in 2010; ten years later it was already more than 660 million liters. The market share was seven percent. According to DBB forecasts, the ten percent mark will now be exceeded earlier than expected.
A big plus for mixed drinks
According to the DBB, of the total of almost 7,000 beer brands, more than 700 are non-alcoholic beers and mixed beer drinks such as shandy. The mixed drinks without alcohol posted an increase in sales of more than 16 percent last year. At Radler, the market share of non-alcoholic beverages is now 31 percent, for wheat beer it is 30 percent. With Pils, the proportion of non-alcoholic beers sold is around a quarter.
Every fourth company in need of existence?
Nevertheless, this development “could never compensate for the complete collapse of the catering business”, said DBB managing director Holger Eichele. The association warns that every fourth brewery is now endangered in its existence. “Companies of all sizes report massive losses in sales, short-time work and layoffs,” according to the DBB. In the first quarter, the industry posted an average drop in sales of a third.
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