Friday 6 February 2015

German beer sales by type and state 2009 – 2010 (part one)

Here as promised is a breakdown by state as well as type. Like all the best numbers, they tell a great story. If you look at them closely enough.

I’ve stripped the table down to just three styles. Partly because some of the styles – like Berliner Weisse – are too regional for it to make sense to analyse sales in every state. I’ve also re-ordered the states. The original table was in alphabetical order, whereas I’ve grouped them by region.

The three regional groups are: the South (Bavaria, Baden-Württenberg and Hessen), the Northwest (Bremen/Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg), and the former DDR (Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen). Though I’ll admit to not being quite sure where to place Hessen.

Let’s start off with Pils. There’s an obvious tale here. It’s nothing like as popular in the South as in the North. In Bavaria in particular sales are a fraction of those elsewhere. But, interestingly, it’s the only place where the style’s sales expanded significantly in 2010. And for the first time it became the most popular style in the state, just edging past Helles.

In the Northwest Pils is still by far the most popular style, but in 2010 it lost market share in every state. While in the East sales are still increasing everywhere except Brandenburg. There , too, it’s undisputed king accounting for around two thirds of sales.

I think I may understand why Export’s slide was halted: German reunification. In the East, Export is far and away the second most popular style, with a market share above the national average everywhere. Though there were big falls everywhere, too.

It’s shocking how in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Export’s spiritual home, its market share is the smallest at just 4.6%, or less than half the national average. But it did increase slightly in 2010. Generally in the Northwest Export’s share is low

In the South Export’s popularity is patchy: quite strong in Baden-Württenberg, about average in Bavaria, below average in Hessen. I’d expected it to be more popular in Bavaria, but I suppose it depends on how you categorise Helles. Because you could lump many of those beers in with Export. That’s how most of them started, as Helles Export.

The story with Weizen is much as you would expect: most popular in the South. Its popularity is greatest in Bavaria, though on the decline. In the Northwest it’s around or a little below the national average. And growing. While in the East sales are pretty small, though also increasing. Except for in Berlin, where sales are higher, but falling.

Here’s the table:

German beer sales by type and state 2009 - 2010
Pils Export Weizen
2009 2010  change in % 2009 2010  change in % 2009 2010  change in %
Germany 55.2 55.1 -0.2 10.1 9.8 -3.3 7.9 7.9 0.5
Baden-Württenberg 42.2 41.8 -1.1 14.7 14.4 -2.2 15.4 15.7 1.3
Bayern 23.7 24.3 2.8 10 10 0.7 17.5 17.1 -2.3
Hessen 60.1 60.4 0.6 8.6 7.8 -9.6 10.2 10 -1.6
Bremen/Niedersachsen 66.5 65.9 -1.0 6 6 -0.1 7.1 7.4 3.5
Nordrhein-Westfalen 60.5 60.1 -0.7 4.5 4.6 2.6 4.9 5.1 3.1
Rheinl.-Pfalz/Saarland 63 62.3 -1.1 6.5 6.2 -4.0 8.5 8.6 1.3
Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg 71.9 70.9 -1.3 6 6.1 1.8 5.6 5.7 1.3
Berlin 64.6 64.8 0.3 10.9 9.9 -9.2 4.7 4.6 -1.3
Brandenburg 64.8 64.1 -1.0 15.5 15.1 -2.7 1.8 1.8 0.4
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 68.7 68.8 0.1 14.8 14.2 -3.6 1.6 1.6 3.2
Sachsen 63.9 64.7 1.2 15.2 14.4 -4.9 1.5 1.5 3.2
Sachsen-Anhalt 57.3 58 1.3 20.5 18.7 -8.7 1.5 1.6 2.1
Thüringen 64 64.2 0.3 14.2 13.1 -7.4 1.9 1.9 2.2
Source:
Deutscher Brauer-Bund, Bonn

The numbers have spoken. And shown us just how regional the German beer market is.

Next time we’ll be looking at some of the more regional styles.

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