Breweries glum as German beer consumption dries up

Business News

Jul 27, 2009, 11:36 GMT

Berlin - Germans' love affair with beer is over, according to new data Monday from a brewery which says it does not even dare raise its prices for fear of ruining sales. The Veltins company said it believed German beer consumption declined more than 5 per cent in annual terms in the first half of the year, with higher-priced brands like its own worst affected. Michael Weiss, vice president of the Federation of German Brewers, said it was the worst decline in the industry's modern history. The Czech Republic overtook Germany in per-capita beer consumption years ago. Among the premium German brands, Veltins, Warsteiner, Bitburger and Jever reported declines ranging from 4.6 to 7 per cent. Veltins did not expect any revival till 2012. Veltins regarded any price increases as too risky before the end of 2010, the company said. For years, beer has been gradually falling out of fashion in Germany as people switch to healthy drinks like water or to other alcoholic beverages, such as wine.

And Also

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts - Cinema Blend
Muppets bow to the Queen in Bohemian Rhapsody cover - The Tech Herald
The Easiest Gigs in Showbiz - PopEater
Chris Rock interview, Sons of Anarchy and Woody Allen shout out for 'Madagascar' star

Your Talkback on this Story

Similar articles

Protests planned as fair for millionaires opens in Munich
Siemens' boss says company too white, too German, too male

Latest Headlines in Business

Older Talkback

Business: Index

: News; Features; Currency Conversion

Latest Pics

From Sites we Like

We have our first contestant in the Thanksgiving "Set Your House On Fire While Frying A Turkey" sweepstakes [Obvious]
Man freed after spending 30 years in prison, receives settlement and a "sorry we locked you away for so long" Hallmark card [Interesting]
Oxymoron headline: Swimmer drowns [Fail]

More Not News from Fark

In Monsters and Critics

: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Lifestyle; Movies; Music; News; People; Science & Nature; Sport; TV; Archives
Other Languages and Sites: Deutschland (Monsters and Critics); The Tech Herald; Free Games

Entertainment: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Movies; Music; People; Soundtracks; TV
Media: Celebrity Photos; Movie Pictures; Movie Trailers; Movie Posters; Theatre Stills; Celebrity Video; Music Video
Released this week: Movies - USA; Movies - UK; DVD - USA
Distractions: Online Games; Daily Crossword; Sudoku Classic; Daily Jigsaw

World News: US; UK; Americas; Europe; Middle East; Asia Pacific; South Asia; Africa; Business; Education; Health
Science and Tech: Science and Nature; Technology
Lifestyle: Autos; Fashion; Life; Travel

Corporate

: About; Advertise; Contact; The Team; Vacancies; Privacy; RSS; Site Map; Terms; Webmasters

The Fine Print

© 2003 - 2009 by Monsters and Critics.com, WotR Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All photos are copyright their respective owners and are used under license or with permission. * Note M&C cannot be held responsible for the content on other Web Sites.

Servers supplied by Servint