Media Release

from Plato Logic Limited, June 10th 2019

• World Beer Market grows +1.4% in 2018
• Non-alcoholic beers grow +7.4% globally
• New Report from beer specialists Plato Logic explores long-term trends
• Highlights both growth potential and possible limits

Nab/Lab beers are not new. In recent history, the first ‘wave’ developed in the mid-1980s. Reduced alcohol products provided both innovation at a time of slowing growth, and a response to increasing awareness around responsible drinking. Nab/labs it seemed, were ‘the next big thing’, growing rapidly until the early 1990s. However, growth then plateaued as the product appeared to struggle with both image (‘distress purchase’) and flavour delivery. Now, greater product innovation and healthy lifestyles mean that these drawbacks have arguably become throwbacks, and nab/labs are growing again.

However, none of this yet makes for a very large market. No-alcohol beers reached 31mhl in 2018. Adding low-alcohol beers (up to 2.8% abv), including Radlers, adds a further 13mhl and takes the total market to 44mhl, a little over 2% of global beer consumption.

But how much growth potential is there? A new report from beer market specialists Plato Logic provides a definitive quantitative basis, including long-term historical data, and looks at different benchmarks and modelling scenarios to generate a meaningful forecast.

Ian Pressnell, Director of Plato Logic, commented: “Globally, we would consider non-alcoholic beers to have an upper share limit in the range 5-10% of total beer consumption and are likely to remain a feature more of mature beer economies. However, we have also observed evidence of a relatively short life-cycle, as well as historic consolidation and even decline.”

The Plato Logic Global NAB/LAB Report also looks at the reduced alcohol beer sector up to 3.5% abv as well as considering the growing demand for ‘US-style lite beers’. For more information on this new report click here

About Plato Logic Limited: Established in 1992, Plato Logic Limited is a leading specialist supplier of beer market intelligence and has been tracking the nab/lab sector for 27 years. We provide a comprehensive range of international beer industry data, including 150 country reports and 250 specialist beer industry reports. For more information please visit our websites, http://platologic.co.uk and http://eshop.platologicwebshop.co.uk

ENDS

For further information regarding this press release, please contact: sales.plato@platologic.co.uk

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