ROMANIA: Snow puts skids on beer consumption

By Andy Morton | 12 June 2012

Beer drinkers have faced tough economic times in Romania

Bad weather in the first quarter of this year saw Romanian beer consumption drop 5% from the previous year, an industry group has said.

The slide is a continuation of a downward trend that has seen consumption in the country drop 23% since the first quarter of 2008, according to the Brewers of Romania Association. “The decrease in the consumption of beer during the first quarter of 2012 was especially influenced by the cold weather and heavy snow from January to February that made people stop drinking beer,” said association general director Constantin Bratu.

Last winter 86 people died in Romania due to the freezing temperatures and up to five metres of snow.

“That factor was added to an already unfavourable context, the fact that for Romanians every leu [Romanian currency unit] counts, which makes a popular product as beer, to be less accessible.”

Bratu also said that while the average European has to work around eight minutes to afford a beer, a Romanian must work for half an hour.

Meanwhile, in the past three years, the number of direct and indirect jobs generated by the brewing industry in Romania has fallen 21 percent, from 96,400 to 76,000, the group added.

Expert analysis

Beer Market in Romania to 2014 (Beer, Cider and FABs)

Beer Market in Romania to 2014 (Beer, Cider and FABs) is a comprehensive resource for beer market data from 2004 to 2014 and market/company shares for 2008-09.This report also provides data on expenditure and consumption as well as key distribution channels, and reveals the leading companies in the Romanian beer market.

Sectors: Beer & cider