Bulgaria's Brewers See Beer Sales Flat in 2013 due to Cooler Weather

 The Bulgarian beer market may fall short of the projected 1.0% increase in sales volume for 2013 due to the cooler summer months but will remain stable backed by continuing investments in the sector, the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) said.

Flagging sales in the peak summer months are indicative of the trend. In June alone, beer consumption fell by 4% and July may follow suit, the union’s chairman Dragan Radivoevich said at a news conference in Sofia.

UBB members generate more than 95% of the sales in the country. They include StarBev's Kamenitza, Carlsberg Bulgaria, Zagorka, part of Dutch group Heineken, as well as smaller brewers Boliarka VT, Britos and Lomsko Pivo,

The investments in the beer sector for the first six months of 2013 amount to more than 30 million levs ($20.1 million/15.3 million euro), UBB data show. "Taking a look at the invested money in the brewing sector, it’s clear that all the players in the market have a long-term vision. In 2011 and 2012 we noted a steady increase in investments. Nearly 70 mln levs were spent by UBB members for 2012 alone," Radivoevich said.

The sales of UBB’s members in 2012 stood at 5,084,000 hectolitres, registering an annual increase of 6.6% in terms of volume. The local brewers exported a total of 92,800 hectolitres mainly to countries with significant Bulgarian communities such as Greece, Cyprus, Spain, the UK and Romania.