THE ITALIAN AND WORLD-WIDE MARKET

    Following water and tea, beer is the most widely consumed drink in the world: about 145 milliard litres, with a per head of 24 litres. This is an average value, influenced by both high consumption trends (Western Europe, America and Oceania) and others that, on the other hand, have low per head values (like the regions of Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa). Yet it’s in the last ones that the developement of consumption quantities seems to be more promising: a perfect example is the very quick growth of the Chinese market, that managed to replace the U.S.A. at the top position of  the world classification. Where consumption is already high, on the contrary, sales show a tendency to decrease yearly, even if consumers are becoming more picky and prefer higher quality products (premium and specialty beers).

    Western Europe’s production in the year 2002 is reckoned to be around 316 million hl, while internal consumption – also thanks to a healthy export flux – is assessed around 296 million hl, which implies a per head value of 76 litres (they were 80 back in 1995). Within Western Europe, however,  consumption rates range widely, due to the huge differences in local history, traditions, culture, weather conditions and laws; thus we have very high values in the Anglo-Saxon, German and Flemish area and more modest ones in Mediterranean countries like Italy and France, where wine is far more popular than beer.

    Italy’s beer consumption is merely 30 litres/year per head; ours is, however, one among the very few European markets that shows a positive trend, although barely so. Italy is recognised as a very interesting market also because it is the most international-minded in Europe: more than a quarter of the consumed quantity is accounted for by imported beers and a further fifth by foreign beers produced in Italy under licence. German beers are by large the most popular: with their perseverance and professionality they have managed to gain the Italian consumers’ trust, especially among the younger generation (ranging from 15 to 34 years).

    In Italy there are, however, more than 240 active producers from all over the world, despite the fact that the national ones control (with both their own brands and the imported ones) about ¾ of the sales. The outdoors-oriented (Ho.Re.Ca.) market is particularly uneven, with more than 200.000 operating premises supplied by more or less 2.000 wholesale distributors.

Here we have witnessed the ongoing developement of the so-called Super Horeca: specialised premises – thematical and high-selling – that represent together a distribution segment of more than 9.000 units.

   Nearly all of the European markets (including Italy) are by now dominated by huge multi-nationals of beer: Heineken, Interbrew, Carlsberg, Scottish & Newcastle; more recently they have been joined by some extra-European ones (Sab Miller, Anheuser Busch, Coors, Fosters and others).

    But the real surprise comes from the world of artisan beers: in the last years the trend of micro-breweries and brew pubs has taken more and more hold.

   In Italy we already have 113 of such premises and they are establishing, one year after another, their public image, quality and customer service, thus becoming increasingly worth of notice through all of the Italian peninsula.