Bucking the recent trend for dips in the beer market, the Australian beer, wine and spirits division of Lion has made moderate revenue growth.
In the trading update for the nine months to 30 June, Lion stated that the year-to-date alcohol volumes had increased 1.3 per cent. This equaled a 3.9 per cent revenue increase, bumping it up to $1.34 billion.
“This was achieved against the backdrop of a beer market that declined 5.1 per cent over the same period and in part reflects decisions by international brand owners to partner with Lion in the Australian market, including Corona Extra and Stella Artois,” Lion said. Other, local brands also continued to perform well. “XXXX GOLD, now Australia’s largest beer, continues to grow volume and value share off a large base and the Hahn Super Dry trademark is performing strongly,” it said. “XXXX Summer Bright Lager, now a scale brand, maintained its double-digit volume and value growth trajectory.”
And Lion’s craft beer concerns have also continued to expand. “Lion’s James Squire trademark continued to drive growth in the craft market, posting volume and value growth now over 60 per cent.”
Additionally, cider had performed well, while wine sales, internationally, were still being negatively affected by the high Australian dollar.