Hangover more than cheers for Irish drinks industry
SPIRITS were down, the beer was flat but the wine was fine. What passes for a typical description of an office Christmas party turns out to be an accurate summary of the past year for the Irish drinks industry.
An economic slowdown, extra taxes and higher insurance and staff costs made 2003 more of a hangover than a celebration. Publicans gobbled more painkillers than champagne and complained of a shift away from pubs towards drinking at home. Even the greenhouse effect took a swipe at the industry, with an unusually hot summer hurting alcohol sales, while the Government’s SSIA savings scheme took some unexpected blame for tying up disposable income that would otherwise have made its way across counters.
