Drinks industry fears over sales slide

THE drinks industry representative group is forecasting a 10% decline in alcohol consumption levels for 2008.

And it warns of crisis times for the industry in light of new figures showing the slide in drink sales accelerated in September.

According to new monthly excise figures from the Revenue Commissioners, alcohol sales fell by 22% in September, on a year-on-year basis and sales fell by 9% — again on a year-on-year basis — for the first nine months of the year.