Heineken beer sales feel the draught

IRISH sales of Heineken beers on draught have slowed in the past six months, as drinkers switch to off-sales products.

The Dutch brewer said growth in the Irish market was a sluggish 3% in the first six months of this year, a figure which was mostly boosted by a 20% jump in Heineken's pre-packaged products.

Bottles and cans of both Heineken beer and its Coors Light products have been very strong in the off-sales market, said managing director Pádraic Liston, but the focus of beer consumption in Ireland remained in the pubs, which accounts for 88% of total sales. "Beer consumption in Ireland is part of a wider lifestyle trend. It is much more consumption-focused. The strength of the Irish beer market is the quality of its pubs and the pub trade."