Coopers brewery group has continued to grow despite Australia’s dropping consumption of beer reporting strong sales for the 12 months ended the 31 December 2015
For the 2015 calendar year Coopers sold a record 80.7 million litres, a 4.4% increase on the 77.3 million litres sold in the 2014 calendar year.
Coopers’ flagship product, Coopers Original Pale Ale, continued to perform strongly, with national sales rising 3.2% during the year. It now accounts for 52% of Coopers’ total beer sales.
Mild Ale 3.5% experienced a 13.7% increase in sales during 2015 and is now Coopers’ third largest product by volume behind Sparkling Ale, which recorded growth of 1.8% for the year. Coopers Stout sales rose by 8% for the year.
Traditionally brewed ales make up almost 80% of Coopers’ sales.
Managing Director, Dr Tim Cooper, said the 2015 results had been especially pleasing, given the continued overall fall in beer consumption in Australia.
“While Australia’s total beer consumption has fallen almost 10% in the past six years, despite a growing population, Coopers’ sales have been on a solid growth trajectory for the past 22 years,” he said.
Growing Australian market share
“The latest results mean Coopers now has 5% of the total Australian market,” Dr Cooper said.
“The eastern states continue to be Coopers’ major area of growth, with total sales in Victoria, NSW and Queensland growing by 7.4% during 2015. Western Australian sales grew 5.5%.
“In our home state South Australia, which is a far more mature market, sales remained steady and now represent more than 24% of total volume sold,” he stated.
Dr Cooper said sales had also been boosted by Coopers’ international beer portfolio.
“Sales of Sapporo were particularly strong during the year, growing by 50%,” he said.
“This result has been achieved by growing distribution of Sapporo through different channels, aided by the appointment of a beer ambassador who has been working strongly in the Asian restaurant trade. Carlsberg and Kronenbourg products also performed strongly, rising 7% during the year,” he stated.
Dr Cooper said an agreement with US craft brewer, Brooklyn Brewing came into effect late in 2015, but had only had a minor impact on results, although early sales had been strong.
Sales of Thatchers Gold cider, which is distributed in Australia by Coopers, rose 37% during the 2015 calendar year.
For the six months to December 2015, Coopers sales grew 4.5% over the previous corresponding period.
