The Romanian brewing market remains stable in 2019

“Even with flat volume results in 2019, the beer industry provides, directly and indirectly, an important number of jobs, and drives growth through its long-term commitment to invest locally and to build a responsible industry. We are going through challenging, unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than ever, the Association aims to further this positive impact of beer in Romania. We must all act responsibly, show solidarity, so we can overcome this period faster, and be able to enjoy moments with our loved ones as soon as possible”, said Dan Robinson, President of the Brewers of Romania Association.

Due to its profoundly national character, defined by local production in a share of around 97% and 50% of the ingredients from the Romanian agriculture, the brewing sector has a significant influence first of all on

“Romanians' preference for beer mixes and flavored beers is increasing, following the European trend of consumption. Although with a small market share, this segment registered a record growth in Romania last year, 32.5% compared to the previous year. This confirms the increasing preferences of Romanians in terms of beer and their desire to experience new and special tastes”, added Julia Leferman, General Director Brewers of Romania Association.

The investment efforts of the members of the Brewers of Romania reached a record level in 2019, amounting to 96.3 million euro, increasing by 22 million euro versus 2018. The cumulated investment level of the members of the Association over the last sixteen years amounted to 1.62 billion euro.

The market structure according to packaging has continued the trends of the last years, the stars remaining the bottle and the can, with increases of 1-2 percent annually. Glass has continued its upward trend also in 2019, its share increasing in total by 5.2 pp over the last five years. Moreover, beer in cans increased last year by 1.6 pp, while PET packaging registered another significant decrease in 2019, of another 3.1 pp. The draft beer is constant, and the PET continued its decline, with a rate of about 3% annually. The total drop registered by the PET packaging over the last five years is almost 9 pp. Glass: 30%, can: 22.2%, keg: 3.4%, PET: 44.5%.

A slight decrease of imports was observed throughout 2019, of 0.04 million Hl, with a total of 0.5 million Hl. The local brewing market continues its profoundly national character, the share of the local production remaining at around 97% of the internal consumption. Exports also decreased with 0,05 million Hl versus 2018, reaching 0.54 million Hl.

Lager has continued its domination in the Romanians’ preferences also last year, with a share of 93%. The beer mixes and flavored beers accounted for 3% of the market while specialties category, which includes, amongst many others, dark, unpasteurized, light, ale, red, etc., held a share of 2.2%. Non-alcoholic beer have 1.7%. In terms of segment dynamics, beer mixes and flavored beers have increased by 32.5%, while non-alcoholic beer has registered a slight decrease of -8.2%. The other segments remained constant.

The number of brewers has increased to 68 in 2019, compared to 56 in the previous year.