Australia: Coopers Brewery reports record sales in 2015

Coopers Brewery sold a record 80.7 million litres of beer last calendar year, up 4.4 per cent on its numbers in 2014, despite an overall fall in national consumption in Australia, The Advertiser reported on January 21.

The results were boosted by strong sales of Coopers Original Pale Ale and Mild Ale 3.5%.

Sales of Coopers Original Pale Ale, which accounts for 52 per cent of total beer sales, rose 3.2 per cent.

Mild Ale 3.5% sales were up 13.7 per cent and is now its third largest product by volume behind Sparkling Ale, which recorded a growth of 1.8 per cent for the year.

Traditionally brewed ales make up almost 80 per cent of Coopers’ sales.

Managing director Dr Tim Cooper described the results as “especially pleasing” given the continued overall fall in beer consumption nationally.

“While Australia’s total beer consumption has fallen almost 10 per cent 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.

“The latest results mean Coopers now has 5 per cent of the total Australian market.

“The eastern states continue to be Coopers’ major area of growth, with total sales in Victoria, NSW and Queensland growing by 7.4 per cent during 2015.”

In South Australia, a far more mature market, sales remained steady and now represent nearly a quarter of the total volume sold.

Coopers’ international beer portfolio had also boosted sales.

“Sales of Sapporo were particularly strong during the year, growing by 50 per cent,” he said.

Carlsberg and Kronenbourg products also performed strongly.

An agreement with US craft brewer Brooklyn Brewing came into effect late in 2015 has seen strong early sales.

He said Coopers was looking forward to achieving 23 years of growth by the end of the current financial year.

22 January, 2016