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Canadians love their beer -- increasingly if it isn't from Canada, a sweeping study of alcoholic beverage sales reveals. Sales of imported brews such as Corona, Heineken and Stella Artois surged 13.8 % last year to $712.3-million, the eighth consecutive annual increase, Statistics Canada said in a report released on July 9. In 2002, imports captured nearly 10 % of the Canadian beer market, roughly double their share in 1996. And there's no sign that the trend is letting up, industry observers say.

"It's all about image," said Cindy Wilson, marketing manager at the Bier Markt, a trendy night spot in Toronto where young professionals sip imported beers in European-style glasses. Drinking an import "says you're educated and have good taste and that you're not too provincial," she said. Many customers are now eschewing wine with meals and are opting instead for a brew such as Guinness, she added. The proliferation of imported brands also is driving sales. "People are experimenting more," said Toronto beer writer Stephen Beaumont. "There are more flavours out there now, and they [customers] want to try different things."

Beer remains by far the most popular alcoholic beverage in Canada by volume. It accounts for 81.3 % of the total in 2002 compared with 11.9 % for wine and 6.8 % for spirits. Measured by dollar sales, beer accounted for 51.1 % of Canada's $14.5-billion alcoholic beverage market last year, with spirits generating 25.6 % and wine 23.3 %.

The rise of imports isn't necessarily bad news for the country's two biggest brewers, Molson Inc. and Labatt Breweries of Canada, both of which are trying to capitalize on the trend by importing brands from abroad. Molson, for instance, recently launched A Marca Bavaria -- a beer brewed by its Brazilian subsidiary that is backed by an aggressive advertising and on-premise marketing campaign. Molson also imports and distributes Corona and Heineken. Labatt, meanwhile, is giving a push to Stella Artois and Beck's, both of which are global brands of its parent, Interbrew SA of Belgium. Sales of Stella Artois climbed 85 % in Canada last year, and Beck's sales were up 10 %, Labatt said. The days when consumers were loyal to a single brand are over, Labatt spokesman Nigel Miller said. Nowadays, drinkers are choosing different brands for different occasions, he said. "They may choose a Stella Artois for a fine-dining establishment, and they'll still have a Blue or Blue Light at the cottage or after the hockey game."

Even with the growth of imports, domestic beers still account for 90 % of the market. Domestic beer accounted for 90.4 % of the Canadian market in 2002, while imports took 9.6 %.

18 July, 2003