UK Alcohol Sales Rise
The total quantity of alcohol sold in the UK rose by 1.8%
in the financial year 2007/08, reversing falls of the previous two
years.
Measured in million hectolitres of pure alcohol, a measure
that takes account of different strengths of drinks, the total alcohol
sold in 2007/08 was 5.7m hl. The amount per person rose to 11.53 litres
of pure alcohol per adult. This was a rise of 1.2% on the previous year,
but remains lower than the peak of 11.78 litres in 2004/05.
Within this total, the quantities of wine, spirits and
cider all rose whilst sales of beer continued to fall. Figures from the
British Beer and Pub Association reveal that this was entirely due to
sales in pubs and other licensed premises, which experienced a fall of
7.4%, whereas off-trade sales rose by 2.0%.
Source: Data from HMRC Alcohol factsheet 2008.