Return of the beer bottle

In Hungary the beer market is rather static, the yearly turnover is 7.5 million hectoliters (6.9 domestic and 5-600 thousand foreign production). The low-price segment (at present with 15% market share) has widened, while the middle-price segment has decreased. With the EU accession the market has become more open, with an increased number of foreign producers present. Since the excise tax has by now reached the Austrian level, the income-productivity has dropped, while producers are trying to cut their costs (cut-back on the number of employees, smaller budget for marketing purposes). The consumption is not growing, thus finding a breakout is highly difficult. The former increase of sales in alcoholic beverages has stopped. We will see a slightly growing demand for specialities – this segment might be worth considering, but concerning the whole market, these volumes are not significant. The annual beer-consumption in Hungary is relatively low, 75 l per capita, partly because consumption by women is not significant.