Coopers Brewery reported strong growth over the 2015 calendar year, selling a record 80.7 million litres of beer, an increase of 4.4 per cent on the 77.3 million litres sold in the 2014 calendar year.
Coopers’ flagship product, Coopers Original Pale Ale, continued to perform strongly, with national sales rising 3.2 per cent during the year, accounting for 52 per cent of Coopers’ total beer sales.
Mild Ale 3.5% saw a 13.7 per cent increase in sales during 2015, making it Coopers’ third largest product by volume behind Sparkling Ale, which recorded growth of 1.8 per cent for the year, while Coopers Stout sales rose by eight per cent for the year.
Managing Director Dr Tim Cooper said given the continued overall fall in beer consumption in Australia, the 2015 results had been especially pleasing.
“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 five per cent of the total Australian market.”
The eastern states were the sources of Coopers’ major area of growth, with total sales in Victoria, NSW and Queensland growing by 7.4 per cent during 2015, and WA sales growing 5.5 per cent.
“In our home state, South Australia, which is a far more mature market, sales remained steady and now represent more than 24 per cent of total volume sold,” Dr Cooper said.
He also credited Coopers’ international beer portfolio for a boost in sales.
“Sales of Sapporo were particularly strong during the year, growing by 50 per cent,” Dr Cooper said. “This result has been achieved by growing distribution of Sapporo through different channels, aided by the appointment of a beer ambassador who has been working strongly in the Asian restaurant trade. Carlsberg and Kronenbourg products also performed strongly, rising seven per cent during the year.”
According to Dr Cooper, the brewer is looking forward to achieving 23 years of growth by the end of the current financial year.
“This would also be supported by the release of Carlsberg 3.5% mid-strength lager in February, adding further to the strong international beer portfolio already in place,” he said.
“Coopers Lager packaging will also be refreshed to stimulate interest on the back of the packaging upgrade of Coopers Clear in 2015, which has been well received by consumers.”