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CGA’s exclusive On Premise User Survey has shown the huge scale of the beer category in the channel, with nearly half (49%) of Germany’s consumers drinking it in bars and restaurants. But it also highlights the sizeable differences in trends by type preferences, strength and spending in a clearly fragmented and dynamic marketplace.
For example, 63% of beer consumers in northern Germany say they drink beer from one of the country’s big breweries—22 percentage points more than in southern Germany. Here, 81% drink local beers—20 percentage points more than in the north. Southern Germany also over-indexes for craft beer, while drinkers in the northern region are more likely to choose imported brands.
Strength preferences vary too. Numbers choosing strong beers are higher in the north (15%) than in the western (9%) and southern (10%) regions. At the other end of the strength scale, those choosing non-alcoholic beer brands peak at 25% in central Germany and reach a low in the north (18%). However, interest in alcohol-free beer is rising fast among German consumers, and more than a fifth (22%) now drink it—a higher proportion than in countries including France (17%) and Italy (13%).
Suppliers also need to consider regional variations in spending patterns. Across Germany, beer consumers are willing to spend an average of €4.04 on draught products, but the number ranges from a high of €4.29 in the north to a low of €3.81 in the west.
CGA’s research uncovers many more regional differences in the beer category, including preferences by channel, serve style and daypart.
Torsten Hofmann, Retail Intelligence Lead at NIQ, said: “Regional dynamics are in play in all countries, but they’re especially pronounced in Germany’s beer category. On-the-ground knowledge and locally focused strategies are essential because tactics and activations that thrive in one place may fall flat in others. Our OPUS research unwraps the key variations and is the ideal base from which to grow beer sales and share.”
Torsten Hofmann, Retail Intelligence Lead at NIQ, said: “Regional dynamics are in play in all countries, but they’re especially pronounced in Germany’s beer category. On-the-ground knowledge and locally focused strategies are essential because tactics and activations that thrive in one place may fall flat in others. Our OPUS research unwraps the key variations and is the ideal base from which to grow beer sales and share.”
CGA’s OPUS service is a bi-annual survey of 7,000 nationally representative Gastronomy sector consumers in Germany, producing actionable insights to help suppliers, brewers and operators optimise sales and marketing strategies. To learn more, email Torsten Hofmann at Torsten.Hofmann@nielseniq.com
