Beer sales sink in Romania, brewers pin it on higher taxes

Beer sales in Romania dropped by 9% in the first half of this year compared to the same period of 2013, to 7.3 million hectoliters, according to the Brewers of Romania association. The association, which is the voice for Romania’s largest beer producers, said that the state’s decision to increase excises for beer by 16% in 2013, followed by another increase in 2014, broke the fragile balance on the market. “Under these circumstances, any short term factor – such as the bad weather this summer – has a greater impact on the market,” said Onno Rombouts, president of the Brewers of Romania association. Rombouts is also managing director of Heineken Romania, the second largest beer producer in Romania. According to the association, the state lost some EUR 13.5 million of potential revenues to the budget, as a result of the declining consumption. Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com