Cider is king in Britain

By Amy Looker

A new report has revealed that for the first time ever, there are more British consumers identifying as cider drinkers than there are lager drinkers.

Amid debate over the cider category's future in Australia, the report by Mintel shows that over the last five years cider has experienced a steep growth in sales while lager saw a rapid decline, bringing the two categories to an equal point in market share.

According to the report, 47 per cent of Brits identify as cider drinkers, while 46 per cent claim to be lager drinkers.

However, in terms of volume, cider is still significantly smaller than the lager category, claiming £2.4 billion in revenue in 2011 compared to lager's £11.4 billon.

Mintel's senior drinks analyst, Jonny Forsyth, said that cider's success is in stark contrast to the ailing beer and wine categories, which he attributes to ongoing innovation and clever marketing campaigns across the cider category.

"While cider is drunk mainly by men, it also has a strong appeal to women and this gives it a considerable advantage in the in-home-focused alcohol market where 'shareability' between the genders has become a key benefit," Forsyth said.