Annual alcohol prices fall by 0.6%

Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco prices in the off-trade dropped by 0.8 per cent in March compared to February, according to CSO figures, mainly due to lower prices for beer, wine and spirits sold in off-licences and supermarkets.

Over the 12 month period to March this year, alcohol prices in both the on-trade and the off-trade combined fell by 0.6 per cent while they fell by 0.5 per cent compared to February 2011 and prices rose by 0.8 per cent in the three months January to March compared to the October to December quarter.

This compares to consumer prices generally rising by three per cent in March 2011 compared to March 2010.
Alcohol prices in the off-trade dropped 1.9 per cent in March compared to February 2011 with price decreases being recorded for Beer (3.3 per cent), Spirits (2.2 per cent) and Wine & Cider (1.2 per cent).

Over the 12 month period off-trade alcohol prices fell by 1.7 per cent with decreases of 1.5 per cent being recorded for Spirits, 0.2 per cent for Wine & Cider and 4.7 per cent for Beer.

In the on-trade, price decreases were recorded for Spirits (0.1 per cent) while Wine & Cider prices rose by 0.1 per cent in March when compared to February 2010.

Over the year, on-trade Beer prices dropped 0.1 per cent as Wine & Cider prices fell 0.8 per cent.