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Kirti Poddar via Creative Commons
Alcohol
Drinks industry warns of pub "meltdown"
Sales of drink are up for the year, but fewer people are drinking it pubs.
THE DRINKS INDUSTRY GROUP OF Ireland (DIGI) has warned that pub trade “is experiencing effective meltdown”.
Figures for the first seven months of the year show a drop in sales at pubs of 14.1%. This fall follows an 8.8% drop for 2009.
The CEO of the Licensed Vintners Association, Donall O’Keeffe, said that the sector is in a “crisis situation” and faces “weak consumer demand for the immediate future”.
However, overall sales for drink rose 6.4% for the first seven months of 2010. DIGI said that the reduced excise rates announced in the budget for 2010 haled to stem cross-border alcohol trade, and said the group will work to identify measures to help stimulate the pub trade.
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