During 2012, the market experienced the largest growth in the past five years, seeing an increase in volumes. This growth came from the white spirits market. The brown spirits market, which holds the larger share of the spirits sector, saw little growth during the base year.
The majority of spirits are still consumed in the off-consumption market, where this sector grew in 2012.
Provinces that have a higher metropolitan concentration are still the majority shareholders in the spirits category. Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape hold the largest shares in the category. Bulk packaged spirits saw a large growth in production during 2012. However, this is primarily due to the small base from which it is growing and does not have a substantial impact on the market as a whole.
The market is divided into brown spirits - brandy, rum, creams, liqueurs and whisky and white spirits - cane, gin and vodka.
BMi Research specialises in consumer and industrial research in various sectors, including the retail market.
For more information, go to www.bmi.co.za.
