Cider sales top one billion pints

Cider is continuing its surge in popularity with sales now topping more than 1billion pints a year for the first time.

With latest industry figures reporting total sales are up by 26% the billion pint mark has been reached. This equates to more than 2,700,000 pints sold every day.

In the on-trade the picture is particularly strong with volume sales up by 33%.

The National Association of Cider Makers spokesman Simon Russell said: "These figures prove that the recent rise in popularity of cider has changed the fortunes of the industry for good.

"The on-trade has a proven track record for supporting the growing interest in cider with many outlets increasing their range of ciders and this is reflected in the strong sales.

"We expect the cider market to continue to perform well as producers continue to innovate with new products and continue to invest in marketing and advertising to support them."