Australians, like many consumers around the world, are cutting back personal spending by shopping less often and switching to less expensive and private label brands.  But one area where they refuse to compromise is their drink: sales of premium brands of beer, spirits and bottled wine all showed strong volume sales performance in the first quarter of 2009.
Imported and domestic premium beers posted growth of 15.3 and 18.6 percent, respectively, over the same period last year, while sales of premium spirits rose 21.3 percent.  Cheaper beer and spirit segments also …

British consumers are curtailing spending on nights out, but alcohol purchases in supermarkets and convenience stores remained stable in 2008, Nielsen reported Monday.
Volume sales of take-home alcohol for the current year through May 2008 grew 3% year-over-year, while alcohol sales in pubs, clubs, and restaurants declined by 8% during the period, according to Nielsen.
Take-home sales of cider (+15.2% volume) and spirits (+4.5% volume) fared the best. Nielsen also found that take-home sales of more expensive wines and premium spirits brands fared better than less expensive alternatives.
During the same period, on-site …