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 …

British women are the target of a new marketing push that aims to prop up flagging beer sales in the UK, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Beermakers like Coors and Diageo, which owns Guinness, are hoping women, a largely untapped group of potential beer customers, will be drawn to sweeter, lighter new beers they’ve introduced. 
But that strategy alone may not be enough to boost beer sales, Graham Page of Nielsen told the Journal. 
“[Women] don’t consume the volume [of beer] — and that is crucial — that men do,” Page noted.

Nearly 45% of U.S. and 31% of UK mobile video users will join the mobile audience for the 2008 Olympic Games, Nielsen Mobile reported Thursday. 
Nielsen’s data shows that U.S. and UK consumers are especially likely to view high-profile, short events, such as Track and Field and Gymnastics, on their mobile phones.  
The mobile Internet will also play a critical role in mobile Olympics viewing, with 23% of U.S. and 17% of UK mobile Internet users planning to track the Games through their phone browsers, according to Nielsen.
“Mobile media will change the …

For perhaps the first time in Olympics history, a significant number of viewers will track the Games’ results via their mobile phones. 
American consumers are particularly likely to view Olympics content on their phones, a recent survey by Nielsen Mobile found. 
Consumers in the UK and Spain also showed strong interest in watching the Beijing Games and receiving Olympics results from their mobile phones, according to Nielsen Mobile.  Those in the UK said they plan to read Olympics-related Web articles and monitor the medal count via their phones, while Spanish consumers reported they will most likely …

The Times (London) reported Friday that luxury retailers have increased their UK advertising spending over the last year — despite tough economic times.
The story noted that, according to Nielsen Media Research, Tiffany and Louis Vuitton increased their UK ad spending by £200,000 and £1.6 million, respectively, during the last year ending in June.   Meanwhile, Clinique and L’Oréal and boosted ad spending on their premium cosmetics lines by roughly £800,000 each, Nielsen reported.

The average European mobile consumer uses 1.4 SIM cards, according to a new report by Nielsen, released Wednesday. 
Mobile users who own multiple SIM cards are likely to spend more money on their mobile service, the findings also show. 
A French consumer who owns 3 SIM cards, for example, will spend 28% more, on average, than a consumer with a single SIM card.  Elsewhere in Europe, the numbers are even higher: +51% in Italy, +52% in the UK, +79% in Spain, and + 89% in Germany.
“The additional revenue brought to the operators by …

Brand Republic reported Tuesday that the fastest-growing UK websites over the past 12 months were those offering consumer discounts, according to Nielsen Online.
Nielsen’s list of the 10 fastest-growing UK websites included a site offering UK travel discounts, two coupon/reward sites, a shopping comparison site, and a site with classified ads for jobs, cars and homes.
“Sites tapping into consumer concerns about the economy, giving them the opportunity to save money, dominate the fastest growing list,” Alex Burmaster, Internet Analyst, Nielsen Online, told Brand Republic.
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More than half (55%) of UK consumers are cutting back on food purchases, Nielsen reported Wednesday.  Last year, Nielsen’s Homescan survey found that just a third (36%) of UK consumers were trying to reduce grocery spending.  
Meanwhile, sales at low-cost food retailers are growing.  In the last 12 weeks, Tesco’s sales were up 6.1% over the same time perod last year. Sales at Asda (+8.9%) and Morrison’s (+9.5%) grew by even larger percentages during the same period.
“Shoppers have been making fewer visits to the major supermarkets,” Mike Watkins, Senior Manager, Retailer …