In its latest report, Nielsen reported that the entire beer category in Poland in 2018 grew by 7.6%, while non-alcoholic beer by as much as + 80%. The question is whether this is the result of a strong consumer trend? The real reason was the strategic decision of Heineken (Grupa Żywiec) about a large investment in this category, supported by a large number of "0% Zone" refrigerators placed in the best places in the stores. So the real consumer trend was leveraged by the no.2 player and the rapid response of Asashi (Kompania Piwowarska), the beer market leader. The whole translated into a gigantic sub-category increase, while 2019 will show how much this will translate into a lasting consumer trend.
