Abstract
In the Irish market, the beer industry is very important. Beer consumption is a way of life for the Irish people. Few international companies share the market. The most famous is Guinness. In order to stay strong in this competitive market and to maintain or gain market shares and also to reach more customers, companies use strong communication thanks to advertisings and sponsorships and a vigorous promotion in the shops.
The consumption has been helped since the government has highly taxed hard alcohols and wines, beer became the least expensive and the most sold drink in Ireland. Then, the competition in the beer industry has become stronger than before and has opened more opportunities for the company.
However, alcohol consumption and especially for young people is a scourge in Ireland. More and more children drink it because they have easy access to beer even if they are not adults. Alcoholised beer is consumed at any time especially during dinner with the family.
In this context, some companies have tried to launch alcohol-free beer in order to reach other customers and to change their image of beer. That is the case of the Heineken Company with the beer BUCKLER. But Buckler beer's sales have not succeeded in Ireland. At first, it is obvious that alcohol-free beer is not a star product in Ireland due to high commitment of consumers to beer consumption, but because of other countries in Europe, there is a market for this kind of beer.
Ireland continues to rank among the highest consumers of alcohol in the EU. Despite their reputation as a nation in love with the drink, 20pc of Irish adults claim that they are teetotallers. Alcohol free beer represents 1% of the beer market in Ireland
