The only certain winner of the annual pre-Christmas battle for beer sales is the consumer while the brewers and retailers lick their wounds and count the cost of cutthroat pricing. This year the emphasis shifted away from stubbies and on to key brands such as Stella Artois, Foster's, Carling and Kronenbourg 1664. The key sku in the multiples became 24 packs of 330ml bottles of premium lager where prices went below £12. Sainsbury's wine director Allan Cheesman said: "We had a better and more profitable Christmas than last year, but the beer battle was won by the consumer and no one else." Despite this, Interbrew UK is celebrating a record sales performance for the final quarter, led by Stella, saying it did better than last year when the millennium boosted sales. A spokesman said the company's take home sales in the final three weeks of 2000 were 5% up on 1999. And final quarter sales were up 26% compared with the same period in 1998. The two leading brewers were less bullish. Managing director at Scottish Courage Robin Alexander said: "We don't anticipate a significant volume reduction on last year's millennium celebrations, when the market grew by 12%." He added that beer was sold into the multiples earlier than last year and that the wholesalers bought later. Bass managing director John Holberry also expected to match last year's figures and improve on 1998. His main concern was that prices were even lower. On average £4 a case had been cut off 24 packs of 330ml bottles of premium packaged lager. He added: "There was much more sensible stockholding by most of our customers. Stock levels are not as high as they were this time last year." This may not be the case for Scottish Courage which flagged up January 2001 price increases at the end of last year and may have prompted some stockpiling. But a spokesman for the brewer said that so far there had been no major slow down in its sales this month. The other brewers are expected to put in price increases over the next few weeks, although many plans at Interbrew UK are on hold in the wake of Stephen Byers' decision to block the merger with Bass. {{DRINKS }}

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