A dramatic leap in sales of trendy lager Peroni Nastro Azzurro helped brewing giant SABMiller's UK arm buck the national beer trend.

Sales of Italian-brewed Peroni, which is available in bottled and draft versions, were up 40% — equivalent to 35 million extra bottles — against a 7% market slump.

John Littleton, business director of Miller Brands UK, said drinkers in their 20s and 30s, who have never before experienced a recession, were clinging on to their “affordable luxuries” such as expensive beer.

Littleton said he believed that the popularity of Peroni, which is sold in London for between £3.60 and £4.20 a pint, would prove longer-lived than previous fads for foreign beers.

He said: “Italy has got fabulous icons for design, fashion and food and we are trying to get Peroni into that same space.”

Miller's other London brand, Czech beer Pilsner Urquell, also did well with sales up 20%.

Worldwide, the Miller Lite-to-Grolsch brewer made pre-tax profits in the year to 31 March of
$2.96 billion (£1.9 billion), compared with $3.26 billion a year earlier.