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      schrieb am 11.08.05 18:32:17
      Beitrag Nr. 1 ()
      THE GLOBE`S HOTTEST BEER MARKET: Something big is brewing in China

      June 17, 2004

      BY TIM JOHNSON
      FREE PRESS FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

      HARBIN, China -- Already jolly from tippling at a beer garden, Zhao Shunian and his drinking buddies heard the news that Anheuser-Busch had won a bruising takeover battle for local Harbin Brewery, and decided it was reason enough to drink again.

      "They are going to make a lot of money," Zhao forecast as he raised a super-size mug. "The standard of living here is rising."

      Anheuser-Busch, the world`s largest brewer, is paying a fat $720 million for Harbin Brewery in a bet that people such as Zhao will drink more each year. The St. Louis-based brewer hopes to gain a Himalayan-size advantage in the world`s last big frontier of beer.

      But marketing experts warn that China`s market is no sure thing. Recent history shows a number of foreign companies hitting a wall as they try to sell all sorts of consumer products. For many multinational companies, selling goods to China`s 1.3 billion people is deeply frustrating.

      A mammoth consumer market tantalizes companies. But they quickly discover obstacles. It`s difficult to distribute products in China. Volumes rise, but price wars erupt. Local companies compete tenaciously and enjoy implicit subsidies, such as preferred access to bank loans and protection from bankruptcy.

      Even with the difficulties, some consumer companies, like Anheuser-Busch, apparently feel consolidation and growth are nigh.

      In the first international takeover battle for a Chinese enterprise in history, Anheuser-Busch and the world`s No. 2 brewer in volume, London-based SABMiller, tussled this month for ownership of Harbin, the fourth-largest brewery in China. SABMiller backed down.

      China has more than 500 major beer producers, and just about every corner of the country has its local brands. Many of China`s citizens love beer but haven`t had the money to drink to their satisfaction.

      Incomes -- and beer consumption -- are now rising steadily. Since 1997, consumption has surged 40 percent and is expected to grow 6 percent a year for the near future, way above the 1-percent growth in the U.S. market. Global brewers see vast potential. Per capita beer consumption in China averages 20 quarts per year, compared with 53 quarts in Japan, 79 quarts in Europe and 88.6 quarts in the United States.

      Harbin Brewery has only about a 4-percent market share in China, but it`s a key beachhead in northeastern China.

      "We look forward to the benefits this strategic investment will provide to us in the world`s largest and fastest-growing beer market," Patrick Stokes, the president and CEO of Anheuser-Busch, said in a statement.

      Harbin, China`s northernmost major city, with 4 million residents, is an anchor in the rust-belt region once known as Manchuria.

      The city government owned the brewery, founded 105 years ago by a Russian immigrant, and its beer is beloved by residents, who quaff it by the half-gallon vessel in outdoor beer gardens.

      "Wherever we go, we prefer Hapi beer. It`s better than Beijing beer or any other," said Song Jiaqi, a railway conductor, referring to Harbin`s best-selling brand.

      Prices plummet

      Even as sales of everything from beer to microwaves surge in China, falling prices mean small profits. In some sectors, such as instant noodles, prices have hit rock bottom.

      "You ask just how much lower can prices go, and the answer is not much without giving it away," French said.

      Bottles of Hapi beer cost less than 25 cents. Some regional breweries sell beer at half that price.

      Foreign beer makers poured into China in the early and mid-1990s. Many met doom. Brewery after foreign-invested brewery fell on the consumer battlefield.

      "No one could get more than 3 or 4 percent (market share). And margins kept going down," said Arthur Kroeber, the managing editor of the China Economic Quarterly.

      Among the foreign brewers that bailed after investing in China were Australia`s Foster`s, Britain`s Bass, Denmark`s Carlsberg and Japan`s Asahi.

      A decade later, a wave of consolidation has occurred, and "the top 10 brewers in China now control over 50 percent of the market," Kroeber said. The question in the beer sector, he added, is: "Did foreign companies come into China too early?"

      If the investment frenzy in the last two years is any indication, global brewers think rising affluence in China finally might lift prices and profits and allow global brands to get a foothold, even if they charge premium prices and cater only to the well-off.

      Anheuser-Busch already produces Budweiser beer at a brewery in the southern city of Wuhan, which it says has been profitable for at least two years. The U.S. company also owns a nearly 10-percent stake in China`s biggest brewery, Tsingtao.

      Carlsberg, after abandoning a Shanghai brewery, has moved back into China`s Yunnan province and Tibet. Belgium`s Interbrew, which sells brands such as Stella Artois and Beck`s, recently bought shares in 17 brewers around China. Scottish & Newcastle, a British brewery, bought a stake in a Chongqing brewery earlier this year.

      Even the loser in the Harbin Brewery takeover battle, SABMiller, appears content. It said it would earn $211 million for its stake in Harbin, a large profit over the price it paid for the stake last year.

      The profit could help SABMiller sustain China Resources Breweries, in which it has a 49-percent stake, as it reportedly prepares a price war against Harbin Brewery.
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      schrieb am 11.08.05 18:33:40
      Beitrag Nr. 2 ()
      Anheuser-Busch boosts stake in Tsingtao

      Published Monday, April 11, 2005

      ST. LOUIS (AP) - Anheuser-Busch Cos. said today it has raised its stake in Tsingtao Brewery Co. as the maker of top-selling Budweiser and Bud Light fights stagnancy in its U.S. business by broadening its share in the world’s biggest beer market.

      St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch broadened ownership of Tsingtao - China’s biggest brewer - to 27 percent from 9.9 percent by converting nearly $150 million worth of debt to shares in the Chinese brewer. Anheuser-Busch swapped $145.6 million - 1.14 billion Hong Kong dollars - of Tsingtao convertible bonds for 248.2 million newly issued H-class shares, it said.

      Anheuser-Busch will be allowed to nominate a second director to Tsingtao’s board and have its voting interest in Tsingtao increased to 20 percent.

      In a separate announcement today, Tsingtao said its net profit in 2004 rose 16.4 percent to 285.2 million yuan, or $34.45 million, from the previous year on strong demand from the booming Chinese economy.

      Anheuser-Busch’s expanding its stake in Tsingtao to 27 percent is part of a deal finalized two years ago, calling for Anheuser-Busch to up its 4.5 percent interest to 9.9 percent initially, then to 27 percent over seven years. Anheuser-Busch had held its previous stake in Tsingtao since 1993.

      Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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      schrieb am 12.08.05 13:15:22
      Beitrag Nr. 3 ()
      Entnommen aus www.ap-foodtechnology.com, 09. September 2004:


      China boosts A-B’s fortunes

      09/09/2004 - International brewery giant Anheuser-Busch is predicting double digit returns for shareholders this year, citing strategic growth in the booming China market as one of the main reasons.

      In June this year A-B won a hard-fought battle against rival brewer SABMiller for a controlling stake in China’s Harbin Brewery, one of the oldest brewers in China and a leading player in the all-important North-Eastern provinces. Although many analysts believe that A-B paid a high price for the stake its value in strategic terms is said to be almost priceless.

      In a pre-results statement at a conference in the US company executives said that the year 2004 would represent the sixth straight year of solid growth. Despite the general slowdown in spending for consumer products this summer in its world markets, the company said that for the bottom line earnings per share for the full year are expected to grow approximately 11 per cent. The company added that this estimate includes dilution from its acquisition of Harbin.

      At the conference W. Randolph Baker, vice president and chief financial officer, spoke of Anheuser-Busch`s international strategy, emphasising its expanded participation in the Chinese beer market.

      "China is the world`s largest beer market in terms of volume and growth. Over the past five years, the Chinese beer industry has grown more than 5 per cent annually. The country`s relatively low per capita rate of consumption has been increasing and is supported by an expanding economy and rising disposable income."

      Anheuser-Busch entered the Chinese beer market in 1995 with the purchase of a brewery in Wuhan for brewing and packaging the Budweiser brand. Baker commented that, unlike most foreign brewers` brands, the sales of the company`s flagship brand in China have developed into a very profitable business.

      "To expand our participation in this major growth market, we have made investments in two leading Chinese brewers," Baker continued.

      In 2002, Anheuser-Busch formed a strategic alliance with Tsingtao, the leading brewer in China with a 13 percent share. Anheuser-Busch will ultimately gain a 27 per cent ownership interest in Tsingtao. In recent months, Anheuser-Busch has acquired ownership of Harbin Brewery Group, China`s fourth largest brewer with a 5 per cent share of the Chinese beer market.

      "With its strong market position in Northeast China, Harbin is a good complement to our successful Budweiser operations and Tsingtao partnership," Baker added.

      "Our international beer segment is making a significant contribution to Anheuser-Busch`s earnings growth, and we are strategically well positioned for long-term growth with our expanded position in China," observed Baker.

      "We remain confident in our ability to achieve double-digit earnings per share growth over the long-term, along with continued improvements in return on capital," said Baker, who also emphasized the increasing importance of the Mexican market to the company, where it is well represented by its 50 per cent stake in brewer Modelo.

      Speaking in broader terms about the company’s operations, A-B said that it would be announcing a number of initiatives aimed at increasing beer sales volume and market growth. In October new additions to the Bacardi Silver family brand will be made as well as other new products featuring different flavours and varying levels of carbohydrates, together with a number of new innovations in packaging.

      Commenting on the domestic market the company said that sales in the US had picked up after a soft 2003. Parellel to this there was also a warning that the mid-summer months were expected to see a slight lull in demand, something that had affected the whole US drinks industry on account of abnormally cool weather.
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      schrieb am 12.08.05 13:20:05
      Beitrag Nr. 4 ()
      Entnommen aus www.economist.com, 20. Juli 2005:


      Seeking new beer drinkers in the high Andes
      Jul 20th 2005
      From The Economist Global Agenda


      SABMiller is set to become the world’s second-largest brewer after its proposed takeover of Bavaria, a Colombian firm with strong sales across the Andean region. It is the latest in a string of deals in which big brewers have sought new beer-drinkers in emerging markets to replace those being lost in rich countries. But takeover targets are set to become rarer—and pricier


      FOR seasoned beer drinkers, it is often hard to resist just one more glass. But that is just what is happening in the main markets of the world’s big brewers. Beer drinking in western Europe and America is growing negligibly or is in decline. The response of the world’s leading brewers has been to buy up firms in fast-growing new markets in a bid to boost sales and prop up profits as increasingly affluent drinkers in mature markets chose to imbibe wine and spirits instead of ales.

      SABMiller, currently the world’s third-largest brewer, said on Tuesday July 19th that it would follow the footsteps of InBev, the world’s largest, into the South American market. Almost a year after InBev was created, with the purchase by Belgium’s Interbrew of Brazil’s AmBev for $11.2 billion, SABMiller said that it would acquire Colombia’s Grupo Empresarial Bavaria in a deal valuing the target firm at some $7.8 billion. Bavaria, South America’s second-largest brewer, is the dominant beer firm in Peru, Ecuador and Panama as well as in its home market and enjoyed revenues of $1.9 billion in 2004. The deal means SABMiller will overtake America’s Anheuser-Busch to become the world’s second-largest seller of beer (see chart).

      It is not just in South America that brewers have expanded in an effort to combat the stagnation of growth and profits in their mature home markets: breweries in China and Eastern Europe have also been swallowed up. Last year, Anheuser-Busch, best known for its top-selling brand, Budweiser, bought Harbin, China’s fourth-largest brewery, for $720m, after outbidding SABMiller. And earlier this year the American company upped its stake in Tsingtao, another Chinese brewer, to 27%. Recently, InBev said it was buying Russia’s Tinkoff for €167m ($201m). Heineken of the Netherlands, which lost out to SABMiller in the quest to acquire Bavaria, has recently bought two Russian brewers. And consolidation is set to continue. The world’s top five brewers accounted for 17% of world beer sales 15 years ago. Now they sell 40% of the total and that figure is likely to hit 50% by 2010.

      The world’s brewing giants, having been instrumental in the consolidation of brewing in Western Europe and America, can only hope to gain extra market share from rivals in these established markets through costly marketing campaigns. So acquisitions are, on the face of it, a sensible way to achieve decent growth—especially in emerging markets where the numbers with the disposable income to afford beer are rising.

      By some estimates China’s beer market, now the world’s largest, is growing by 6-8% a year. Beer consumption in Latin America is set to expand at around 4% a year for the next five years, twice the global average, according to SABMiller. And in both regions, beer consumption per head is far below European and American levels, suggesting plenty of scope for more sales. Beer drinking in Eastern Europe is also burgeoning. Russia is expected to out-consume even famously beer-loving Germany, becoming the world’s third-largest consumer market, towards the end of this decade.

      There is some evidence that the strategy of emerging-market takeovers is working. InBev reported that net profits for 2004 had jumped by 23% compared with the year before, to €621m. Its Latin American operations more than made up for declining sales in Britain, Germany and elsewhere. South America, like other markets that the brewers are tapping is big and, broadly speaking, increasingly stable and prosperous, with the sort of youthful populations that tend to drink beer. But it is unlike other markets. Bavaria enjoys a near monopoly in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and is dominant in Panama. Consequently it makes decent profits. China, despite its position as the world’s largest beer market, is the world’s least profitable. Price wars between the country’s 400-odd breweries have squeezed profits. Anheuser-Busch’s purchase of Harbin, and other forays into China by western brewing giants, have been criticised as expensive exercises in building market share in the hope of future profits when consolidation someday comes.

      There are other ways that these deals can boost the coffers of the big brewers. Some scope exists for savings, through economies of scale in purchasing raw materials and by cutting administration costs. SABMiller has promised savings of $120m a year by 2010 through its takeover of Bavaria, though this is quite a modest sum in the overall context of the deal. The multinational brewers also get distribution and marketing expertise in the countries where their acquisitions operate. This means that, besides growing the local brands they have bought, they can in time introduce their more profitable, premium-priced global brands. As consumers become better-off they tend to move up the value chain from cheaper local beers to these premium products, enhancing the brewers’ margins.

      SABMiller, formed by the combination of South African Breweries and America’s Miller in 2002, believes that it has the expertise to exploit emerging markets. Its pre-tax profits in its latest financial year of $2.2 billion were driven by handy growth at its South African business where consumers are switching to its premium brands such as Miller Genuine Draft and Pilsner Urquell. InBev has successfully launched Stella Artois in Brazil and Becks in Poland. And eventually more brands could travel in the other direction to enliven the jaded palates of Western European and American drinkers. This year InBev, launched Brahma, Brazil’s leading beer, in 15 countries including Britain, France and America, to compete against the premium beers offered by rivals.

      The big brewers are sure to continue to eye assets in fast-growing markets. All four of the world’s top brewers were said to have considered a bid for Bavaria. And speculation has abounded that other big European brewers, such as Carlsberg or Scottish & Newcastle could also prove tempting targets for the global giants looking to get bigger still. Though there may still be a number of countries ripe for consolidation, the number of brewers with a worthwhile market share in emerging markets is finite. If the rich world’s brewers all start chasing the same assets, they will be forced to pay ever-higher prices in their efforts to keep their businesses growing—making the logic of such moves increasingly less obvious.
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      schrieb am 12.08.05 13:24:19
      Beitrag Nr. 5 ()
      Entnommen aus today.reuters.com, 19. Juli 2005:


      Brewing giants hit Latin American market
      Tue Jul 19, 2005 3:42 PM ET

      By Jason Webb

      BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - SABMiller`s purchase of South America`s second-biggest brewer Bavaria sets up a struggle with Belgian giant InBev for the region`s fast-growing beer market and leaves other major companies on the sidelines, analysts said on Tuesday.

      SABMiller said it was buying Bavaria for $4.8 billion, in a deal worth $7.8 billion including debt, creating the world`s second-largest brewer by volume and giving it near monopoly control of markets in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Panama.

      Family-controlled Bavaria was Latin America`s largest remaining independent brewery, after Belgium`s Interbrew created InBev, the world`s largest brewer, last year by buying Brazil`s AmBev (AMBV4.SA: Quote, Profile, Research) (ABV.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in a $9.7 billion deal.

      InBev is already trying to muscle in on what will now be SABMiller territory in Peru and Ecuador, spending $80 million on a plant in Lima and launching its Brahma beer there. But history suggests it will face a tough struggle overcoming traditional brands.

      "I think it`s going to be a very interesting clash of the titans. Both companies are very well entrenched in the markets that they dominate," said Denis Parisien of Standard New York Securities Inc.

      "All along we never expected InBev to just walk in and take over Peru and Ecuador. Bavaria has always been a strong competitor with very solid management, and most of all the very strong brands that Bavaria owns in those countries and the distribution network advantage," Parisien said.

      Ambev produced about three times as much beer in 2003 than Bavaria, according to the Colombian company.

      The world`s biggest brewers are looking to Latin America for growth they are unlikely to find in the stagnating markets of Europe and North America.

      To do this, they have had to buy local brands. Drinkers tend to be stubbornly loyal to traditional brews and distribution networks are hard to replicate, especially in poor countries with tough geography and bad communications.

      Annual beer consumption is around 50 liters per head in the region`s three most populous countries, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.

      This is three times consumption in another market seen as a great hope for brewers: China. But it still leaves plenty of room for growth, being only a third of what the world`s biggest beer drinkers in the Czech Republic and Ireland get through.

      "The beer culture (in Latin America) is developing, and has the opportunity for increasing per capita consumption and increasing average purchase price to higher priced premium products," said Mark Swartzberg, of Legg Mason in New York.

      Both London-based SABMiller, an Anglos-South African company, and InBev could benefit, he said.

      "To an extent, the profile of the total Latin American beer market is such that they can both be winners: the demographics, the economic outlook, and the beer culture," he said.

      World beer`s other giants have been marginalized in South America, although further north Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. (BUD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) has 50 percent of Mexico`s Modelo (GMODELOC.MX: Quote, Profile, Research), which produces Corona and other beers.

      Dutch brewer Heineken NV (HEIN.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) said it had decided not to bid for Bavaria but would stay on the look-out for buys in Latin America. The company already has operations in Argentina and Chile through its stake in brewer CCU, in Brazil via its stake in Kaiser and is active in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

      But analysts said it had slipped behind in the battle for South America, where Venezuela`s Polar now seems the largest remaining target for acquisition.

      "The announcement (of the SABMiller/Bavaria deal) should be perceived as a negative for Heineken, which has now lost the opportunity to expand its Latin American footprint" said Credit Suisse First Boston in a research note.

      Anheuser Busch is also an also-ran south of Mexico, according to analysts.

      "Anheuser-Busch is severely challenged in these markets (South America)." said Eric Shepard, executive editor at Beer Marketers Insights, "Anheuser-Busch has set its sights on China. They see a lot of promise there."

      (Additional reporting by Mark Weinraub in Washington)


      © Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

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      schrieb am 12.08.05 14:04:59
      Beitrag Nr. 6 ()
      Entnommen aus business.scotsman.com, 20. Juli 2005:


      SABMiller goes South American to claim world No.2 spot

      MARTIN FLANAGAN
      CITY EDITOR

      SABMiller swooped yesterday to snap up South America`s second biggest brewer, Bavaria, for $8 billion (£4.6bn) in a deal analysts said would give the South African group extra muscle to take on Latin drinks leader, InBev.

      The stock and cash deal, which boosted SABMiller`s shares over 10 per cent to a record high of 980p, lifts the company above American giant Anheuser-Busch to become the world`s second-biggest brewer by volume.

      SABMiller said it was buying a 71.8 per cent stake in Colombian-based Bavaria from the Santo Domingo family by issuing 225 million shares, worth about $3.5bn. This will give the family a 15.1 per cent stake in the combined group.

      Belgium`s Interbrew bought Brazil`s Ambev last year to become InBev, South America`s, and the world`s, biggest brewer.

      Graham Mackay, SABMiller`s chief executive, said Bavaria`s four major markets - Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Panama - offered strong growth prospects. Bavaria`s best-known beers include Aguila, Cristal and Pilsner.

      Mackay added: "With GDP [gross domestic product] growth of almost 4 per cent and a young population demographic, the region is positioned to generate sustained, above-average beer consumption growth."

      David Liston, senior global beverages analyst at Barclays Investment Services, said: "It`s a strategically sound deal, they`ve paid a sensible price and it`s a good opportunity for them. It`s a deal that doesn`t look overly expensive."

      SABMiller will buy out minority investors at $19.48 a share in cash, as well as minorities in Bavaria subsidiaries, for a total of $2.1 billion in cash.

      SABMiller, which brews Miller, Castle and Peroni beers, said the combined group would have annual beer volumes of about 175 million hectolitres and pro-forma aggregated net revenues of about $12.5bn.

      The firm said it expected annual cost savings and operating improvements to reach $120 million by March 2010 and for the deal to boost earnings, before cost and revenues synergies, for the pro-forma financial year ending March 2006.

      The Santo Domingo family is selling 3 per cent of its stake in Bavaria for about $180m, and will not sell its holding in the combined group for five years.

      TIE-UP WITH S&N IS STILL ON THE CARDS FOR EXPANDING SUPER-BREWER

      SABMILLER has long been thought to want an eventual merger with Scottish & Newcastle, and yesterday`s deal does nothing to suggest an eventual marriage is a non-runner.

      SABMiller`s chief strategy has been to expand from its South African roots into emerging markets like middle and eastern Europe and, increasingly, Latin America.

      It has not been alone. The world`s top beer makers have been keen to buy brewers in emerging markets to offset slowdowns in developed countries and exploit added purchasing powers.

      Belgium`s Interbrew bought Brazil`s Ambev last year to become the world`s, biggest brewer.

      SABMiller looks to have had a clear run at Bavaria because yesterday`s takeover was too soon for InBev after its founding merger, Anheuser-Busch would not want a major new investor and Dutch group Heineken would struggle to match SABMiller on price.

      However, SABMiller`s move on Miller a few years back, and Peroni in Italy more recently, shows it wants a balanced portfolio that also takes in mature beer markets to spread risk.

      S&N offers market-leading positions in two of these mature markets, Britain and France, while it also has a half-share of the main player in Russia, Baltika, via its Baltic Beverages Holdings joint venture with Carlsberg.

      In recent years, S&N has also firmed up its business relationships in two major beer markets of the future, China and India.

      It is not difficult, therefore, to see the logic of a SABMiller/S&N tie-up which would create a truly worldwide company.
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      schrieb am 12.08.05 14:09:32
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      schrieb am 12.08.05 14:13:31
      Beitrag Nr. 8 ()
      Entnommen aus www.businessweek.com, 3. Februar 2005:


      This Bud`s For Wu

      Anheuser-Busch is making a big push in China, betting that growing prosperity will mean a taste for premium brews, says CEO Patrick Stokes

      After more than 30 years with St. Louis-based brewer Anheuser-Busch (BUD ), President and CEO Patrick Stokes is paying a lot of attention to China these days. Last year his company purchased Harbin Brewery in Harbin, China. The producer of Harbin Beer, which boasts annual revenues of some $200 million, filled out Anheuser-Busch`s growing Middle Kingdom portfolio, which consists of a Budweiser brewery in Central China and a stake in Tsingtao.


      BusinessWeek`s Beijing Bureau Chief Dexter Roberts spoke with Stokes in the far northeastern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang, on an icy-cold January day. Edited excerpts of their conversation follow:

      Q: How important is China for the growth of your business?
      A: China will help Anheuser-Busch realize its potential. That will take in excess of 10 years. That`s the time frame necessary for the market to grow and evolve. Now, [China] accounts for about half of our operating profits [excluding any profits from Anheuser-Busch`s partnership with Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo].

      [The China market] has been growing at double-digit rates for years and is projected to continue to do so. It`s certainly the largest growth market in the world.

      Q: What are the different ways your company does business in China?
      A: We do business three different ways in China. Our Wuhan, Hubei, brewery [in central China] is producing Budweiser, and we are No. 1 in the international-beer category, which is still small in China. A number of years ago, we took a 5% stake in Tsingtao. In 2002, we expanded that relationship, so we`ll eventually go to a 27% equity position. In that way, we ventured into the mainline Chinese business, with a beer that is arguably the only national Chinese brand. We`re looking to develop their brands and have an exchange of best practices between our companies.

      We had an opportunity to buy the city`s share in Harbin Brewery and then that led to...us eventually buying 100% of the company. That puts us in a position where we own a brewery with a very strong position in northeast China, where Tsingtao is not as much of a factor. Our future plan is to develop so that we are able to participate in all the profitable segments of the industry.

      Q: Are you considering future acquisitions?
      A: There`s the potential, but it`s not necessary. If you have a significant position with the No. 1 brewery -- Tsingtsao -- and if you yourself are No.1 in the international segment, and if you own the No. 4 brewer, which we do in Harbin, acquisitions are always a possibility, but they aren`t necessary. The platform we have is strong enough and broad enough for us to grow without necessarily adding different planks.

      Q: How will you help Harbin improve its operations in China?
      A: Harbin is somewhat unique -- it`s the oldest brewer in China. It was founded 105 years ago. So there is a heritage here and uniqueness in terms of the position of their brands in Harbin. The areas we`ve set up in terms of offering best practices are in sales and marketing, brewing technology, and production. There`s also finance and controls. We have a group of nine people from Anheuser-Busch who are residents here in Harbin, who are working and coordinating in all of these areas.

      You have to remember we`re in distinctly different business segments. Budweiser, because it`s an international brand, is a relatively high-priced, high-image brand, and it competes in that particular category. Tsingtao is mainline and really it competes in different segments, the popular-beer segment as well as the premium.

      Harbin is about the same in terms of its brand portfolio, but it`s heavily concentrated in the northeast. But the formula for growth is really the same. It is going to be good brand development and building the imagery of the brands.

      Q: How is the market broken up in China?
      A: Right now, 90% of the market is in the popular segment. It is low-margin, low-price, and low-image. The premium segment is 8% and is higher-margin, higher-priced, and higher-image. And then you have [the highest-profit, highest-margin] 2%, which is either international or imported. The bet is that as living conditions improve in China, and as people have more disposable income, they are going to move from the popular brands to the premium brands And that is really what all the investors in the Chinese beer industry are expecting and looking for.

      Q: What are some of the challenges that are particular to the China market?
      A: The challenges China presents are very similar to the situation in the U.S. in the 1960s. You have an industry that is consolidating, but has not consolidated fully yet. You have an industry where the wholesale-distribution system is very fragmented and is probably not adding as much value to the retail system and to the consumer. Brand development hasn`t moved along [as well as it could have]. There`s a lot of opportunity to develop the imagery of brands.

      We just brought out a new brand here in Harbin aimed at the popular segment, Harbin 1900. This is an attempt to go back to the brand`s heritage -- go back and say we are the oldest brewery in China, and here`s a beer that commemorates the origins of this brewery. That`s something that I don`t think a lot of Chinese brands would have thought about because it`s not their normal way of developing a brand.
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      schrieb am 12.08.05 14:22:54
      Beitrag Nr. 9 ()
      Entnommen aus www.finance24.com, 10. Juni 2005:


      Rush on for beer domination
      Jun 10 2005 08:57:32:073AM

      London - There will be further consolidation in the global beer industry despite recent large mergers, SABMiller plc Chief Financial Officer Malcolm Wyman said on Thursday.

      "We`re going to continue to see major transactions taking place; consolidation is underway," Wyman told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview.

      Wyman wouldn`t say which companies look attractive as possible acquisition targets, but said as one of the major global brewers, SABMiller can look at all major opportunities that arise.

      SABMiller ranks as the world`s third largest brewer by volume, after Anheuser-Busch of the United States and Belgium-based InBev.

      It was the product of a major sector consolidation itself, when South African Breweries bought Miller Brewing of the US in 2002.

      There has been speculation that SABMiller is interested in buying Colombia`s Grupo Empresarial Bavaria, but Wyman wouldn`t comment on specific deals.

      Analysts have suggested a price range of $7.5bn to $9bn, although there are fears the potential benefits are limited. It is also thought Heineken is interested in the Colombian brewer.

      Several huge deals

      There have been several huge deals in the beer industry of late. Interest in Bavaria comes just months after Belgian brewer Interbrew sealed a complex $11bn cash-and-stock deal to take control of Latin America`s biggest brewer, Brazil`s Companhia de Bebidas das Americas, or AmBev.

      Now known as Inbev, the merged company is the world`s biggest brewer by volume and the dominant player in Latin America`s fast-growing beer market.

      Bavaria, with its dominant market share in Colombia, Panama, Ecuador and Peru, is Inbev`s only serious rival in South America and the last easy entry point for global brewers anxious to offset tough conditions in mature home markets in the US and Europe.

      SABMiller said at the time of its full-year results it`s been under pressure from the rise of the so-called "cocktail culture" in the United States.

      Wyman said although spirits have had a good run there, it "looks as though the extent of the trend seems to be slowing down."

      "There`s a lot more activity in the beer segment now, with new brands being promoted in bars across the country," he said.

      SAB`s acquisition of Miller has made US beer companies like Anheuser-Busch improve their game, as SABMiller has upped competitive pressure by investing in Miller`s brands, he added.

      Price war

      The US beer industry is set for intensified competition over the summer. Anheuser-Busch recently said it intends to "do whatever is necessary" to gain market share there.

      But Wyman said there is unlikely to be a price war in the US market. Anheuser-Busch has been competing aggressively on price and has said it will use price as a weapon, but SABMiller is still managing to expand the Miller Lite brand, Wyman said.

      SABMiller will match Anheuser-Busch`s prices but won`t drop below them, he added.

      Wyman said it`s too early to say whether SABMiller`s Miller Genuine Draft brand is turning around after a period of declining volume.

      The company is "looking at the whole positioning of MGD and how it`s advertised and still putting resources behind it," Wyman said.

      MGD is a full-carbohydrate beer, and its whole segment has struggled in the US as consumers opt for low-carbohydrate beers like Miller Lite.

      SABMiller`s total marketing spend will continue on an upward trajectory, Wyman said. "In every country we are competing more and more with international and global brewers - there`s a need for further funds to gain market share."

      "There`s a trend to increase spending behind brands and towards premium products," he added.
      Avatar
      schrieb am 15.08.05 14:07:37
      Beitrag Nr. 10 ()
      A makeover is brewing

      Beer makers fight to reclaim America`s hearts and bellies

      By William Spain, MarketWatch
      Last Update: 6:49 PM ET Aug. 12, 2005 [ Page 1 | 2 ]

      CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- If the first step toward solving a problem is to acknowledge that it exists, then the beer business is ready for Step 2.

      Aggressive competition from other alcohol marketers -- particularly distilled spirits -- has had American brewers over a barrel for several years. But it wasn`t until the volume trends really began to deteriorate in 2004, and worsened this year, that the beer industry publicly acknowledged some serious woes.

      Beer`s share of the beverage market slipped for the fourth time in five years in 2004, according to Beer Marketer`s Insights, an industry tracker in Nanuet, N.Y. Additionally, a recent Gallup poll found that of the 63% of Americans who say they drink alcohol, 39% prefer wine, with beer coming in second at 36%. On top of it all, the low-carb diet craze, though waning, has also hurt sales of non-light beer offerings.

      And yet the nation`s beer industry, reluctant to equate their product with liquor, has long resisted the idea that it`s even in competition with wine and spirits.

      Until now.

      Some of the larger players are mounting a multi-pronged publicity push on what they regard as the virtues of beer -- from how well it goes with food to its potential health benefits. In addition, they`re launching new kinds of beverages with unusual flavors -- often packing a higher alcohol content -- along with more innovative packaging and aggressive promotion.

      "There has been an incursion by other forms of alcohol [into areas] that are rightfully ours," said Bob Lachky, a senior executive with Anheuser-Busch (BUD: news, chart, profile) . "I don`t think people paid attention to this 10, or even five, years ago. It is time to talk up our benefits."

      Blunt talk

      Two weeks ago, with the summer drinking season in full swing, Anheuser-Busch reported its third straight quarter of domestic volume declines. The same day, in an unusually blunt admission, the chief financial officer told investors that the company is "fighting for share of alcohol," and needs to "improve the image of beer and desirability of beer."

      In a management shuffle one week later, the St. Louis-based maker of Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob appointed Lachky, a Bud veteran, to a post that the company created "to enhance the overall image of the beer industry."

      Lachky has vowed, in his words, to be an "evangelist" for beer and a cheerleader for the industry, which "in the last couple of years has been complacent about extolling the benefits of the products."

      In addition to pushing for "crucial" innovations in products, packaging and marketing -- typical approaches for consumer industries -- Lachky plans to take a somewhat more risky tack.

      "We are going to get very, very vocal about the health benefits of moderate consumption of alcohol, especially beer," he said. "We have ceded this ground to wine and that is absolutely wrong. A Budweiser is just as good as a cabernet in terms of its health benefits."

      With nearly 50% of the U.S. market, Anheuser-Busch may be suffering more than most of its peers. But Molson Coors (TAP: news, chart, profile) , SABMiller (UK:SAB: news, chart, profile) and other mass-market brewers have also been under pressure by current trends. And the impact is being felt further down the line.

      Total beer sales in the U.S. grew less than 1% in 2004 and it "would have been slightly down if you take out the flavored malt beverages," said David Rehr, president of the National Beer Wholesalers Association

      On the offensive

      "We have got the message and we are thinking about how to regain the offensive," he said. "We are in an environment where we know we have issues with growth and we are trying to figure out a way to get the trend lines up."

      Key focuses include packaging and marketing efforts at bars and restaurants -- two fronts where the competition has been drinking Big Beer`s lunch.

      Rehr said many of the spirits sides` promotions "have been quite brilliant," citing as an example one where "brides can create their own wedding cocktail. They have made themselves more mainstream."

      In addition to pushing their way into mass advertising mediums like television that were long the exclusive domain of the beer industry, the distilled-spirits industry has played a stronger ground game. Lavish product launch parties and in-bar promotions build excitement with wholesalers and club-goers. At the same time, value-added packaging -- including everything from cocktail shakers to brandy snifters to decks of cards with a bottle -- make for eye-catching store displays.

      The "spirits people have done a phenomenal job with packaging and flavors," Rehr said. "Look behind the bar and it now reminds you of a cosmetics counter when, 20 years ago, it reminded you of a medicine chest." See story on super-high-end spirits.

      Anheuser-Busch took a big step in that direction earlier this week with the roll-out of "Tilt," a berry-flavored, caffeine-infused beverage with an alcohol content that ranges as high as 6.6%, compared to they typical 4% buzz factor.

      The stuff, aimed at the "fast-paced, highly social lifestyles" of "contemporary adults," according to the launch announcement, comes in snazzy 16-ounce silver cans. The company has also launched a limited run of more traditional products, but in aluminum bottles.

      Stout volume

      There is some good news elsewhere in the industry. Many imported and specialty beers continue to show growth. At Guinness, a unit of British spirits empire Diageo (DEO: news, chart, profile) , volumes of its eponymous stout were up about 6% in the fiscal year that ended last June.

      Growth has slowed down from the torrid double-digits of the late 1990s but is now coming off a far larger base, said David Eickholt, president of Diageo-Guinness USA, which also sells Smithwick`s, Harp and Red Stripe. "What we are seeing here is in step with a lot of other craft and microbreweries."

      The relative stand-out performance of the pricier suds, Eickholt said, "has really been about premiumizing the categories" in response to demand.

      "Consumers continue to have a seemingly unlimited capacity to indulge themselves," he said.

      At Constellation Brands (STZ: news, chart, profile) , beer also remains a sweet spot. The company`s portfolio of imports, which includes Modelo, Tsingtao and Corona, posted a 10% sales increase in the latest reported quarter.

      Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer`s Insights, thinks the recent market share drops for the lower-brow brews may be somewhat overblown but agreed that "the time is now" to try and reverse them.

      "I wouldn`t characterize it as an emergency," he said "We are talking about an industry that is declining slightly rather than growing slightly. Beer gained share from 1970 to 1995 when it started losing it slowly and then losing it a little more rapidly."

      At first, he said, "the industry was in a bit of a denial and now they are in the mode of trying to do something about it."

      Steinman said it`s too early to judge the result and declined to speculate on whether the industry`s efforts are apt to meet with any success.

      But for Tom Pirko, president of consultancy Bevmark, "we are watching the evolution, or should I say devolution, of action and response. We are really wondering if they are just doing the same thing but more of it."

      Convincing people "to think and behave differently requires a new mindset and so far we have seen largely tactical moves."

      The base challenge, he added, is that "beer has become the boring drink. Spirits deliver the primary ingredient of beer -- alcohol -- and they deliver it faster and better."

      In the stepped-up battle for the hearts, minds and beer-bellies of American drinkers, Anheuser-Busch`s Lachky takes comfort in the versatility of his time-tested beverage of choice. Beer still goes down better on more occasions, he says, adding: "You aren`t going to drink vodka gimlets after you mow the lawn."
      Avatar
      schrieb am 25.08.05 13:37:21
      Beitrag Nr. 11 ()
      Entnommen aus www.fortune.com, 22. August 2005:


      QUESTION AUTHORITY

      SAB Brews Up Big Trouble for Bud

      We`re no longer `a carcass` for Anheuser-Busch to feed on, says Mackay.

      By Patricia Sellers

      When Philip Morris sold seemingly washed-up Miller Brewing to South African Breweries in 2002, the general view was that the beer guys from abroad overpaid and would struggle in the U.S. Turns out, Miller Lite was the fastest-growing major beer brand in America last year. Profits are up. SABMiller`s stock has nearly doubled since the acquisition. (Meanwhile, Anheuser-Busch has seen profits fall for the first time in ten years, and its stock is down 12% since mid-2002.) Pouring its cash flow from Africa, where it dominates the brew trade, into acquisitions—Peroni in Italy, Pilsner Urquell in the Czech Republic, Tyskie in Poland—SAB has more than tripled its sales, to $14.5 billion, in four years. SAB CEO, South African Graham Mackay, 56, talked to FORTUNE`s Patricia Sellers about A-B`s foibles, fashion in the beverage business, and his bid for clout in Latin America.

      The summer beer wars are raging. What`s different?
      Two seismic shifts: the continuing outperformance of spirits and wine for the first time in many decades, and the stalling of the steamroller advance by Anheuser-Busch. A-B used to take all the incremental growth, while the rest of the industry got weaker. We`ve become much stronger, and to put it unkindly, there`s no longer a carcass to feed on.

      But except for Miller`s revival, the U.S. beer business is in bad shape. What`s wrong?
      The beer industry was doing the same thing for too long. The dominant player was doing fine and didn`t have to change the game. Product positioning became downmarket. Meanwhile, the spirits people innovated—you know, you`ve got 65 varieties of premium flavored vodka. It`s being driven by fashion.

      Anheuser-Busch won`t talk with us about its problems. How do you see A-B?
      It`s trying to use price discounts to restore growth momentum. It`s an extraordinary thing for it to do. That`s the stuff you see being done by failing competitors. It`s not what you expect from the leader.

      How have you revived Miller Lite?
      Miller Lite didn`t stand for anything; it was trying to be a me-too to Budweiser. We focused on the intrinsics of the beer, which hadn`t been talked about for ages. That led to the low-carb positioning and the taste challenge against Budweiser.

      In a 2004 letter to shareholders, you say the global beer industry is entering its second phase of consolidation, where giants will merge. Could Belgium`s Inbev (the largest brewer by volume) combine with SAB or A-B?
      (Laughs.) You don`t have to be a rocket scientist. Theoretically, a combination between ourselves and Inbev or ourselves and Heineken could be contemplated. Not between ourselves and A-B because of U.S. market overlap, but between A-B and any of the others.

      You recently announced your largest acquisition ever: Bavaria, for $7.8 billion. That`s not Germany. That`s Latin America. Why?
      The Andean region is set to grow for a very long time. And it`s a beer culture.

      You`re Coca-Cola`s biggest bottler in Africa. Do you notice improvements at Coke?
      Coke is very serious about reengineering its system. They`re going to great pains under Neville Isdell and his team. Attitudinally, I see tremendous progress. But you don`t turn a huge company in a year or two.

      SAB is known for its vigorous style of competing in the marketplace—and for its vigorous ways of evaluating managers. I understand that you use psychologists to do psychometric testing of your managers.
      We`ve always believed in deep analysis of our people. We use psychometrics in hiring and in major promotions to see if people fit into our culture. We prize intellectual rigor and emotional engagement.
      Avatar
      schrieb am 02.09.05 12:55:37
      Beitrag Nr. 12 ()
      Entnommen aus dardashti.blogspot.com, 3. August 2005:


      Wednesday, August 03, 2005
      Anheuser-Busch: King over AlcoPops?

      I just came across wonderful materials collected by The Education Development Center for their 13th Alcohol Policy Conference titled, “Preventing Alcohol Problems Among Youth: Policy Approaches” (March 13 – 16, 2003)

      Basically, the Power Point presentation reviews the Alcoholic Beverage Industry and explores demographic trends (conclusion: college kids drink a lot), attitudes towards alcohol (conclusion: college kids like alcohol), and policy suggestion (conclusion: college kids shouldn’t drink as much)

      Fine. Yet another study that pays money to quantify what everyone already knows from common sense.


      But it really isn’t so simple; there is some merit to all of this stuff.

      As everyone watching Anheuser-Busch is keenly aware, the beer industry (and BUD, as its ringleader) is losing ground to “wines and spirits.” What this study by the Education Development Center adds to the discussion is a name for our culprit: “AlcoPops.”

      “AlcoPops” are described by The Education Development Center as :

      * “Sweet taste, easy-to-drink”
      * “disguised taste of alcohol”
      * “Bright, colorful packaging”
      * “generally malt based”
      * “Alcohol content similar to beer”
      * “Mostly lemon flavored; new tastes are being developed”

      Some examples on the EDC’s Most Wanted List (and on the shopping lists of young consumers throughout America, apparently…) list include drinks like:

      * Smirnoff Ice and Smirnoff Triple Black (Diageo)
      * Bacardi Silver (Anheuser Bush / Bacardi)
      * Skyy Blue (Miller / Skyy Spirits)
      * Jack Daniel’s Hard Cola (Brown-Forman)

      (The conclusion of the Education Development Center`s presentation: it’s bad to market alcohol to kids. Thankfully I had the skip-button on my computer, and got to the conclusion with far less pain…)


      As a college kid myself, and a lover of Budweiser (…the stock), I have some thoughts on all of this:

      In short:

      1. I`m a college kid.
      2. In a large state school.
      3. Trust me, college kids drink beer like camels drink water.
      4. Frat boys will never be caught alive (or dead, for that matter) holding an AlcoPop.
      5. End of story. Repeat every 4 years from step #2 (not from step #1, I’d hope!)

      More specifically:

      Sure, demographics shifting may hurt BUD.

      But, just as AlcoPops demographics are growing, so too is college admission. And not just that, my understanding is that Greek Life is gaining popularity too. (No official data, on that. I`m just looking at the number of kids who rush a frat vs. how many kids get a bid to join the frat. Talk about a supply/demand imbalance!) So not only are more kids going to college now (as compared to 1970, for example), but more are joining frats.

      I`m sure there are studies, but it`s just common sense: The type of alcohol you`re first exposed to will influence your lifetime habits.

      I`ve seen it myself:

      * I have a lot of close friends at various Ivy League schools who are “growing up” " on premium domestic beers like Sam Adams (read: a friendly competitor Budweiser can destroy), and are introduced to Single Malt Whiskies, Fine chardonnay, Cognac, etc. (read: enemy #1). After a few years of these consumption habits, that`s what (I assume) they`ll all swear by.
      * The beer of choice at a state school like University of Maryland is absolutely Budweiser (or, perhaps the cheaper Natural Light, another Anheuser-Busch product, thankfully).

      The volume of beer consumed, in aggregate, I presume, is far greater at a state school than at then at an Ivy that prefers premiums imports. Even more importantly, State Schools have far, far larger student bodies (Maryland`s state school about 21,000 undergraduates. Just looks at Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State for some more impressive shows of numbers. And look at their preferences for Budweiser owned brands for an even more impressive show of brute consumer force.)

      So, let’s step back a second, and take the heretical step of ignoring the raw volume of beer: It’s irrefutable that that Anheuser-Busch is winning the war in winning "mindshare" of the consumer. I`d love to own a company that has, is, and forever will own the brand loyalty of 21,000 impressionable youth within a two mile radius, cycled every 4 years. That’s what is happening in our nation’s state schools. And I’m loving it.

      Sure, AlcoPops are a "problem." But that`s just one small detail in an overall grand picture. Look over the financials of Anheuser-Busch, Diageo, and Brown-Forman. I`m sure they discuss the % of revenue attributed to the "college markets" (i.e. drunken frat kids) and discuss the % of revenue to "niches alcoholic products for emerging markets" (i.e. girlie drinks).

      Now, let’s analyze the problem posed by AlcoPops:

      The Education Development Center did a fine job portraying the basic statistics. But, I think, they made some errors in the way they portrayed the numbers.

      The study broke the demographics by age (and it’s clear the younger folk, like myself, are more aware of “AlcoPop” products). But the study neglected to sort the consumer demographic data by gender.

      So let’s take a scientific look at Consumption-per-capita, by gender:
      The findings... Guys drink more than gals. (I`d hope, at least)

      The next step is to correlate the data:

      * AlcoPops will make a market among women who want an "easy" an "smooth" way to get a buzz.
      * The hard drinking men (who, I`d guess, drink perhaps 200% more by volume than women, by volume, from anecdotal experience) spend similarly greater amounts on their alcoholic habits. Men are creatures of habit. We will go to the same bar for twenty years, because we like the environment, the music, and the friends. Similarly, we men will stick with our beer of choice. And we’ll pay a lot of money over the years, since we have large (beer-)bellies.

      The real problem is if there will be switch over from the beer drinkers to the AlcoPops. The slides from The Education Development Center argued that companies like Diageo and Brown Forman are leveraging the AlcoPop category to raise awareness of their liqueurs, meaning eventually the younger consumers will drunkenly stagger over to the “wines and spirits” side of the double yellow line.

      Let’s step back for a second and face reality: Someone who loves Budweiser beer will never go and buy a case of Smirnoff Ice for his manly buddies for his Super bowl party. Never.

      Why? Because that would violate one of the Unwritten Rules for Men to Follow, of course!

      Under no circumstances should a man order a Zima or a drink that comes with an umbrella.

      Brown-Forman is spending their millions to get the 18 year old underage girls, and impressionable guys who just want to experiment with a fun drink, to start having a Smirnoff once in a while, and, yeah, eventually convert towards buying a Blue Label bottle of Johnny Walker. (And the efforts, I presume, are focused on the gay-market that spends more on alcohol per-capita that almost any other consumer group, as I learned while researching the success of Absolut Vodka`s Gay-market focused advertising)

      But, again, back to reality: These kids will still drink beer at a bar, and still come across beer at Frat parties (especially lovely freshman girls: frat boys are quite aggressive)

      Beer and Liqueur need not be substitutes. They can both co-exist.

      My Conclusions:

      Ultimately, AlcoPops may be a short term fad. Any kid who falls for a clever marketing campaign will just as easily fall victim to the next ad that`s a bit more clever in its lure. As of yet, there is no such thing as a lifetime Smirnoff Ice drinker. Let’s face it: we are a bunch of kids who are experimenting, yearning to find our metaphorical drug of choice.

      Who knows who will emerge as the King of AlcoPop? Maybe a Budweiser owned brand? - only once they realize the market is big enough to warrant their full attention. Now that`s a thought. (...Hey, they already joined the AlcoPop college party with their Bacardi Silver deal!)

      The fact that Budweiser beer has been around since 1876 (...and, let`s remember: beer making dates back to 5000 BC when “yeast was discovered fermenting in a sugar-water mixture”)

      I think this scuttlebutt about beer`s history suggests that Beer (and Anheuser-Busch) is not going away any anytime soon.

      AlcoPops are now a cash cow, but will they be in the future? In 130 years from now, will Smirnoff be known for its Vodka or its kid-friendly gateway drugs?

      Fine, the AlcoPop prescription of girlie-and-kiddie drinks are a lot of fun for "20-somethings" and the silent majority of underage drinkers. But, at some point either:

      (a) the demographics just age,

      (b) the public gets annoyed that their youth are getting lured into alcohol by clever industrial marketing executives, (as was the main point of the original power point presentation that spurred this discussion)

      (c) a new "cool" type of drink emerges. (Those vaporized alcohol machines from Europe? Something else? A whole generation is waiting, so hurry up!)

      Beer is here to stay forever. AlcoPops, who knows?
      ---
      Please email any thoughts or feedback to me at ShaiDardashti@gmail.com

      posted by Shai Dardashti @ 6:32 PM 1 comments
      1 Comments:

      At 7:15 PM, Shai Dardashti said...

      I really messed up with this line, I now realize:

      Diageo [not Brown-Forman] is spending their millions to get the 18 year old underage girls, and impressionable guys who just want to experiment with a fun drink, to start having a Smirnoff once in a while, and, yeah, eventually convert towards buying a Blue Label bottle of Johnny Walker.

      ===

      "Johnny Walker" and "Smirnoff" are both owned by Diageo, not Brown-Forman.

      Interestingly, Diageo also owns "Guinness plc" - so they`ve got self-interests in the long-term health of the beer industry, too!

      ===

      For more, see:
      http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Diageo
      http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Smirnoff

      And...
      http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Alcopops
      http://www.brown-forman.com/products/index.htm
      Avatar
      schrieb am 12.09.05 12:58:24
      Beitrag Nr. 13 ()
      Entnommen aus www.handelsblatt.com, 12. September 2005:


      Branchenkenner erwarten weitere Großfusionen

      Braukonzerne bleiben weiter durstig

      Von Ingo Reich, Handelsblatt

      Die Welle internationaler Großfusionen auf dem Weltbiermarkt ebbt nicht ab. Branchenexperten rechnen für die nahe Zukunft mit weiteren Zusammenschlüssen global tätiger Braukonzerne nach dem Vorbild der belgischen Interbrew und der brasilianischen Ambev zum Weltmarktführer Inbev (Marken: Beck’s, Stella Artois, Brahma) vor knapp einem Jahr.

      MÜNCHEN. Ein mögliches Szenario ist für den Branchenbeobachter Germain Hansmaennel gar das Zusammengehen von Inbev mit einem weiteren Großkonzern wie dem US-Brauriesen Anheuser-Busch. „Inbev besitzt eine starke Position auf dem südamerikanischen und europäischen Markt, während Anheuser-Busch rund 30 Prozent des nordamerikanischen Marktes kontrolliert“, sagte Hansmaennel am vergangenen Samstag auf dem „World Beer & Drinks Forum“ in München über mögliche Synergieeffekte.

      Der Elsässer Hansmaennel, der den in der Branche viel beachteten Barth-Hansmaennel-Report über die Marktführer und ihre Herausforderer in 40 Ländern herausgibt, hält auch ein Zusammengehen von SAB-Miller und Heineken, der Nummer zwei und vier der Branche, als Antwort auf diese Fusion für möglich.

      Erst kürzlich hatte sich SAB-Miller die kolumbianische Bavaria-Group, die Nummer zwei der Branche in Lateinamerika, einverleibt. „Südamerika ist für die Konzerne inzwischen wichtiger als Europa“, sagte der Berater und ehemalige Krombacher-Geschäftsführer Günter Heyden.

      Dies bestätigte auch Inbev-Chef John F. Brock: In Zentral- und Südamerika können die Konzerne für ihr Bier hohe Preise verlangen, 40 Prozent des Umsatzes pro verkauftem Hektoliter Bier fließen direkt in den Bruttogewinn (Ebitda). In Europa und Nordamerika ist die Marge hingegen nur halb so groß.

      Derweil hätten sich unter den führenden Braukonzernen der Welt drei Größenklassen herausgebildet, berichtete Berater Heyden. Hinter die Spitzengruppe aus Inbev, SAB-Miller und Anheuser-Busch sei Heineken „deutlich zurückgefallen“. Auch der dänische Carlsberg-Konzern (Tuborg, Holsten) und die britische Braugruppe Scottish & Newcastle (Kronenbourg, Beamish) habe derzeit den Anschluss an die Spitzengruppe verloren. Den „Big-Playern der alten Schule“ bleibe nichts anderes übrig, als weitere Brauereien hinzuzukaufen, um den Anschluss nicht zu verlieren, sagte Heyden.

      „Wir gehören nicht zur alten Schule, denn wir haben dem Konzern innerhalb von nur fünf Jahren ein neues, internationales Profil gegeben“, sagte hingegen Carlsberg- Chef Nils S. Andersen dem Handelsblatt. Carlsberg plane auch keine Fusion: „Denn wir sind groß genug“.

      Branchenexperten wie Hansmaennel und Heyde halten neben der australischen Foster’s Group (Foster’s) und dem mexikanischen Femsa-Konzern (Corona) auch die deutschen Brauereien Bitburger, Krombacher, Oettinger, Radeberger und Warsteiner für interessante Übernahmeziele. Alle genannten Brauereien stehen aber derzeit nicht zum Verkauf.

      Gute Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten rechnen sich viele Braukonzerne immer noch in Russland aus. Hier hatten sich in den letzten Wochen sowohl Inbev als auch Heineken durch Unternehmenskäufe verstärkt. Doch noch ist der durchschnittliche Pro-Kopf-Verbrauch an Gerstensaft in der Russischen Föderation nur etwa halb so hoch wie beispielsweise in Deutschland. Weitere Übernahmeziele nannte Inbev-Chef Brock jedoch nicht.

      Im Hinblick auf die rund 1200 kleineren deutschen Brauereien, deren Zahl im Zuge der aktuellen Entwicklung ebenfalls schrumpfen würde, sagte Branchenberater Hansmaennel: „Die Mittelständler sind weiterhin unverzichtbar, denn nur sie schaffen die Marken der Zukunft.“ „Wir brauchen weiterhin den Geschmack und die Vielfalt der deutschen Biere“, bekräftigte Richard Weber, Präsident des Deutschen Brauer-Bundes, die Position der heimischen Brauwirtschaft.

      Vor allem kleinere deutsche Brauereien kämpfen aber gegen sinkende Umsätze und die Beliebtheit von Mixgetränken.

      HANDELSBLATT, Montag, 12. September 2005, 09:04 Uhr
      Avatar
      schrieb am 03.10.05 23:47:49
      Beitrag Nr. 14 ()
      saufen die amis nur noch hans -das idt aber sehr vorbildlich
      Avatar
      schrieb am 20.10.05 13:13:40
      Beitrag Nr. 15 ()
      Entnommen aus www.spiegel.de, 20. Oktober 2005:


      Bier-Boom in China

      Was der deutsche Brauer nicht kennt...

      Von Sebastian Siegloch

      Wenn das bevölkerungsreichste Land der Erde das Bier entdeckt, heißt das für die Brau-Industrie: Nichts wie hin! Auch die deutschen Brauer könnten den Bier-Boom in China nutzen, um den heimischen Absatzrückgang auszugleichen - hätten sie den Trend nicht verpennt.

      Hamburg - Das Zelt ist ein typisches Bierzelt: Die Menschen saufen - so schnell wie möglich, wenn`s sein muss auch mit Strohhalmen. Auf den Tischen tanzen die beschwipsten Bierfreunde. Unter den Tischen röcheln die ausgeknockten Bierleichen. Wer jetzt folgert: Theresienwiese, München, Oktoberfest, der hat sich verschätzt - um mehr als 8000 Kilometer.

      Das größte Bierfest Asiens in Qingdao lockt jedes Jahr mehrere Millionen Besucher an Chinas Ostküste. Das zwei Wochen andauernde Gelage beweist: Bier boomt in China. Auch der Blick auf die nüchternen Zahlen stützt diese These: Mit 291 Millionen Hektolitern pro Jahr ist die Volksrepublik zum dritten Mal in Folge der größte Bierproduzent der Welt - vor den USA und Deutschland. Allein im Jahr 2004 ist die Produktion um 15 Prozent gestiegen. Trotzdem trinkt der durchschnittliche Chinese gerade einmal 20 Liter Gerstensaft pro Jahr. Zum Vergleich: Im Bierland Deutschland liegt der jährliche Pro-Kopf-Verbrauch bei 116 Litern.

      Die internationalen Brauerei-Riesen haben das riesige Potential, das in China schlummert, längst entdeckt. Die größte Brauereigruppe der Welt, InBev aus Belgien, ist schon seit 1997 auf dem chinesischen Markt aktiv. Heute ist InBev an sechs großen chinesischen Brauereien beteiligt und hat 28 Produktionsstandorte. Die Nummer zwei unter den Bierbrauern weltweit, der amerikanische Konzern Anheuser-Busch , ist Partner der größten chinesischen Brauerei Tsingtao und der viertgrößten Harbin. Über 8000 Anheuser-Mitarbeiter arbeiten in China.

      Deutsche Zurückhaltung

      Auch deutsches Bier steht in China hoch im Kurs. In der Zehn-Millionen-Einwohner Metropole Shanghai gibt es drei Brauhäuser von Paulaner. Dort tragen die Kellnerinnen Trachten, im Hintergrund spielt deutsche Volksmusik. Das Weißbier fließt in Strömen, und dazu gibt es deftiges Essen, wie Schweinshaxe oder Rostbratwürste mit Sauerkraut.

      "Die Häuser sind immer voll und die Stimmung ist super", sagt Lars Anke, China-Experte vom Ostasiatischen Verein, und erinnert sich an seinen eigenen Besuch. 1991 wurde das erste Paulaner Brauhaus in Peking eröffnet. Mittlerweile kann der chinesische Bayern-Freund in fünf Großstädten sein frisch gebrautes Weißbier trinken. Jürgen Schenk von Paulaner Bräuhaus Consulting sagt: "Die Chinesen lieben unser Bier."

      Lars Anke teilt diese Einschätzung. "Deutschland ist das Bierland - auch für die Chinesen." Dieses Klischee sitze fest in den Köpfen. "Die Chinesen lieben solche Stereotypen. Sie bringen Deutschland in Verbindung mit Weißbier und Oktoberfest", sagt Anke.

      Obwohl der germanische Gerstensaft in China einen erstklassigen Ruf genießt, sind die wirtschaftlichen Beziehungen zwischen den großen deutschen Brauereien und der Volksrepublik mehr als übersichtlich. "Wir machen keine Geschäfte mit China", sagt Stefan Leppin, Pressesprecher der Radeberger Brauereigruppe. Der größte deutsche Bierproduzent (Radeberger, Clausthaler, Schöfferhofer, DAB oder Berliner Kindl) ist weder an chinesischen Brauereien beteiligt, noch exportiert er ins Reiche der Mitte.

      Auch die Brauerei-Kette Bitburger hält sich aus dem chinesischen Biermarkt weitestgehend heraus. "Wir haben keine Beteiligungen an chinesischen Brauereien", sagt der Bitburger-Pressesprecher Dietmar Henle. Auch beim Export ist der zweitgrößten deutschen Bierproduzent (Bitburger, Köstritzer, Licher, König Pilsener, Wernesgrüner) zurückhaltend. 10.000 Hektoliter exportiert das Unternehmen nach China, das sind nicht einmal vier Prozent des Gesamtexports.

      International nur eine kleine Nummer

      Radeberger und Bitburger begründen ihr bescheidenes Engagement im boomenden Markt ähnlich. "Für China sind wir eine deutliche Nummer zu klein", sagt Radeberger-Sprecher Leppin. "Gegen die großen internationalen Player haben wir keine Chance."

      Ein Blick auf die jährliche Bierproduktion der internationalen Brauerei-Riesen beweist das. Dem Bericht des weltgrößten Hopfenproduzenten Joh. Barth & Sohn zufolge braute Marktführer InBev im letzten Jahr etwa 193 Millionen Hektoliter Bier. Die viertgrößte Brauereikette Heineken kam immer noch auf 123 Millionen Hektoliter. Radeberger rangiert international auf Rang 19 mit einem Bierausstoß von nur 14 Millionen Hektoliter.

      Heute hat deutsches Bier nur noch im Schlepptau der internationalen Konzerne in China eine Chance. Der Exportschlager Beck`s gehört zu InBev, und auch Paulaner ging 2001 eine Allianz mit Heineken aus den Niederlanden ein.

      An dieser Situation sind die Brauereien aber nicht schuldlos. "Die deutschen Brauer haben sich, mit ganz wenigen Ausnahmen, jahrzehntelang nur auf den heimischen Markt konzentriert und den Export vernachlässigt", sagt Rudolf Böhlke, Experte für den deutschen Biermarkt bei den Wirtschaftsprüfern von Ernst & Young. "Jetzt haben die Unternehmen im Vergleich zu den ausländischen Braukonzernen weder die Erfahrung noch die Strukturen, um in Märkten wie China aktiv zu werden", so Böhlke.

      Nicht auf die Größe - aufs Timing kommt es an

      Radeberger und Bitburger wollen sich jetzt auf den heimischen Markt konzentrieren - einen Markt, der schrumpft. Der jährliche Bierverbrauch der Deutschen ist zwischen 2000 und 2004 um gut neun Prozent auf 116 Liter pro Kopf gesunken. Der Umsatz brach im gleichen Zeitraum sogar um fast zwölf Prozent ein. Das Geschäft in China böte da einen lukrativen Absatzmarkt. Und das Beispiel der philippinischen Brauerei San Miguel zeigt: Mangelnde Größe hätte man durch gutes Timing wettmachen können.

      San Miguel ist, was den jährlich Bierausstoß betrifft, in etwa so groß wie Radeberger. Nichtsdestotrotz wagten sich die Philippiner schon 1991 auf den chinesischen Markt. Heute betreibt das Unternehmen vier Brauereien. "Wir haben bisher über 300.000 Dollar in unser China-Geschäft investiert", sagt eine Unternehmenssprecherin.

      Dabei waren die deutschen Brauer eigentlich früher als alle anderen in China auf dem Markt. Im Jahr 1903 gründeten deutsche Siedler die Brauerei Tsingtao in Qingdao. Heute ist das gleichnamige Bier das beliebteste der Volksrepublik. "Viele Chinesen wissen, dass Tsingtao-Bier deutsche Ursprünge hat", sagt China-Experte Lars Anke. Kaufen können sich die deutschen Brauer davon nichts. Seit April besitzt Anheuser-Busch 27 Prozent der Brauerei.

      Und das sind bekanntlich Amerikaner.


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