INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE
First copy of
HTB brochure for
Mr. Heineken
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MURPHY'S OPTIMISTIC ABOUT
CHANCES IN UNTIED KINGDOM
Vrumona processes mineral water
from its own source
British and Scots appreciate Murphy's Stout
European integration central theme at General Managers Meeting
June 1988
Number 14
Contents:
EtreweiTto
J-van der Werf
New structure for sales
£f~a.Mluphy's 3
Bralima ready for
the year 2000
Jim Forde: Murphy's
ambassador' in Dublin
Difficult spirits
market in Holland
Heineken Brewery in
Amsterdam closed
Growing soft drinks
exports
What is Heineken Technisch Beheer and what sort of work
does it do? These and many other questions are answered in
a new, English-language brochure about HTB (Heineken
Technical Services). The first copy was recently presented to
Mr. Heineken by Mr. C. Scheltema, General Manager of
HTB.
The brochure is primarily intended for HTB's international
customers. Those are mainly the breweries which are owned
by Heineken or in which Heineken has a shareholding. In 24
pages a clear and concise picture is given of the comprehen
sive range of services provided by HTB.
Heineken International Magazine. Published four times a year by the Corporate Public Relations Department of Heineken N. V.P.O. Box 28,1000 AA Amsterdam. Tel. 020-70.22.68.
Mr. Heineken receives the first copy of the HTB brochure from Mr. Scheltema.
"I expect that this year we'll sell
almost as much Murphy's Stout in
the United Kingdom as in Ireland".
This concise statement by Michael
Foley, Commercial Manager of
Murphy's Brewery, dates from al
most three months ago. Mean
while, expectations are pitched
even higher; it is estimated that in
the coming year sales in the United
Kingdom will be significantly higher
than in Ireland.
Expectations are so good specifi
cally in view of the fact that since
the product's introduction in the
U.K., Murphy's Stout has in fact
never been advertised. "Murphy's
Stout has grown big there because
of word of mouth recommenda
tions by the consumer. Murphy's is
seen by him as a small, exclusive
stout brand, which is why it is so
much in demand", says Mr. Foley.
At present Murphy's Stout is sold
in some 2,000 pubs. Areas where
Murphy's Stout sells best are the
north east of England, the West
Midlands, the Liverpool area, Lon
don and Scotland. Thanks to the
establishment of Murphy's U.K.
Limited under the chairmanship of
Bob Kennefick and the close co
operation with Whitbread (number
three in the British breweries
league table) the number of pubs
with taps serving Murphy's Stout
will increase considerably in the
year ahead. Mr. Foley: "Whitbread
has 7,000 tied public houses in
Great Britain. So that offers us tre
mendous opportunities for Mur
phy's Stout". There is also a possi
bility of having the stout distributed
by other breweries via the Whit
bread organisation. Many breweries
have already shown an interest.
On 1, 2 and 3 May this year the General Managers of
the European operating companies met again for their
annual discussions. This year's host country was the
Netherlands. Maastricht, the home of Brouwerij De
Ridder, was chosen as the venue.
In Maastricht the General Managers debated such
topics as the integration of Europe in 1992 and the con
sequences it will have for our company. The meeting
was also attended by Mr. R. van de Vijver, who has been
the Board member officially responsible for Europe
with effect from 1 May 1988.
Our photo shows the participants who, besides discus
sing serious themes, also took time out for a visit to
Maastricht's romantic brewery.
In 738 A.D. it rained on the
range of hills around Utrecht.
Nothing unusual, you might
think. But the opposite is true:
the water that fell from those
fresh, clear skies some 1250 years
ago has been in use since the end
of April by Heineken's Vrumona
soft drinks business for its Sourcy
brand of mineral water. Test drill
ings at Vrumona's site in Bunnik
had pinpointed a gigantic under
ground water reservoir some 135
metres down, an aquifer contain
ing mineral water of excellent
quality. The water has the natural
protection of two impenetrable
clay layers to keep out any pollu
tants.
Each year some 200 million li
tres of mineral water can be
pumped up from the source. At
the moment about 15 million li
tres of Sourcy are produced every
year, which still leaves Vrumona
sufficient scope for expanding the
Sourcy brand.
What are Vrumona's reasons
for changing over from Belgian
spring water to mineral water
which is, literally, pumped up
from its own backyard? Because
the Sourcy brand is developing
so strongly that the supply in
the Belgian Ardennes would in
future have been insufficient to
keep up with the growing de
mand. Besides, the Vrumona
management is convinced that
future consumer preference will
be for mineral water rather than
spring water.
Since all European laws proh
ibit the transport of mineral
water until it has been bottled and
since investigations had shown
that Vrumona can pump up its
own natural mineral water with
an ideal composition, the choice
was clear. Vrumona decided to
apply to the Dutch Ministry of
Welfare, Public Health and Cul
ture for official recognition of the
mineral water source. That offi
cial recognition has meanwhile
been granted. The mineral water
is used for all products sold under
the Sourcy brand name.