INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE
Profit figures
Heineken N.V.
Buckler in Belgium:
according to plan
Number 25
April 1990
Exceptional:
Reps rarely in office:
Representatives who only go into the office once or twice a
week and have their own fax machine at home to communi
cate with the office at other times. The working method of
Heineken Japan may not be customary, but it is effective.
Heineken N.V. achieved a net profit of 325.5 million
guilders in 1989. This means an increase of 11.9% compa
red to the Fl. 290.8 million result for the previous year.
Fax
Positive
"Everything is going according to plan. Buckler is taking
off well and our expectations are proving true." Pierre Boets,
head of Heineken Import Belgium, is satisfied about the
launch of Buckler on the Belgian market. "We are provisio
nally aiming at a 10-15% share of the non alcohol beer market
for Buckler and I think we can achieve that aim."
Contents:
Kaiser in Brazil
International personnel magazine. Published six times a year in Dutch, English, Spanish and Italian by: Corporate Public Relations, Heineken N.V.P.O. Box, 28, 1000 AA Amsterdam. Tel. 020-70.22.68.
Heineken Japan tries
new approach
It was January 1989 when the
five-year licensing agreement be
tween Heineken and Kirin, Japan's
biggest brewery, developed into the
joint venture between the two com
panies: 'Heineken Japan K.K.'
Kirin remains responsible for pro
duction and distribution whilst
Heineken Japan handles marketing
and sales in the regions around
Tokyo and Osaka.
About one-half of the Japanese
population live and work in these
regions.
The Osaka sales office. Sitting at the desk is Mr Matsumoto, sales mana
ger. Mr Veno (standing) is a representative for Heineken Japan.
Consolidated net turnover went
up by Fl. 529 million, moving
from Fl. 7,291 million in 1988 to
Fl. 7,820 million last year. This
increase was achieved thanks to
higher sales, due in part to the
fine, long summer in parts of
Europe, higher exports and
improved selling prices.
Operating profit climbed by
6.5% from Fl. 537.3 million in
1988 to Fl. 572.3 million in the
past financial year. The main con
tribution to the improved opera
ting result was made by the hig
her sales volume. This improve
ment was cancelled out to some
extent by slightly lower margins.
With effect from 1 April last year
a management team was formed,
office staff were recruited and 22
catering trade representatives were
sent out on their rounds. Six
months later the number of sales
men was increased considerably, to
30 in Tokyo and 13 in Osaka. On 1
April this year new sales offices
were opened in Nagoya and Fukuo-
ka, bringing the overall personnel
numbers at Heineken Japan K.K.
to seventy.
The representatives are active in
all trade channels. Drinks wholesa
lers and suppliers to bars as well as
restaurants and hotels receive visits
from the Heineken man. The sales
men of Heineken Japan K.K. have
a highly flexible work schedule.
Enormous traffic jams make it
almost impossible for the represen
tatives to get into work each day.
So they don't work a normal 9 to 5
office routine.
They drive straight from home to
their first customer for the day.
That saves time. The representati
ves only go into the office once or
twice a week, as they can use the
fax machine in their home to send
in their daily visit reports to the
office. And if the need arises for
direct contact with the office, they
can always use their car phone.
A company car plus car phone
and a fax machine installed in your
home by your employer. It's fairly
unusual, even for the Japanese
business world, but the positive
effect of the measures for Heine
ken Japan is that the representati
ves can spend more time out in the
marketplace.
Within the space of one year Hei
neken Japan has expanded to
become a fully fledged operation
in a developed and complex, yet
fascinating beer market. The first
phase of the build-up has been
completed.
For the employees of Heineken
Japan the next challenge is already
waiting to be tackled: convincing
the discerning consumer of the
quality of Heineken beer, so as to
guarantee a lengthy and profitable
presence on the Japanese beer mar
ket.
Modern design: the Tokyo office.
The initial problems with distri
bution for the take-home channels
have meanwhile been solved and
Mr Boets is pleased to report that
at the moment he can supply
Buckler to 75% of all take-home
outlets. The agreements that Hei
neken Import Belgium concluded
with three beer wholesalers (in
Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels)
also ensure that Buckler has wide
distribution in the hotels, restau
rants and bars trade. To give
Buckler sales an extra push the
advertising campaign was started
again last month. In the months of
April, May, July and December the
Buckler commercial will be broad
cast regularly on the Flemish com
mercial station VTM, and also on
the three French-language com
mercial stations. For Flemish TV
the Dutch-language commercial
has been used, but with the voice-
over changed to a Flemish accent
and using Flemish expressions.