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A non-alcoholic champion
Inauguration
beer mats
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AMSTEL
Amstel Brew market leader in Saudi Arabia
Amstel Brew, a non-alcoholic beverage,
is market leader in Saudi Arabia just 10
months after its introduction. Shipments
to the country already total some 30,000
cartons every month.
Amstel Brew was specially developed for
the Saudi Arabian market by Heineken's
technicians at Zoeterwoude. After nearly
a year of experiment they came up with a
winner - a non-alcoholic beverage which
of course needs no lagering period and
which complies with Saudi Arabia's strict
laws. The Brew is low in calories, is a
good thirst quencher - an essential
quality in great heat - and tastes like
beer. The label carries date of bottling in
both Arabic and English.
Amstel agent for the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia is the Arabian Establishment for
Alimentary Products in Jeddah,
represented by Sheikh Abdul Raouf
Abuzinadah and Mr. Jimmy Bohsali.
The brand's success is due not only to its
quality but also to the enthusiastic and
vigorous efforts of the agent's 14-strong
sales force of driver/salesmen. The team
combed Jeddah to ensure that every shop
and outlet in and around the city had
-supplies of the Brew.
1979 saw a three-month ban on import of
non-alcoholic beverages - an unfortunate
result of some abuses of the law.
But the Amstel agent succeeded in keep
ing the market alive from stock, building
up goodwill and maintaining price levels
until the ban was lifted.
Promotion aside, much of Amstel Brew's
success is due to the fact that in a country
as hot as Saudi Arabia, soft drinks
containing sugar can be sickly - and
fattening. Oil is plentiful and water
scarce, with the result that one bottle of
imported mineral water costs the same as
20 litres of petrol.
Against this background the sales of
Amstel Brew have rocketed to the point
where it can be bought everywhere - a
clear market leader.
Queen Juliana's choice of her birthday,
April 30th, for the inauguration of her
daughter Beatrix meant a few hectic
months of preparation in Holland. For
although the queen's abdication in favour
of her eldest daughter had been expected
for a long time, the announcement at the
beginning of this year came as a surprise.
Heineken commemorated the event with
two special inauguration beer mats -
illustrated on this page - which were
introduced onto the Dutch market a few
weeks in advance and quickly became
popular collectors' items.
14
AMSTERDAM
30 APRIL 1980
KRONING
PRINSES BEATRIX
AMSTERDAM
30 APRIL 1980
KRONING
PRINSES BEATRIX
Mr. Jimmy Bohsali (r.) discusses Amstel Brew at
Amsterdam with Messrs. R. van Duursen (I.) and
P. Dek.
