In the meantime, the preparations for the introduction of the new type of 50-centilitre Euro-bottle have also been completed. The change-over to these new bottles will start in April 1988. At the same time the 20-bottle crates used hith erto will disappear and be replaced by the much handier 10-bottle crates and partly by 18-bottle crates. With a view to these replacements a new packaging line will be built in the brewery at Zoeterwoude. In the brewery at 's-Hertogenbosch a new filling line for various sizes of barrels was installed during the year under review. As already announced, the brewery in Amsterdam will be closed in 1988. The production is to be taken over by the breweries at Zoeterwoude and 's-Hertogenbosch. It is being examined whether the brewery complex can be used for tourist purposes. We are pleased to note that the Lower House of Parliament was opposed to a Government proposal entailing, amongst other things, a ban on alcohol advertising on radio and television. Experience in other countries has shown that all kinds of restrictive measures have hardly any effect in the battle against alcohol abuse. For that reason we have on several occasions expressed our preference for self-regulation rather than statutory measures. At the request of the government authorities, the industry has Beer sales in Europe in the meantime made a start on (in millions of hectolitres) tightening up the rules which are applied in advertising for alcoholic products. Work is also being done on the drafting of a code of conduct. Despite the disappointing summer the soft drinks market showed a slight growth. Our soft drinks business Vrumona B.V., which sells only proprietary brands, was clearly able to benefit from this. The Pepsi-Cola, Royal Club, Sisi, Sourcy, Rivella and B3 brands all achieved higher sales. Despite intensified competition Seven-Up succeeded in increasing its market share in the slightly declining 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 lemon-and-lime segment. 15.2 19.3 24.8 25.5 25.2 In order to strengthen Vrumona's position steps were taken to enter the rapidly developing segment of low-calorie soft drinks, known as the 'light' segment. A contract was also concluded for the production and distribution of Isostar. This soft drink is specially intended for people taking part in sporting activities. For a number of brands the PET bottle, a light and unbreakable plastic bottle, was introduced. By means of a collecting system the material can be re-used. Thanks to the restructuring, which is proceeding according to plan, and the improvement in exports there was an increase in the earnings of Vrumona. The volume of the market for spirits again showed a disappointing trend in 1987. This affected the sales of our subsidiary Gedistilleerd en Wijngroep Neder land B.V., which sells the Bokma, Coebergh. Hoppe, Jagermeister and Zwarte Kip brands. The market share was virtually maintained. The decline in sales was offset by improvement in margins. During the year under review the product Bokma Jonge Korenwijn was successfully launched. Sales of Bacardi rum, which we represent, continued to develop satisfactorily. Osborne sherry, too, was able to strengthen its position in a highly competitive market. In April 1987 the agency for the importing of the Pommery champagne brand was acquired. The market for wines imported in the bottle has stabilized. Our position in this segment was maintained. The production of the Bokma establishment in Leeuwarden has in the meantime been transferred to our distillery at Zoetermeer. In 1987 the average number of personnel in the Netherlands was 6,206, compared with 6,187 in the previous year. For a large part of the personnel the working week was shortened from 38 to 36 hours as from January 1, 1987. The personnel concerned are those covered by a collective labour agreement who do not work on a fully continuous shift basis or on a 4-shift basis. For the remaining

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Jaarverslagen | 1987 | | pagina 23