25 rose slightly. In Surabaya the new cellar complex was taken into operation. Malayan Breweries Ltd., with brewery interests in Singapore, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, once again achieved better earnings. In particular, the earnings of South Pacific Holdings in Papua New Guinea contributed to this favourable development. After years of no growth at all, there was a slight expansion in the beer market in Singapore, with Malayan Breweries being able to strengthen its market position. The construction of the new brewery, which will replace two existing breweries in 1989, is proceeding according to plan. In Malaysia there was a slight growth in the beer market, but Malayan Breweries' share was under pressure despite higher sales. The Tiger brand, introduced in 1987, is doing well. In November the intention was announced to incorporate Malayan Breweries Malaysia and Guinness Malaysia in a joint venture. It is expected that the position in this market can thereby be strengthened. In Papua New Guinea the course of affairs at South Pacific Brewery Ltd. was satisfactory. Higher sales and better earnings were achieved in the beer and soft drinks sector. Beer sales in Asia/Australia/Oceania (in millions of hectolitres) 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 In New Caledonia the sales of beer and soft drinks by Grande Brasserie de Nouvelle-Calédonie S.A. again showed an increase, but earnings were somewhat under pressure due to increased costs. The renovation work in the brewery has been virtually completed; a new can filling line was also taken into operation. In collaboration with Fraser Neave Ltd., our partner in Singapore, and the Chia Tai Group, established in Hong Kong, Heineken is participating in the Mila brewery at Shanghai in the People's Republic of China. Heineken Technisch Beheer B.V. is rendering assistance to Mila and will act as a consultant in the renovation of the brewery. In Tahiti sales of the Heineken beer produced under licence by Brasserie de Tahiti S.A. developed satisfactorily. In Japan the relationships in the beer market have been considerably changed because of the introduction of a new type of beer, known as 'dry beer'. Partly as a result of this, sales of the Heineken beer produced under licence by Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd. declined. Exports of Heineken beer to Australia showed a considerable increase. Heineken was able to maintain its leading position in the import segment. Exports of Heineken beer to the Far East rose considerably. In Hong Kong we succeeded in further strengthening our position. Since the liberalization the market in Taiwan has been abundantly supplied with imported beer. Thanks to a good distribution the Heineken brand was well able to maintain its position. Exports of beer to the Middle East remained at the previous year's level, despite the strong position of the guilder and the increasing competition. Our minority interest in Jordan, General Investment Co. Ltd., succeeded in maintaining the sales of Amstel beer at almost the same level as in 1987. At Brasserie Almaza S.A., in Lebanon, sales remained virtually stable, despite the political and economic developments. Prospects The expansion and strengthening of the enterprise in Europe will be continued, amongst other things by the completion of the rationalization in our breweries. In addition, efforts are being made to strengthen our prominent position within the European market. The structurally improved spread of the enterprise's activities within this region is important. A response will be made to the further segmentation of the beer markets by the

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Jaarverslagen | 1988 | | pagina 35