Italy The beer market declined slightly in 1993. The bad weather, the recession and the fall in tourism had an effect particularly in the hotel, restaurant and café segment. On the other hand, the off-premise market developed relatively favourably. Our operating company Birra Dreher, which achieved lower earnings, was able to maintain the market share. Sales of the Dreher brand were under pressure. On the other hand there was a favourable trend in the sales of Heineken beer, partly through a new TV campaign. In addition, much attention was paid to the brand support for Buckler. Sales of imported beer specialities showed a further growth. 300 The Netherlands 173 Net investments in tangible fixed assets in Europe, per country in millions of guilders Greece The beer market was slightly above the 1992 level. Athenian Brewery strengthened its leading position and achieved higher earnings. Sales of Heineken and Amstel beer again rose, whilst sales of Brand, Dreher and Coors, the brands imported by us, fell. Amstel Light and Amstel Gold were launched in mid-1993. Athenian Brewery introduced mineral water under the Ioli brand; the product comes from the company's own mineral spring. The modernization programme in the three breweries was continued according to plan. Measures are also being studied to prevent possible water shortages in the future. Ireland Despite a relatively favourable economic trend the beer market declined somewhat as a result of the poor summer weather. The off-premise segment again showed a growth, though its size is still limited. The large stout segment grew slightly, whilst the lager segment stabilized. Murphy Brewery Ireland managed to boost its market share. Earnings rose, due to higher sales, better selling prices and increased productivity. Heineken and Murphy's Irish Stout achieved an increase of the share in their market segment. The sales growth of Murphy's Irish Stout was positively influenced by the draught flow system for canned stout, introduced in 1992. This technology ensures a foaming and a taste experience which are the same as those of draught stout. The international profiling of the brand will be given a stimulus in 1994 by the sponsoring of the Irish Open golf championship under the name of Murphy's Irish Open. In mid-1993 Coors Extra Gold was launched, sales of which are developing satisfactorily. Hungary The beer market declined sharply, mainly owing to the economic circumstances. A shift occurred from cheap local brands to standard and premium beer. Komaromi Sörgyar did very well and managed to achieve a marked increase in sales. Earnings, too, showed a rise. Sales of locally brewed Amstel beer doubled, due to the increasing demand for quality beer. The growth took place despite the fact that the price is above the level of the competition. At the end of 1993 Amstel Bock was introduced. Sales of our local brand Talléros fell in line with the market trend. 26

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Jaarverslagen | 1993 | | pagina 34