2001 2000 Change
2001 in Retrospect
sharply, benefiting from the large American market for
light beers, which now account for over 44% of total beer
sales. Amstel invested heavily in marketing in the United
States so that it can continue in future to take advantage
of the growth opportunities. Amstel Light
benefited particularly from improved availability. The
Canadian launch of Amstel Light was a success.
The 'Three Friends' campaign concept, which proved so
effective in the Netherlands that it was replicated in
Greece and Hungary, has now also been used in Bulgaria to
convey Amstel's key brand values of friendship, fun and
freedom.
Sponsorship
Amstel sponsors several sporting events to raise brand
awareness and enhance its brand image. Amstel is the
principal sponsor of the UEFA Champions League for top
European football clubs and continues to sponsor the
African Cup of Nations for national football teams, by far
the most important sporting event on the African
continent., which was held in Mali early in 2002. These
events, which are extremely popular with broad sections
of the population, are consistent with the brand image
which Amstel wishes to project. As well as major interna
tional events, Amstel also sponsors various national sport
ing competitions.
Speciality beers
Consumer demand for the distinctive taste of speciality
beers continued to grow in many markets and sales of our
international speciality beers, on which we earn above-
average margins, increased from 842,000 to 1,065,000 hi.
Sales of Desperados, a tequila-flavoured speciality beer
which is available in most European markets, were again
sharply higher as the brand gained in popularity. The high
est sales were recorded in Germany and France, and the
brand also sold well in Spain, the Netherlands, Greece and
Italy. Affligem, our Belgian abbey beer, performed well
and has gained a reputation as a high-quality beer for the
connoisseur, especially in France and Spain.
While sales of Murphy's Irish Stout were down, in line
with the contraction of the large stout market in Ireland
and the United Kingdom which is losing ground to lager,
sales of Murphy's Irish Red were higher, particularly in
the off-trade sector. The brand developed well in the
Netherlands, supported by the popular 'Murphy's Law'
campaign. Both Murphy's products benefited in the
on-trade sector from the success of Irish pubs in many
European countries.
As well as Desperados, Affligem and Murphy's, our
range of international speciality beers also includes
Wieckse Witte, a white beer for which the main markets
Geographical distribution of Group volume
in 1,000 hi
Europe
Western Hemisphere
Africa/Middle East
Asia/Pacific
Group volume
Affiliated companies
Total beer volume2
55,401 50,687 9.3
7,810 7,384 5.8
9,899 9,179 7.8
7,838 7,520 4.2
80,948 74,770 8.3
24,131 23,111 4.4
105,079 97,881 7.4
1 Group volume volume sold by consolidated companies and Heineken
beers brewed under licence by third parties.
Total beer volume Group volume plus volume produced by affiliated
breweries Kaiser and Quilmes.
REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
17
