France 11a I y Greece Regional Review Europe Aguila and Cruzcampo and, by the end of 2001, most of the staff functions had been brought together in Seville. Following the compulsory sale of two breweries, Heineken Espafia has made a start on improving the cost structure of the remaining breweries. The distribu tion operations were transferred to a new organisation. Although the market share in the Canary Islands of imported Heineken beer is more or less stable, our competitive position will be affected by the levy on imported beers which has been introduced in 2002 to protect local brewers. Improved result generated by Heineken and Desperados brands Although France had its second poor summer in a row in 2001, with a great deal of wet weather, Sogebra's beer sales were up from 7.7 to 7.9 million hi. Despite intense competition, it succeeded in boosting its market share and returned an improved result. The Heineken brand increased its share of the market and achieved record sales volume, supported by consistent development of consumer preferences and the launch of new and attractive packaging variants. The growth in sales of our premium and speciality beers translated into an improved sales mix. Desperados, the international speciality beer which is brewed in France, once again performed exceptionally well, recording sales growth of almost 30% in France and over 40% in export markets. The relaunch and repositioning of Affligem, an abbey beer brewed in Belgium, was a success. Sales of "33" Export and Panach' in PET (high-grade plastic) bottles were again higher. A new dedicated filling line for PET bottles entered service in 2001. Sales of beer in PET bottles are growing steadily and currently account for around 1% of the French take-home market. Higher Heineken and Birra Moretti volume improves sales mix Beer consumption in Italy continued to grow. Heineken Italia's beer sales increased slightly to 5.8 million hi and its market share remained virtually stable. Heineken Italia posted a higher result, helped by an improved sales mix and efficiency gains in production and distribution. The Heineken, Birra Moretti and Ichnusa brands were the main contributors to the improvement in the sales mix. The launch of Dreher beer in PET bottles fulfilled our expectations. Innovative multi-packs were also intro duced successfully. Heineken Italia supports its brands with a number of prestigious sponsorship activities. The fourth Heineken Jammin' music festival and the fifth series of the Birra Moretti football competition attracted record numbers. The long-established Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia was also a great success. Production capacity was expanded in 2001, notably in Bergamo. Improvements in supply-chain management enabled us to speed up beer deliveries while cutting costs. Partesa, Heineken Italia's distribution organisation, is playing a prominent part in the process of rationalisa tion in the beverage wholesaling sector. With its 65 depots, Partesa now has national coverage. Sales down in declining beer market The Greek beer market contracted for the second year in succession. Athenian Brewery's beer sales were also down, from 3.9 to 3.7 million hi, but it managed to limit the effect on the result through rigorous cost control. Athenian Brewery's market share remained virtually unchanged. Sales of Amstel, the market leader in Greece, and Heineken were down, in line with the market. Beer exports to neighbouring countries increased and sales of loli mineral water were again higher. Heineken and Athenian Brewery have been selected by the Athens Organising Committee as principal sponsors of the 2004 Olympic Games. This sponsorship agreement will significantly benefit the image of the Heineken brand. A number of efficiency and quality improvement proj ects were undertaken at the three breweries and the mineral water plant in 2001. The Amstel half-litre bottles and crates were also replaced. Athenian Brewery in troduced new management information systems which comply with the uniform Heineken standard. HEINEKEN N.V. ANNUAL REPORT 2001 26

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Jaarverslagen | 2001 | | pagina 33