Africa/Middle East Africa Regional Review 10 h- r-' -£> n? n? Group volume Africa/Middle East in million hectolitres The greater political stability and improving economic sit uation in a number of important markets, including Nigeria, Congo and Sierra Leone, fed through into growth in beer consumption. Heineken Group's beer sales increased from 9.2 to 9.9 million hi 7.8%), which translat ed into a substantially improved result. Nigerian Breweries accounted for much of this growth, due to a combination of good performance and full consolidation of its figures as from 2001. The Heineken breweries in several African countries hold substantial positions in their national markets. As well as local brands, these breweries also sell Amstel beer in some of these countries. Most of the companies also produce and market soft drinks. In some African countries our Heineken, Amstel and MLitzig brands are brewed under licence and marketed by third parties. Sales of imported Heineken, which is available on a limited scale, rose by 10%. The Heineken brand is developing well in Nigeria in partic ular and sales were also substantially higher in Gabon, Ivory Coast and Algeria. Staff training and development, which is a critical success factor for any brewery, is a priority in Africa. New systems were introduced and many training courses in sales, distribution, supply-chain management and cost control were provided. Heineken University's regional program mes played an important part in this effort. A start was made at several breweries on replacing the filling lines. As well as reducing costs, the new equipment also offers improved safety. Although there were a number of local incidents, the political situation in Nigeria remained stable, thanks to the positive role played by the democratically elected president. With the economic situation improving and inflation under control, 2001 also saw growth in the Nigerian beer market, the second largest in Africa. Sales by Nigerian Breweries, the market leader, increased so fast that the company had problems meeting the rising demand. The financial result was sharply higher, reflecting heavy demand for Star, the country's leading premium beer. Nigerian Breweries has also taken on the marketing and distribution of Heineken, sales of which are growing steadily. The five Nigerian Breweries plants operated at maximum capacity. The construction of a sixth brewery in Enugu, which will provide sufficient capacity to meet the HEINEKEN N.V. ANNUAL REPORT 2001 36

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Jaarverslagen | 2001 | | pagina 43