2002 2001 Change
2002 in Retrospect
reduced tourist numbers in Southern Europe had an
adverse effect on consumption, but sales in Africa and
the United States were substantially higher. Sales also
developed well in a number of new markets in the Balkans
and in Lebanon and Ireland.
As well as lager, Amstel also markets a selection of other
beers which have become popular with a broad target
group and are successful in many markets. Amstel Light,
a low-calorie beer, benefited from the rising demand
for lighter beers in a number of mature markets, chiefly
outside Europe. Sales of Amstel light also rose rapidly
in the United States, in response to our greatly increased
marketing effort. Although still modest, sales of Amstel
Bright, a speciality Caribbean beer brewed on Curasao,
developed promisingly.
Marketing communication
The growing exchange of expertise and intelligence be
tween our operating companies is benefiting the quality,
consistency, efficiency and local optimisation of Amstel's
brand management. The 'Three Friends' campaign con
cept, which was developed in the Netherlands, has been
adopted in several other countries. With its particular
brand values, Amstel lends itself to tie-ins with popular
sporting events. In Europe, Amstel was again the principal
sponsor of the UEFA Champions League for top European
football clubs and continued to sponsor the African Cup
of Nations for national football teams, the most important
sporting event on the African continent. In the United
States, where Amstel Light sponsors leading golf tour
naments, association with this prestige sport fits well with
the brand's image. As in 2001, Amstel also sponsored
numerous local events with strong local appeal.
International Speciality Beers
Demand for speciality beers is rising fast and sales grew
strongly in many markets, reflecting the consumer's need
for variety. Sales of our international speciality beers,
which generate above-average margins once a given
volume is reached, increased from 1,314,000 hi to
1,364,000 hi.
Although international speciality beers still represent
only a small proportion of Fleineken's total sales, they have
growth potential and help to improve the sales mix.
In more and more markets, they are a permanent part of
our portfolio alongside local speciality beers.
Desperados, a tequila-flavoured speciality beer, main
tained the rapid growth achieved in 2001 and performed
extremely well in France, Germany and Spain in particular.
Desperados has a strong appeal to young adults and good
international development potential.
Sales of Paulaner Hefe Weisse, a traditional white beer
produced by BrauHolding International, our joint venture
Geographical distribution of Group volume
in 1,000 hi of beer
Europe 57,913 55,388 4.6
Western Hemisphere 8,380 7,810 7.3
Africa/Middle East 10,558 9,899 6.7
Asia/Pacific 7,997 7,837 2.0
Group volume' 84,848 80,934 4.8
Affiliated companies 24,101 24,131 -0.1
Total beer volume2 108,949 105,065 3.7
1 Group volume beer volume sold by consolidated companies
and Heineken beers brewed under licence by third parties.
2 Total beer volume Group volume plus beer volume produced
by affiliated breweries Kaiser and Quilmes.
HEINEKEN N.V. ANNUAL REPORT 2002
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