Poland
Total beer volume 10.2 million hectolitres
I arket share 33 percent
I arket position 2nd
Profitability was higher than last year thanks
I better pricing and sales mix and improved
I ast structure. Volumes were stable in spite
I if the shrinking strong beer segment and the
I :iscontinuation of some unprofitable brands.
owever, volume growth was lower than growth
[overall in the beer market.
eineken brand volume was affected by increased
ompetition in its segment but remains the leader
l the international premium segment. The Zywiec
rand maintains its market share and is the leader
i the national premium segment. The volume of
atra Pils® increased strongly. The Warka® brand
ent through an extensive rebranding process in
ie second quarter of the year. The first results are
ncouraging.
12005 we successfully introduced a new fruit-
avoured beer, Freeq, which appeals to the growing
agment of drinkers, who like sweet-tasting beer.
Russia
Total beer volume 7.2 million hectolitres
Market share 8 percent
Market position 3rd
Revenue of our Russian operation increased by
50 percent, thanks mainly to the first-time
consolidation of the breweries acquired in 2005.
EBIT remained stable, as a result of lower margins
and integration costs for the new breweries. Market
share in Russia increased.
Our top-performing brands were Heineken and
the mainstream Ochota brand, which grew
13 percent to 2.6 million hectoliters. Volumes
of Botchkarov® fell in the first half, but stabilised
following a re-launch in June. The breweries
acquired in 2005 - Patra, Stepan Razin and Baikal -
were consolidated for the first time in the second
half of 2005.
In 2006 we will focus on integration and cost control
and we will perform a complete review of the brand
portfolio of our Russian operation. The launch of
Amstel, at the end of 2005, is a first example of our
efforts to strengthen the portfolio.
Russian acquisitions
In Russia we accomplished a milestone
with the acquisition in 2005 of four brewers,
adding a total of six breweries to our
operations in Russia. These were Baikal
Brewery in Irkutsk, Stepan Razin
Brewery in St. Petersburg, Patra Brewery
in Yekaterinburg and Ivan Taranov in
Kaliningrad, Novotroitsk and Chabarovsk.
Heineken N.V. - Annual Report 2005