Central and Eastern Europe €3,143 million €351 million €363 million 42.2 million hectolitres 29.0 per cent 2.3 million hectolitres Report of the Executive Board Regional Review Revenue EBIT EBIT (beia) Consolidated beer volume Consolidated beer volume as of Group Heineken volume in premium segment Group beer volume in the region was adversely affected by challenging, but gradually improving, economic conditions and higher excise duties. Higher volumes in Romania, Austria, Serbia, Germany and Belarus could not fully offset lower volumes in Russia, Poland, Greece, Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic. Volume of the Heineken brand grew in Austria and Germany, but declined in Poland, Greece and Hungary. EBIT (beia) in the region was 6.7 per cent lower as the decrease in volume was only partly offset by cost reduction, improvement in price and sales mix and foreign exchange benefits, the latter primarily in Russia and Poland. The closure of two breweries and other efficiency improvements resulted in a productivity improvement and lower fixed costs. Grupa Zywiec in Poland achieved strong growth in EBIT (beia) driven by fixed cost reduction, lower input costs and favourable currency movements. Strong sales execution and focused marketing investment for the Desperados brand, resulted in strong volume growth for this brand. Overall volume was lower following an excise duty increase and intense price competition adversely affecting volume in the premium segment. This was only partly offset by growth oftheTatra brand. Volume of Heineken Romania was 6 per cent up, driven by growth of the Bucegi and Ciuc brands which benefited from increased distribution and higher marketing support. EBIT (beia) increased substantially, primarily driven by this strong volume performance. Domestic volume of Brau Union Austria grew 1 per cent with growth across most of the key brands. In particular, volume of the Heineken brand grew significantly, supported by increased sales of the 33 centilitres bottle and the can package. The Goesser brand benefited from the growth of Goesser Natur Radler, a beer and lemonade variant. EBIT (beia) decreased moderately, reflecting higher upfront marketing and sales investment in the on-trade channel. In Russia, a tripling of excise duty at the start of the year led to a contraction of the beer market. A decision to fully recover the excise duty increase through higher pricing and a delayed response from the competition resulted in a substantial volume decline in lower priced brands and lower EBIT (beia). Encouragingly, our key premium brands Heineken and Zlaty Bazant proved resilient, both gaining market share. In Greece, a highly challenging economic environment, reduced tourism and the negative impact of three consecutive excise duty increases resulted in a volume decrease of 9 per cent. The effect of lower volumes was only partially offset by cost savings and productivity improvements, resulting in a lower EBIT (beia) of Athenian Brewery. On an organic basis, volume of Brau Holding International, our joint venture with the Schoerghuber Group in Germany, remained broadly stable in a declining market. Imported volume of the Heineken and Desperados brands increased strongly.

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Jaarverslagen | 2010 | | pagina 23