is the magic word
Developments in many East
European countries are almost
impossible to keep up with be
cause of the relatively fast change
over from planned economies to
market economies.
The information for the arti
cles about Hungary and Poland
was compiled in May this year.
Between that moment and the
publication date of The World of
Heineken there is a 'gap' of five
months. In many a Heineken mar
ket no major changes will take
place during such a time-span. As
far as Hungary and Poland are
concerned, however, we wouldn't
want to vouch for it. Both articles
can rightly be described as a
'snapshot' of the situation at a
given moment in time.
Apart from its export activities
Heineken also holds a majority
stake in the Komaromi brewery.
Several months ago Komaromi
also started to brew and distribute
Amstel beer.
17
A number of monuments and statues still
recall the time when Hungary formed part
of the Eastern bloc. Today's Hungarians
would prefer to get rid of them.
high cost of everything, the prevalent
mood in Hungary is one of optimism.
The building activities in the outer
suburbs of Budapest are an indication
of the confidence in Hungary's future
and it is generally assumed that with
in a few years the economic baro
meter will gradually start to rise.
In the opinion of many people,
Hungary was always a bit of the odd-
man-out compared to other Eastern
Bloc states. The Hungarians - despite
their political and economic bond
with the former Soviet Union - have
for decades been more strongly
focused on the West than their
Comecon colleagues.
That openness towards the
Western, capitalist world is helping
Hungary to attract foreign investment.
Of all the former Eastern Bloc states,
Hungary is seen as the country with
the best chances.
Cheap
The Hungarian beer market is big;
each year some ten million hectolitres
are brewed. Seventy per cent of the
beer consumed is very cheap and not
all that good in quality either.
The per capita consumption figur
es reflect the average Hungarian's
love of beer. Particularly at home
during meals he likes a bottle of beer
on the table. The bare statistics could
be interpreted as implying a sunny
future for the Hungarian brewing
industry. But there are trends which
put a damper on that optimism. Older
people are over-represented in the
population of Hungary; only 25% of
the population is younger than eight-
'I II I W O I! I I) 0 1 Ml INI K I
wer key issue
The Iron Curtain has been lifted. Market
economy is the magic word. Many busines
ses can sense their chances and are taking
the plunge. The World of Heineken look a
brief look in Hungary and Poland, two in
fant markets for Heineken - the first still
learning to walk, the second not yet out of
-rrïmnnm*
