ZJeineken 'dobre pi wo" in Polish n
As regards brand name awareness Heineken can liave no com
plaints in Poland. Ask ten passers-by in Warsaw what Ileineken is,
and eight of them will say it's 'dobre piwo' ('good beer'). For the
time being this is Heineken's most important asset in a country
which, Economically speaking, is still on the edge of a precipice.
ere we live from one day to
the next. Things that are
possible today may perhaps be
made impossible tomorrow because
of government measures, and what is
inconceivable today may be reality
tomorrow." Marc Elenbaas is the
director of Dutch Distribution Centre
(DDC), a subsidiary of Hendri Gras
BV, a Dutch trading company which
has been doing business witli coun
tries in Eastern Europe for forty
years. Trading companies like DDC
are faced with much uncertainty.
"Suppose that the government intro
duces a hefty increase in turnover tax
and that the zloty (the Polish curren
cy) is devalued sharply at the same
time, then all imported beers in
Poland can simply pack their bags
and leave."
Another threat is posed by the
possible government monopoly on
alcoholic drinks, with the aim of
increasing the flow of duties into the
state coffers. The Ministry of Trade
does not think that beer and wine
need to be included in the monopoly,
since the principal income source will
be from the duties on vodka. Per
Centre, Marc and Kari-
na Elenbaas, who run
the Dutch Distribution
Centre. To their left,
Haiteli Bloch and, to
their right, Marek if oj-
tyna. Both men are
Heineken reps for If ai'-
saw.
capita consumption of vodka in
Poland is as high as seventeen litres a
year. Conversely, however, the
Ministry of Health specifically wants
beer and wine to be included in the
state monopoly.
Developments like this are what
make it impossible for Elenbaas to
map out a long-term strategy.
Working hard, day after day, to
position the Heineken brand in tbe
market as quickly as possible, that's
the motto of DDC.
Country roads
DDC was set up on January 1,
1992 to promote the interests of
Heineken beer in Poland. At the time
we visited, Marc Elenbaas was still
busy finding distributors in the
various big cities. Sixteen distributors
have meanwhile been found and are
already selling Heineken. Elenbaas
expects that by the end of this year
there will be a total of 28 distributors
out on the road for Heineken beer.
This may seem a big number, but
the size of the country needs to be
taken into account. From Zakopane in
the south to the port of Gdansk on the
Baltic coast it's a journey of more
than 700 kilometres along country
T II I W II II I II (II II I I I K I
