import restrictions, and regions such
as South East Asia and Eastern
Europe."
Frans van der Minne does not
expect to book immediate results in
the countries in Eastern Europe,
though he does take an optimistic
view of countries like Poland and
Hungary. "It will certainly take anoth
er five to ten years before a complete
segmentation of the beer market can
be achieved in those countries.
Consequently, the premium segment
still has to be developed. But
Heineken must sow now, must invest
in the brand, if it wants to reap the
fruits later."
Asia
Optimism about the short term is,
according to Van der Minne, also
applicable to developments in Asia.
"That region offers the biggest chan
ces for growth of the total beer mar
ket. Many countries are doing well
economically, which automatically
implies that the standard of living
goes up and chances are created for
premium products. And so there are
good opportunities for Heineken."
One difficulty facing the export
department is formed by the
protectionist barriers applied by some
countries. But Van der Minne is
convinced that these will disappear
fully or partially in time.
Record year
In his first year as export director
he received a nice moving-in present.
"1990 was a record year for the export
department. Sales were excellent.
The year after that was a bit more dif
ficult. Specific factors that had an
impact were the Gulf War and the
economic recession in the United
States."
Sales in the United States play a
very big role for the export depart
ment. With Heineken beer and Amstel
Light Heineken holds number one
positions in the imports segment and
the imported light segment respec
tively. Though Heineken was able to
maintain its leading position in 1991,
it had to accept a decline in volume,
partly because of stagnation in the
growth of the total beer market - due
to higher excise duties on beer - and
partly because of the economic
recession which had a negative
impact on the relatively expensive
Heineken beer.
At the end of 1991, however, Van
der Minne was gratified to note that
exports of our beers to the rest of the
world had increased. Both volumes
have therefore moved more into
balance with each other.
Prediction
In his interview with The World of
Heineken two years ago Van der
Minne predicted a substantial growth
for Amstel Light in the years ahead.
That prediction has proved true in
part. In 1990 the number of hectolit
res of Amstel Light for export increas
ed further, but sales remained stable
in 1991.
Again, the economic recession in
the United States is cited as the root
cause of the stagnation. The lion's
share of Amstel Light is in fact ship
ped to the United States. "But Amstel
Light is performing excellently in the
Caribbean region and sales are also
climbing in the Middle East", says
Frans van der Minne.
Murphy's
Van der Minne has more arrows to
his bow than just Heineken and
Amstel. Plans have been developed
for Murphy's Stout. The introduction
of Murphy's Stout in cans, which was
reported in the previous issue of The
World of Heineken, opens up pros
pects for the export department. In
cooperation with the export depart
ment of Murphy's Brewery in Cork,
initiatives are being studied for the
launch of canned Murphy's in the
world's bigger stout markets.
