ineken in Eastern E
long-term vision
Heineken presence in Warsaw city centre. restern companies were - and
still are - knocking on the
t doors of the state-owned
businesses. Heineken aims to play a
clear role in the various beer markets
of Eastern Europe; by means of
exports and by means of participa
tions or other forms of joint ventures.
Since tiie removal of the political barriers the
former Eastern Bloc countries have also taken a
great many steps to move closer to a free-market
economy.
Positions
Eastern Europe is potentially a very
important beer market, feels Alle
Ypma, Business Development Direc
tor Heineken, but the date when the
investments will start to bear fruit
provisionally still carries a big
question mark.
"Our attention continues to be strong
ly focused on achieving growth in this
region, not only in exports, but also
via joint ventures. We are doing that
because the cards are now being
shuffled, the positions are being
occupied. Heineken's ultimate aim is
to become a leading player in Eastern
Europe. That is why we have to invest
now, even though this involves risks.
It's virtually impossible to predict
accurately how those countries will
develop. Beer consumption is usually
high, but spending power is still low.
We are convinced that spending
power will increase in due course, but
when and by how much is anyone's
guess", says Ypma.
Priority
Poland, Hungary and the Czech and
Slovak Republics are priority coun
tries for Heineken, followed by coun
tries like Romania, Bulgaria and, per-
THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN
