Practical
Jerry Biggar, Brewers Retail's vice-
president of distribution and services,
told The World of Heineken that 20
brewers from Canada and around the
world are now distributing their beers
through the company's beer stores.
"The introduction of Heineken was a
very successful brand launch. Our
company is unique and brewers who
come into our operation for the first
time say they never dealt with a simi
lar sales system anywhere in the
world. Although we are novel to them,
they are generally extremely pleased
From left to right Jerry Bigger, Vice-presi
dent distribution and services Brewers
Retail Inc., Bob Armstrong, Director of sales
Santa Fé Beverage Co. and Senior Brand
Manager Daryl Ralph.
when they see how we operate."
Bob Armstrong is one of these
people who is pleased to be offering
Heineken to the Ontario beer-buying
public through Brewers Retail.
Armstrong is Director of Sales for
Santa Fé Beverage Co., which is the
specialty products division of Molson
Breweries. "We are delighted with the
developments and negotiations with
Brewers Retail over the past few
months. If you sell beer in Ontario,
this is definitely where you want to
be." He says on-premise owners are
particularly pleased because it has
added convenience to their beer
ordering duties. When they place an
order for regular domestic beer
through Brewers Retail's local distri
bution centre, they may now order
Heineken - with no-charge delivery
service - instead of placing a special
order through the government's
liquor store operation. Armstrong
calls it 'practical, one-stop shopping'
for on-premise accounts who make
up 60% of Heineken beer sales in the
province.
Until very recently, the only non
Canadian brands which Ontario
drinkers could buy at The Beer Store
were a few brands that were brewed
in the province under licence from
some American and international
brewers. Canadian regulations decla
red that beer sold in any of the coun
try's 10 provinces had to be brewed in
that particular province. However, the
rules have been relaxed and talks are
being held to allow beer to flow
across all provincial boundaries
which will end this form of inter-
provincial discrimination in the beer
business. On the international front, a
1993 ruling by the General Agree
ment on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
essentially eliminated international
trade barriers that previously existed.
Since that ruling, brewery and
government officials from Ontario,
other Canadian provinces, the U.S.
and around the world have been
working to create a 'level playing
field' by opening the doors to the sale
of foreign products in Canada.
Daryl Ralph, Santa Fé Senior
Brand Manager, says it is a sign of
changing times that the political
'walls and restrictions' toward import
ed brands have finally been torn
down to allow consumers to purchase
premium products. "We live and work
in a global economy and this gives
millions of Brewers Retail customers
an opportunity to trade up to the
world's most international premium
beer." He said the road to Brewers
Retail was not a straight and narrow
path. "Santa Fé Beverage Company
served as both driver and guide
through a maze of government regu
lations, contracts, listing costs, and
many other involved and detailed
financial implications. We also hand-
picked the 300 beer stores that would
be most strategic to the sale of
Heineken beer."
Plus
Now that most of the interprovin-
cial and international trade barriers
THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN
