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The drive to make the company
international was based on
the vision of Alfred Heineken
ly rooted within Heineken. In this way
we have built up a competitive edge
compared to the more nationally
oriented breweries."
And then there is the pride
shown by Heineken employees, who
are regarded by Mr Vuursteen as one
of the company's strongest assets.
"That pride is coupled to the company
image and the brand image. Loyalty is
very strong, both consumer loyalty for
the brand and the loyalty of the
personnel towards their company.
Heineken is not simply a company
you happen to work for in a detached
sort of way. I would describe it more
as a love story."
Confidence
The company's values as de
scribed earlier are the reasons why
Mr Vuursteen views the future of the
company with confidence. "Those
values are the prime preconditions
for growth in an environment that is
becoming increasingly global. For
Heineken it is clear that we are focus
ing firstly on growth in countries in
which we already have a presence - a
recent example was the acquisition of
Interbrew Italia, which made
Heineken Italia joint market leader in
Italy - and, secondly, on acquisitions
and on building new breweries in
new markets. But that calls for a care
ful approach. Investment in new mar
kets, which initially has a low return,
also means that you must achieve
over-proportional profit improve
ments in existing markets."
The world beer market has
revealed strong segmentation over
the past few years. On the one hand,
consumers are concentrating on spe
ciality beers, including premium
beers, whilst on the other there is a
tendency for consumers to drink a
different type of beer at certain
moments. "These many different
facets make the beer market richer,
more interesting, more dynamic. The
development of the non-alcohol and
speciality beers is proof of this dyna
mism. In all segments of the beer
market we have built up a position
that is the envy of every brewer."
Expansion
There is absolutely no doubt in
Rarel Vuursteen's mind that
Heineken will remain a prominent
player in the future beer market, with
Heineken Export continuing to fulfil a
pioneering role in new markets. But,
when asked what position Heineken
intends to occupy ten years from now,
he is not willing to make any concrete
statements for reasons of competition.
"We are going to consolidate and
expand our leading position as a
brewer in Europe, also thanks to our
superior know-how in the area of dis
tribution and logistics. Essential in
that drive for growth is a true under
standing of the three C's: customers,
consumers and competitors."
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THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN
