Heineken Moscow Office, located in the heart of the city, only a
stone's throw away from Red Square. Alexei Alexeichik, who is
responsible on behalf of Heineken Export for sales and distributions
operations in Moscow, tells how Heineken Beer is distributed in
the capital. "Heineken is well represented in the on-premise outlets,
but there is increasing competition. One of the reasons is that
other brands in the super-premium segment form part of a
complete portfolio of brands. The acquisition of Bravo International
is therefore positive for us: we can now also offer a complete
portfolio of brands, which gives us a stronger negotiating position.
Outlet owners are much more willing to stock your product if you
can offer them a complete range."
premium. "Ten years ago draught beer hardly existed in Russia.
The arrival of Heineken has brought a growth in the popularity of
draught beer," says Alexei Alexeichik.
A tour through Moscow in the year 2002 is really different from,
say, seven years ago. The city centre is bustling with activity,
there are many more shops and the number of restaurants,
discos and bars is growing almost daily. "In the summer Moscow
undergoes a real metamorphosis. You then see lots of outdoor
cafés and the atmosphere in the streets is fantastic. We make sure
that those pavement cafés carry plenty of Heineken signage,"
says Alexei.
At the present time Heineken has some 200 draught dispensers
installed in 180 outlets in Moscow. Many trendy outlets want to
offer Heineken on draught, because draught beer is seen as highly
Apart from creating brand awareness in the summer Heineken in
Moscow is also busy strengthening consumer loyalty via promotions.
Promotion girls are present in selected outlets to boost Heineken
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