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President
Dr. Siaka Stevens,
receiving a copy
of SLBL's first
share
prospectus
in 1974
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independence in 1961. "They are so
intertwined that, over the last 50 years,
you could say they have grown up
together," Cor says.
Cor joined SLBL as its General Manager in
2009. At the time, the brewery was facing
decreasing sales volumes and revenues,
combined with an increasingly expensive
operating environment. "We were a
production-driven company, and neither
our market share nor the market were
growing," he says.
Together with the management team, he
developed a strategy to turn the business
around. This focused on four must-win
battles: develop the organisation; win
over and grow the market; improve
efficiencies; and strongly increase
product quality.
Immediate Results
The strategy was launched in early 2010,
with almost immediate results. Brands
were redefined with a strong priority on
Heineken® and Star, the route-to-market
was re-organised, and many loss reduction
programmes were initiated right away.
The success of the strategy can largely be
attributed to the buy-in and commitment
of the employees. SLBL staff satisfaction
and pride, measured by the climate survey,
has improved very strongly, compared to
previous years.
SLBL continued its winning streak in 2011.
"Star Beer was selected as the official
beer of Sierra Leone's 50th anniversary
of independence celebrations," says Cor.
"Combined with the beer's successful
new bottle, new design and new
communications campaign in October
of that year, we saw Star sales volumes
grow by 20%, the biggest increase in two
decades.
were
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"The results of the four must-win battles
continue to improve strongly in 2012, anc raw
we can now say that the brewery is finally in th
consistently profitable." Heir
the i
Staying the Course
SLBL's current market position is even
more remarkable when one considers the emp
often-difficult operating circumstances brev
in the decades following Sierra Leone's of a
independence. In the early years, despite and
being the world's most modern brewery ever
at that time, SLBL faced regular water
shortages and power fluctuations. By
December 1973, 96 out of every 100
bottles of beer consumed in Sierra Leone
Duri
afte
darr
of F
recc
World of HEINEKEN Quarter 4 2012
