E-Malt.com News article: 2054

India, Tamil Nadu, Bangalore: the UB group, comprising United Breweries Ltd and Millennium AlcoBev Ltd (MABL), has forged ahead as the new leader in the Tamil Nadu (Indian state) beer market, Business Line posted. It has dislodged Mohan Breweries & Distilleries Ltd (MBDL) and traditional rival Shaw Wallace Breweries Ltd (SWBL) to take the top slot after being the number three player in the State market, which is among the top three beer-guzzling ones in the country.

The secondary sales figures in Tamil Nadu state during the nine-month period of the current fiscal suggests that the UB group is ahead with 37 % market share followed by SWBL with 32.2 % and MBDL with 31 %. United Breweries Ltd with Kingfisher beer individually accounted for 29 % share of total sales, while MABL controlled eight per cent share.

Both MBDL and the SABMiller-managed SWBL dropped share in a market where sales plummeted due to the standoff between the administration and the trade. The State's beer sales reported a 9% decline in the period under review to touch 68.56 lakh cases from 75.14 lakh cases in the corresponding previous period. The share of MBDL and SWBL came down from 35 % and 34 % respectively last year.

Meanwhile, United Breweries saw its market share climb up from 24 % to the 37 % it holds now. MABL, in which UK brewer Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) holds a 40 % stake, improved its share from seven to 8%. The sales in Tamil Nadu, the third largest market for beer after Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, is expected to improve in the coming months after Tasmac, a State Government body, took over the retail trade from December 1. owever, the December sales at 4.94 lakh cases were down 7% though the decline was below the April-to-December average drop of 9%. As market conditions remained difficult, the mild beer segment suffered a 17 % decline while strong beer faredbetter with only 6% drop in sales.



20 January, 2004