E-Malt.com News article: 2864

Hungary: Carlsberg, the Danish-based international brewer, aims to capture up to 10% of the fiercely competitive premium beer market and, as part of its overall strategy, has introduced a newly created local brand, Pannon Aszok, to compliment the sales portfolio, Poul Bech, managing director of Carlsberg Hungary revealed. "We hope to get between 5-10% of the premium beer market, which means about 1-3% of the total market. That may not sound much, but it can be very difficult to move market share," Bech said at the press launch in Budapest on Tuesday, June 11. If all goes well, Carlsberg hopes to generate total annual sales of between €5-6 million, though he stressed it may take time to build this up, according to The Budapest Sun.

Carlsberg set up its Hungarian office in January, having selected the country as a "key market in Central and Eastern Europe", based on growth figures and structure of the market, Bech said.

The company is now selling its "super premium" lager along with "premium" brands Skol and Holsten in Hungary. (Holsten, previously brewed under license by Borsod Brewery, is now being imported directly from Carlsberg's recently acquired Hamburg subsidiary.)

Pannon Aszok, though brewed in neighboring Croatia, has been developed to match the Magyar palate, Bech said. He declined to give sales targets for the new brew, only saying that with mid-range beer consumption being so large, even a small slice of the market would mean substantial volume. Total Hungarian beer sales, at some 7.5 million hectolitres, have been rising gradually in recent years, spurred on by hot summers and increasing affluence.

Carlsberg is the worlds fifth largest brewery group and its flagship lager, along with Tuborg and Holsten, are three of the top five fastest growing international beers, with 7% growth each, the company said.

Carlsberg will not import Tuborg, the lager being brewed under license by Dreher Brewery (owned by Carlsberg arch international rivals SABMiller) according to an earlier contract.


02 July, 2004