|
26/02/2007
Beamish raises a glass despite falling Irish sales
BEAMISH & Crawford, the Cork-based Irish subsidiary of Scottish & Newcastle, had a strong year in 2006 despite a 2.5pc decline in the Irish beer market.
B&C said yesterday that there were improvements in output, sales and profitability last year.
Due to a number of factors, the market has seen a significant volume shift from the On Trade (pubs, clubs and hotels) to the Off Trade (off-licences) of 10pc in the last three years.
However, despite the declining market, B&C enjoyed double-digit growth across all key brands in 2006.
Beamish Stout, which is the second-largest-selling stout in Ireland, is the only stout brand that experienced growth in 2006, according to B&C.
Miller Genuine Draft continued to enjoy a strong performance, with sales across Miller bottle, draught and can all up on the previous year.
Miller Lite was very strong.
Foster's Lager also enjoyed a strong performance with sales being driven by the draught category, with Ireland currently the second-largest market for Foster's in Europe.
On the export front, B&C recently reached agreement with Carlsberg USA for the sale of Beamish Stout across major American cities.
B&C recently announced a €5m investment in a new kegging line at the brewery.
"A key factor in the drinks industry in Ireland is the sustained shift away from pubs towards the off-trade. In a declining on-trade market, Beamish & Crawford has continued to support customers and consumers with a portfolio of quality brands," Alf Smiddy, B&C managing director, said.
"In addition, the company has sought to maximise the opportunity that has been delivered in the growing off-trade sector."
Beamish & Crawford is the oldest brewery in Ireland, with a portfolio of brands including Beamish Genuine Irish Stout, Beamish Red Irish Ale, Miller Genuine Draft, Foster's, Kronenbourg 1664 and Carling.
Beamish & Crawford is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scottish & Newcastle, the largest brewer in the UK and Irish markets combined, the No 2 brewer in Europe, and the largest cider producer in the world.
"Overall, the variable cost business model of Beamish & Crawford which has involved the outsourcing of distribution, warehousing, technical services, and security in their entirety, has been a key driver of business success," Mr Smiddy said.
The outsourcing of non-core activity to leading industry specialists has allowed for maximum focus on sales and marketing of the full portfolio of beer brands in the island of Ireland, and this will continue going forward, he added.
Irish Independent
Back to
Media Watch
|
|
