24th May 2012 07:00
SABMiller's brands drive growth in the UK 'World Beer' market
World Beer could account for 20% of UK beer sales by 2014
SABMiller announces that its UK subsidiary, Miller Brands, has delivered lager volume growth of 8% in the 12 months to 31 March 2012, despite a declining UK lager market. Much of this growth is the result of Miller Brands' premium portfolio which has been a significant driver behind the popularity of World Beer in the UK. Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and Kozel all grew by double digits during the year.
Recent research conducted by Miller Brands has found that World Beer is the only sector of the UK beer category experiencing significant growth. If the current trend continues, by the start of 2014 World Beer could be worth more than £2.1bn in sales and make up 19% of total lager valuei.
Miller Brands Managing Director, Gary Haigh, says:
"As austerity measures bite, consumers are more discerning about what they consider an everyday treat. When it comes to beer brands they are increasingly looking for brands with a story, heritage and interesting provenance. We see this trend continuing for the next few years resulting in a strong and vibrant World Beer category."
Miller Brands has an exciting programme of events for the year, with Peroni Nastro Azzurro at the heart of further collaborations between Italian artists, designers and British talent. Pilsner Urquell will be available to consumers as it is served in Czech: unfiltered, unpasteurised and direct from the brewery - including from a 4,751-pint barrel at the Taste of London Festival. Notwithstanding a quiet start to F13 due to poor weather, Miller Brands' growth is expected to continue helped in particular by events such as the Queen's Jubilee, Euro 2012 and the Olympics.
ENDS
iCGA April 2011
Notes Editors
World Beer - a group of international lager brands which consumers perceive to demonstrate quality and provenance and are worth paying more for.
Overview of SABMiller
SABMiller is one of the world's largest brewers with brewing interests and distribution agreements across six continents. The group's wide portfolio includes global brands such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft and Grolsch, as well as leading local brands such as Aguila, Castle, Miller Lite, Snow, Tyskie, and Victoria Bitter. SABMiller is also one of the world's largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products.
In the year ended 31 March 2011, the group reported US$5,617 million adjusted EBITDA and group revenue of US$28,311 million. SABMiller is listed on the London and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges.
This announcement is available on the company website: www.sabmiller.com
High resolution images are available for the media to view and download free of charge from www.sabmiller.com.
Miller Brands is the UK and Ireland subsidiary of SABMiller, one of the world's largest brewers. Miller Brands has responsibility for the development of SABMiller's international premium brands across the UK and Ireland; these include Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Miller Genuine Draft. Through its consistent pricing and distribution discipline, supplemented by engaging marketing activities, Miller Brands is bringing value back into the beer category. More information can be found at www.millerbrands.co.uk.
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