World: AB InBev CEO believes in increased sales volume of low- and no-alcohol portfolio by 2025

AB InBev CEO Carlos Brito believes 20% of the company�s sales volumes will come from its low- or no-alcohol portfolio by 2025.

In a conference call following the release of AB InBev�s full-year results, Brito shed light on the company�s strategy to expand sales and appeal to consumers who want to limit their alcohol intake, FoodBev.com reported on March 2.

He said that now around 8% of the company�s volumes came from its low- or no-alcoholic lines. �We want to get to 20% by 2025. So we�re not starting from zero, quite the opposite. The big thing that will accelerate this, in my view, is two things.

�First, the category expansion model because it�s showing us there are opportunities in adjacencies, easy drinking and flavored liquids, that we can explore.

�And the second one is that now we already have five of our main countries in which NABLAB, or non-alcohol beer and low-alcohol beer, represents more than 20% and in some even 30%.�

Brito drew attention to the higher margins of the NABLAB sector. �I think this is going to be a big motivation for our people because they�re going to be inspired.

�There is a toolkit to be shared with other countries. Again, so we�re not starting from zero, the margins are very interesting, and category expansion shows the way on how to use some of those products to enter new categories or new occasions.�

AB InBev�s range of low- and no-alcohol beers includes Beck�s Blue, Bud Light and Corona Cero. Last year, the company launched an alcohol-free Budweiser Prohibition beer in the UK.

Speaking of the launch, a spokesperson said: �Budweiser Prohibition is for those who love beer, who will never sacrifice on quality or taste and want to enjoy freely. After all, beer isn�t about alcohol; it�s about using the best, natural ingredients and brewing with passion.�

An AB InBev study released in 2016 found that one third of UK consumers had tried alcohol-free beer with almost as many unable to tell the difference between regular alcoholic varieties.

In its full-year results, the company saw its net sales rise 5.1% year-on-year to $56.4 billion and operating profits increase 13.4% to $22.1 billion as it benefited from the integration of SABMiller.