Germany: Brewer Krombacher Group reports 2021 results

The second year in the Corona pandemic has left its mark on the entire beverage industry in Germany. Caution and distance continued to be constant companions in everyday life, not really allowing carefree socialising for many months. This had an impact on the results of the Krombacher Group: a total output of 7.335 million hl was achieved across all brands (-0.9%), PR Newswire reported on February 9.

The Krombacher umbrella brand suffered slight losses in a year-on-year comparison and ended up at 5.590 million hl (-2.3%), which was stable when compared to the sector. The results of the Schweppes Deutschland GmbH were once again very positive. The output of the non-alcoholic soft drink family has grown by around 5% to 1.453 million hl with the Schweppes Zero variants becoming important drivers of this growth.

Uwe Riehs, Managing Director Marketing, comments on the annual results:

"Overall, we can look back on a satisfactory business year for the Krombacher Group. We have consistently pursued our path towards greater variety in our portfolio. Especially in these times, it shows that the strategy of diversification supports us in serving the diverse wishes and needs of our consumers in the best possible way."

Krombacher is still the undisputed No. 1 beer brand in Germany. Consumers particularly appreciate the very high quality and the variety of Krombacher products.

Krombacher Pils continues to be the big draw, thanks to an increase in demand from the hospitality sector and vibrant international markets. Krombacher Pils was able to gain further market share, particularly in exports (272,000 hl) and in the draught beer/hospitality segment (294,000 hl) where the output was increased again in 2021.

Krombacher's non-alcoholic varieties continue to develop very positively and provide important growth opportunities for the umbrella brand. In particular, the Krombacher o.0% range was able to generate further growth once again in 2021. More and more people are refreshing themselves with the isotonic thirst quenchers. In addition, KROMBACHER`S FASSBRAUSE, the refreshing malt-based drink without any alcohol, is constantly reaching new consumers and impresses with its taste and quality.

Uwe Riehs sums up:

"Our brands have continued to perform very well in the second Corona year. We expect a challenging environment for the first half of 2022, but we are entering the year with confidence. This is because of our high product quality, the broad product range and our consistent path towards more non-alcoholic and alcohol-reduced products. With non-alcoholic products now accounting for around 38% of our total output, our position in the market is further strengthened."

"Thanks to our strong product portfolio, our drinks are already enjoyed in the hospitality sector, among friends and family and at sport events. We look forward to reaching and inspiring even more people with our brands with new events, such as music festivals. In 2022, we will continue to take both our consumers and our employees with us, in order to get back to normality together. This applies in particular to our social responsibility, which we will continue to fulfil in the coming year."

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