Romania: Compania de Bere Romania (CBR), a member of SABMiller, which holds the second position on the Romanian beer market, with a market share of 22%, reported a 15% growth in sales for 2004 compared to 2003, this increase being higher than the industry growth rate, SAB Miller announced earlier this year. “The business results are mainly generated by the increase in power of our brands and the degree of consumer loyalty”, says Octavian Buzoianu, Corporate Affairs Manager with CBR. The company has not disclosed yet value data for 2004. In 2003, the company’s turnover reached EUR 73 million.

“These business results are mainly generated by the increase in power of our brands and the degree of consumer loyalty”, says Octavian Buzoianu, Corporate Affairs Manager with CBR. The company produces Ursus Premium, Timisoreana Lux and Ciucas brands and is a distributor of Pilsner Urquell.

According to a survey conducted by MEMRB, in the period December 2003 – November 2004, Ursus held an average share of 11.8% of the total volume of bottled beer, while Timisoreana accounted for 5.5% of the total volume of bottled beer.

The CBR investments reach about USD 100 million. The company owns four breweries in Cluj-Napoca, Buzau, Timisoara and Brasov, with a total capacity of 3 million hectoliters and around 1,300 employees. It has recently purchased Aurora Brasov for USD 20 million, which brought SABMiller back on the second position on the Romanian beer market and added to its portfolio plastic-bottled (PET) beer (introduced for the first time in the company’s operations in Europe).

According to estimates, the domestic beer market reached about EUR 600 million and 14 million hectoliters last year, a slight growth compared to the pervious year: EUR 550 million and 12.8 million hectoliters. The market tone was still given by the four largest brewing companies: Brau Union Romania (the Romanian subsidiary of the Dutch group Heineken), CBR (a member of SABMller), Interbrew (a member of Inbev) and Tuborg (a member of the Danish group Carslberg), to which add the newcomers European Drinks, which made a leap directly on the fourth place, and Bere Mures, which strengthen its sixth position.

Globally, SABMiller has announced very good results for the first six months of the fiscal year that will end in March 2005. In April – September 2004, the company’s turnover increased by 14% compared to the same period of the previous year, from USD 6.3 billion to over USD 7 billion. In the same period, the company’s EBITA grew by 28%, from USD 888 million to USD 1.1 billion.

SABMiller is one of the largest three beer producers in the world, with a volume of 137.8 million hectoliters in April 1st, 2003 – March 31st, 2004. The company is present in over 40 countries on 4 continents and has a strong brand portfolio. Outside the US, SABMiller plc. is among the most important companies in the world dealing with the bottling of Coca-Cola products. The company is listed on the London and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges.

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