Poland: The consolidated profit of Grupa Zywiec in 2004 amounted to PLN 277 million, a 34% improvement in comparison to 2003. Sales increased by 13%, to over PLN 3.6 billion. According to the group's president Nico Nusmeier, last year was a turning point for the company. "We managed to produce as much as 10.1 million hectoliters of beer, which is a record level on the market. The generated results were also very good because they were higher than our projections," said Nusmeier. The company's management board will pay dividends of PLN 30 per share. At the end of 2004 Zywiec closed the process of integrating its operational activity with Brau Union Poland. "In Q2 this year we are going to buy from Brau Union a brewery in Bydgoszcz, which will be the very end of the consolidation," disclosed Nusmeier. He refused to provide any sales projection for this year. "I can only say that if the weather is good we can assume that the firm will close 2005 with positive financial results," he said.

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