Chile: CCU sales increased by 10.2% in the second quarter 2005

The largest Chilean beer maker, Compania Cervecerias Unidas SA (CCU), announced on July 06 that its total sales volumes for the second quarter of the year increased by 10.3% year-on-year.

Total sales (in Chile and Argentina) reached 2,349,482 hectolitres in the quarter and 5,806,978hls for the first six months, up 10.2% on the first half last year.

On the domestic market sales, were up 10.6% in the second quarter. First quarter sales had jumped 10.5%, when they were reported earlier in the year. Sales of the company’s products in Argentina were up 8.3% in the quarter, following a strong first quarter of 8% growth.

On July 7 Compania Cervecerias Unidas (CCU) was upgraded from neutral to overweight by JP Morgan. On July 8 its shares increased by 1.48% to $24.66.

Compania Cervecerias Unidas, or CCU, is investing $90 million this year to expand production capacity and increase output of beer, soft drinks, juices and mineral water. Over three years, the company plans to invest $250 million.

When Chileans say "mas cerveza, por favor," they're usually asking for Cristal, Escudo, or another beer from Compañía Cervecerías Unidas (CCU). The firm also brews Cordoba, Dorada, and Rosario beers in Argentina and produces or distributes foreign beers, including those of Anheuser-Busch , Diageo (Guinness), Heineken, and Paulaner. CCU also bottles wine, mineral water, and soft drinks; it is Chile's bottler of PepsiCo drinks, Crush, Seven Up, and Squirt, and Watt's nectars. The brewer owns interest in the Croatian brewer Karlovacka Pivovara. Inversiones y Rentas, half owned by Chile's Luksic family, owns about 60% of CCU. Anheuser-Busch owns about 20%.