Bulgaria: Beer sales gain 16% in January-May 2006

Beer sales jumped by 16.5% month-on-month to 535,574 hectoliters in May, according to data released by the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB), Dnevnik communicated June 13.

The market expanded by 14.7% year-on-year in May. The local beer makers tallied sales of 1.65 mln hl for January-May 2006, up 16.6% year-on-year. The UBB data is inconclusive because it does not reflect the performance of locally-owned brewer Ledenika&MM.

Kamenitza AD, owned by Belgium's InBev, the world's biggest brewer by volume, had a marginal lead on Zagorka in May, moving 174,743 hectoliters versus 173,685 hectoliters for its Heineken-owned rival.

Zagorka, in turn, leads Kamenitza in the January-May sales rankings by 500 hectoliters.
Carlsberg Bulgaria is a solid third-placer both in the May and in YTD sales charts.