Romania: Ursus Breweries to transform the recently acquired Azuga beer into a successful national brand

Ursus Breweries, SABMiller’s Romanian subsidiary, will halt production at its Azuga factory, which it took over about four months ago, and will transfer it to other company units, Standard.ro cited Ursus officials on May, 13.

“The Azuga beer must switch from a local brand to a successful national brand. This means new quality standards, in accordance with those of Ursus Breweries, and a high production volume. Due to the current technical situation and the low production capacity, with no possibility of increasing it, we will have to stop production at the Azuga beer factory,” the company’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Diana Klusch, said.

Ursus Breweries acquired 71 percent of the Bere Azuga on the RASDAQ over-the-counter stock market, at the end of January, for €7.15 million. Bere Azuga has an estimated market share of 0.6 percent, and owns the Azuga and Valea Prahovei beer brands.

The Romanian beer market registered a 4.1 hike in 2008, to 20.2 mln hectolitres, according to the Brewers of Romania Association. Main players on the market are Heineken, Ursus Breweries, InBev, United Romanian Breweries Bereprod, European Drinks, and Romaqua.

13 May, 2009