South Africa: SABMiller expected to sell up to 10 mln beers during the World Cup

SABMiller will provide beer at fan parks during the 2010 Fifa soccer World Cup, after reaching an agreement with the organisers of the month long tournament in South Africa, Reuters communicated on March, 24.

The decision will enable SABMiller's South Africa unit to sell between 8-10 million beers, which will account for 40,000-50,000 hectolitres of beer.

"We will be supplying Castle Lager and Castle Lite in the fan zones and there will be some level of product identification on the packaging," SABMiller's spokesperson Nigel Fairbrass said.

The decision follows soccer World Cup sponsor Anheuser-Busch InBev's Budweiser to give up some of its rights at fan parks as part of a strategic decision to focus its beer presence in stadiums at this year's finals.

Budweiser is one of the main sponsors of the soccer spectacular, giving it exclusive rights to sell beer at FIFA venues, while rival SABMiller is the biggest supplier to the local market.

Organisers expect more than 400,000 foreign fans in South Africa for the tournament which starts on June 11, while tens of thousands of local supporters are expected to watch games at fan parks across the country.

SABMiller is putting in place measures to ensure that there is enough capacity to supply beer to the country during the tournament.

The company said it would increase its brewing in April and May ahead of the event to ensure there was reserve stock.

24 March, 2010