E-Malt.com News article: Nigeria: Consolidated Breweries counts gains, applauds distributors

The management team of Consolidated Breweries Plc must certainly be beating their chests for the company’s outstanding performance in the past financial year, Business Day reported April 10.

Available figures indicate that the brewing company recorded improvements in all indexes of growth.

Managing director, Nico Pinotsis, while sharing the company’s business plan for 2008 with major distributors at a conference held in Owerri last week, indicated that 2007 was a very good year for Consolidated Breweries Plc and her business partners.

“The successful quality upgrade and re-launch of both “33” Export and Hi-Malt in 2006 resulted in a significant market share gain. In 2007, the positive impact of the successful re-launches enabled these two brands consolidate on their dominance in their respective segments. In parallel, a lot of effort was put on production and logistic improvements as well as outlet activation programmes. The result of the aforementioned activities enabled the company to end the year on a laudable note with outstanding performance over the entire market,” he said.

According to him, “33” Export is indeed the third largest lager brand nationwide and undoubtedly the clear leader in the value-for-money segment of the market.” He added that Hi-malt also gained significant shares and was being patronised by more consumers in the same value-for-money segment.

Pinotsis told the distributors that Turbo King, the new dark ale brand introduced in the East last year, took significant shares in the stout market in some areas and was going to be introduced soon in other regions. Its introduction, according to him, enabled the company and distributors to provide a full portfolio of brands to consumers, thus making it more rewarding doing business with Consolidated Breweries Plc.

”In 2008, a year that looks even more promising than 2007, extra effort will be made to sustain the growth momentum for the benefit of all company stakeholders and ultimately to satisfy our consumers,” noted the general manager –commercial, Philippe El-Bez.
The company announced additional incentives for distributors per category, a gesture that put smiles on all distributors present.

Even more delightful to the distributors was the fact that they were rewarded with mouth-watering prizes such as delivery trucks, credit notes and certificates worth millions of Naira.
This year, all distributors in each category were rewarded with credit notes for empties and/or liquid content only of varying values.

Distributors were also rewarded for long service in the distribution of the company’s products.
The managing director’s prize for outstanding growth in 2007 was awarded per category with a total of four winners emerging. The 1st prize was a 3.5 ton 300 crates capacity fully branded delivery truck, credit note & certificate which was won by Edmund Uzoma. The second place prize went to Cemek Group, while J.O. Egwumba & L.E. Obi won third and fourth place prizes respectively. They all were given credit notes and certificates.

The high point of the conference was the raffle draw in which the star prize was another 3.5 ton, 300 crates capacity fully branded delivery truck. 3 LX125-2 Loncin motorcycles and 2 HP 6720 model laptops were also won.


11 April, 2008