E-Malt.com News article: India: United Breweries to expand two of its premium brands to new markets

United Breweries, India's largest beer and liquor major, said it would soon expand its presence in new markets with its premier brands Kingfisher Ultra and Kingfisher Red, IBNLive reported on October, 30.

"The Kingfisher Ultra, which is our super premium mild beer brand, will be extended. It is currently available in 11-12 markets and we will be expanding it to 15-20 markets," UB Group Vice-President for Sales & Marketing Samar Singh Shekhawat said.

"The Kingfisher Red, a premium strong beer brand, is currently available in the North and the East. In the next 12 months we will see both the West and the South getting covered," he said.

The company recently launched locally brewed and bottled global beer brand Heineken from its brewery at Taloja, near here, Shekhawat said. Heineken and the UB Group had inked an agreement in 2008 and started selling the imported beer in the country a year ago. The product is at present available in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Banaglore, Kolkata and Goa. The locally brewed Heineken will be available in about 15 cities in the next two years.

The domestic beer market is 230 million cases per annum, of which 80 percent is strong beer and the rest is mild super-premium category, it is estimated.

"Of all the premium mild beer market, where Heineken is available, it has got 4 to 5 percent market share in the premium mild beer market," Shekhawat said.



02 November, 2011