Portugal: Unicer to close brewery

In line with its restructuring plan Unicer in Portugal will close its brewery in Loulé in Southern Portugal at latest by the end of this year, according to Carlsberg’s press release, October 3. The closure affects 65 employees.

Unicer is taking this process of restructure as a way to gain continued improvements in productivity which supports the reinforcement of its competitiveness and reassures its sustained growth.
Loule’s brewery has a capacity of 400.000 hl and it represents 7% of the total beer production of Unicer.

Unicer also has two other breweries in Santarém and Leça do Balio which have the capacity to ensure all future production needs. Unicer has a rapid growing export volume and transport costs from Leça do Balio and Santarém for overseas shipping and to the rest of Europe are much more cost-effective.

About Unicer:

Unicer is the biggest company within the brewing sector in Portugal, operating with beer, water, softdrinks, wine and coffee. The shareholding structure is settled by the Viacer Consortium, holding 56% and Carlsberg holding 44%. Employing around 2000 workers Unicer closed 2006 books with a revenue of € 440 m, representing a growth of 9% of 2005.

Carlsberg is one of the leading brewing groups in the world, with a large portfolio of beer and soft drinks brands. Its flagship brand – Carlsberg – is one of the fastest-growing and best-known beer brands in the world. More than 30,000 people work for Carlsberg at 92 local production sites in 48 countries, and its products are sold in more than 150 markets. In 2006 Carlsberg sold more than 100 million hectolitres of beer, which is about 83 million bottles of beer a day.

03 October, 2007