Brazil brewery, Companhia de Bebidas das Americas SA (AmBev) sued its competitor Shincariol as its market share continues to slide in favour of Schincariol. AmBev has seen its market share drop steadily since Schincariol rolled out its Nova Schin brand in late August. In June, AmBev held 70% of Brazil’s market but, according to Dow Jones, that has slipped to 63.8% in October.

AmBev filed a complaint with the civil court after Schincariol ads showed a blindfolded taster choose its new brew over a selection of AmBev brands. The court found in favour of AmBev and banned the advert this week.

As AmBev’s share of Brazil's beer market, the fourth largest in the world, drops with each month, Schincariol saw its beer volumes rise in October to 14.1%, up from 11.5% last month and 9.7% in June. This growth is on the back of a million-dollar advertising campaign built around the simple statement, "Try it!" AmBev missed sales volumes targets in the third quarter of 2003.

21 November, 2003