Brazil's AmBev, the world's No. 5 brewer, said on February 16 it had regained a small share of Brazil's beer market in January but had not yet recovered what it lost in the fourth quarter, according to Reuters. Quoting data by market researcher AC Nielsen, Companhia de Bebidas das Americas (AmBev) said it gained 1.1 percentage points of the market share to end January with 64.3 %. But that was still less than the 66.1 % market share it held at the end of September and much less than the 70.1 % share it controlled at the end of June.

AmBev has seen its market share squeezed by rivals, particularly local brewer Schincariol, which reinvented itself with the Nova Schin brand last year and won new customers with a hefty marketing drive urging Brazilians to "Try it". Ambev, which makes the lion's share of its revenues from beer sales in Brazil, said the AC Nielsen numbers showed Schincariol's market share had slipped to end January at 14.1 % from 15.2 % at the end of last year. AmBev said each percentage point of market share was equivalent to 100 million reais ($34.4 million) in sales.

A press spokeswoman for AmBev said the AC Nielsen data showed Kaiser, the main Brazilian beer brand of Canada's Molson Inc., saw its market share rise to 9.6 % in January from 9.4 % at the end of last year.

Shares for AmBev, which posts its first quarter results on March 3, were almost 1 % higher at 730 reais in mid-afternoon trade in Brazil. The country's Bovespa stock index was 1.9 % in the red at the time.

The company dominates the Brazilian beer market with brands like Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, and Bohemia.

18 February, 2004