E-Malt.com News article: Republic of Moldova: Foster’s will be sold on a new market in Europe

Baltika Breweries has received an exclusive license to sell Foster’s beer in the Republic of Moldova, according to Russian Beer Union, January 23.

The first shipment of Foster’s beer has already been unloaded and will appear in sale in the Republic in January. Foster’s will be positioned in the Republic in the premium segment. Baltika has been supplying beer to the Moldova market since 2000. The entire line-up of the Baltika brand is already represented in the country, as well as other Company brands including Arsenalnoye, Zhigulevskoye and Nevskoye, and the licensed brands Tuborg, Carlsberg and Kronenbourg 1664.

Baltika Breweries began producing Foster’s beer at its St. Petersburg brewery in November 2004 under a license agreement with Foster’s European Partnership. The right to introduce the new brand on the Moldova market was granted to Baltika as a result of its successful promotion of Foster’s in Russia and the effective sales strategy of other brands in foreign markets, in particular in the Republic of Moldova. During the first three quarters of 2007, sales growth in neighbouring countries amounted to + 23% compared to the same period in 2006. In Moldova sales for the first 9 months of 2007 were 82% greater than during this period in 2006.

Foster’s has acquired a new look in Russia thanks to innovations introduced by Baltika: the label and shape of the bottle changed. The effective strategy for building the Foster`s brand was recognized by a silver prize at the prestigious BRAND OF THE YEAR/EFFIE competition in 2006; by a bronze medal in the category “Integrated Communications” at the professional competition of advertising and design, the ADCR Awards; and by a gold medal in the category “Advertising Campaigns” at the Kiev Advertising Festival in 2006. Baltika achieved a high level of sales for Foster’s in Russia: in 2006 alone, sales of Foster’s grew by 112% compared to 2005. Sales of Foster’s in neighbouring countries have been no less successful: in Belarus, sales of Foster’s grew by 68 % over the first 9 months of 2007, and in Kazakhstan there was a 17% growth in sales.

Foster`s first appeared in Australia in 1888, when it was created by the Foster brothers, who settled in the city of Melbourne and built a brewery where they developed an ideal product for hot Australia – a light, pale and refreshing beer. Today Foster’s is one of the most quickly growing international premium class brands. It is produced at 20 breweries in Australia, America, Europe and Asia. It is sold in more than 150 countries around the world. In 2004, Foster’s was produced for the first time in Russia. In 2006, Foster’s was filled in a new type of packaging – a 0.45 litre bottle, which is the best selling packaging on the market, stylish and with an easy-to-open ring cap.


23 January, 2008