E-Malt.com News article: World: Global beer companies will raise beer prices that will help compensate the impact of falling sales

World’s major brewers are planning to raise beer prices in the coming months. Analysts, however, express doubts about the ability of some companies to implement these planned increases, while others point to the concentration of some markets, like the U.S., as a favourable factor to a more aggressive price policy.

During the first half of the year, the ability to impose higher prices or at least keep them in the levels of previous quarters helped compensate the impact of falling sales caused by the economic crisis.

In the U.S., MillerCoors InBev and AB - joint venture (partnership) between SABMiller and Molson Coors - are hoping to raise prices starting at the end of this month.

The total volume sold by the AB InBev, the parent of AmBev in Brazil fell 1.1% in the second quarter compared with same period of 2008.

Even in European markets, where concentration is lower than in the U.S., breweries seem to find room to think about new adjustments in the near future, although they also keep registering weak sales.



09 September, 2009