E-Malt.com News article: India: SABMiller India to innovate in new access points to its beer

SABMiller India, the second largest brewer in the country, is eyeing innovative access points to sell more beers in the next 12-18 months using the relaxation and emotional connects, Financial Chronicle posted on July, 11.

Along with Vijay Mallya owned United Breweries, SABMiller controls about 80 per cent of the Indian beer market which, according to market research firm International Wine and Spirit Record, sold around 181.5 million cases in 2009.

"Our current portfolio in India has well-known brands such as Haywards, Fosters, Indus Pride, Peroni, Royal Challenge premium lager and Knock Out. We plan to innovate on creating new access points for Indian beer consumers. There are about 15,000 people per outlet in India compared to 300 people in Europe,” said Derek Jones, director - marketing, SABMiller India.

With so many customers in every outlet, the quality of engagement dips and does not create a suitable environment for responsible drinking, Jones, who has worked in the UK-based SABMiller's Czech, Russian and South African operations, added.

This is also where the opportunity lies in ramping up the current beer consumption, which stands at 1.2-1.3 litres per capita. "Relaxation and emotional connects like Bollywood and sports are big passion here. This is where activations like F-Row (a separate row in Inox), Dominos tie-up for home-parties and swimming pool party engagements (Australian barbeque) create an environment for alcohol consumption. Currently, sports stadium environments don't allow consumption but in future things might change, creating fresh access points," the marketing head, whose previous assignments include P&G and British Petroleum, said. He declined to give specifics of new initiatives.

The company is evaluating the market to see which of its international brands can be launched in India. Apart from Peroni, SABMiller has three other global brands like Grolsch, Miller Genuine Draft and Pilsner Urquell.

Recently, global beer brands such as Carlsberg and Heineken have forayed into the Indian market. "However, we don't see any imminent threat from them as we enjoy first mover's advantage and stronger brand recall in India," said Jones.

SABMiller India, which owns 10 breweries in the country, may also be exploring brewing options in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Diu & Daman and Goa, but nothing has been firmed up as yet, he added.



14 July, 2010