SABMiller Drives UK Growth With Imported Beers

23 May 2013 --- SABMiller announces that its UK subsidiary, Miller Brands, has delivered lager volume growth of 4% in the 12 months to 31 March 2013. This is despite poor weather, which contributed to an overall decline in the UK beer market of 5.1% over the same period. Miller Brands’ growth was achieved through a continued focus on its portfolio of imported lagers, including Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft, St Stefanus, Lech and Tyskie.

In particular, the business grew volumes of SABMiller’s global brand from the Czech Republic, Pilsner Urquell, by 10% during the year.

Brewed in Pilzen, west of the Czech capital, Prague, Pilsner Urquell is the world’s first and oldest pilsner lager. As interest in world beers continues to grow among British drinkers, the Miller Brands team drove a campaign based around Pilsner Urquell’s unique taste profile and its heritage. The business has enjoyed great success in building and growing the Peroni Nastro Azzurro brand in the UK and intends to deliver similar results with the Pilsner Urquell brand.

Miller Brands Managing Director, Gary Haigh, says:
“Beer drinkers in the UK have the luxury of thousands of brands to choose from and hundreds of thousands of pubs, bars and restaurants in which to enjoy them. To stand out in a noisy market, we must respond to consumers’ demands as they are increasingly looking for brands with a story, heritage and interesting provenance. Each of the beers we import to the UK has these qualities in abundance but as the original pilsner, none more so than Pilsner Urquell.”

During the course of the year, Pilsner Urquell was made available to consumers as it is served in Czech: unfiltered, unpasteurised and direct from the brewery at a series of pop-up events. At the 2012 Taste of London Festival 4,700 pints of unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell were served from a giant wooden barrel which was brought across from Czech. Around 150 traditional oak barrels, each serving a limited brewery release of unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell, were also brought over during the course of the year for special tasting events at which a total of over 10,000 pints were served. Most recently a new fount and branded glassware in the form of a newly-designed tankard helped the strong growth in the on-premise market and are expected to drive further growth in the year ahead.