Introduction of Sol to SA part of Heineken’s plan to boost market share
HEINEKEN’S recent introduction of Sol Mexican lager to SA forms part of a plan to boost its market share in a market dominated by soon-to-be-acquired SABMiller.The Dutch brewer brought Sol to SA in September and planned to add more premium brands here, country head Ruud van den Eijnden said on Tuesday. Growth would also be achieved through established brands such as Heineken, Amstel and Windhoek, he said."South Africans love premium beers, with 39% drinking them on a regular basis," Van den Eijnden said. South Africans spent more than R103bn buying beer in 2015, an increase of 9.1% from a year earlier, according to researcher Euromonitor International.Heineken took full control of its South African operations in April after dissolving a joint venture with Diageo. Its share of SA’s beer market had remained at about 10% over the past five years, dwarfed by SABMiller’s 80%. SAB’s imminent takeover by Anheuser-Busch InBev would give the brewer access to more global brands and make compe...
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