UBL eyes 25% share in imported beer market in next 18 months

NEW DELHI: United Breweries Ltd (UBL) is targeting to capture 25 per cent share in imported beer market in India in the next 18 months by introducing global brands from the portfolio of its promoter Heineken NV.
The Bengaluru-based company has introduced in India five brands -- Sol, Edelweiss, Affligem, Dos Equis and Desperados -- from Heineken's stable in select cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

It also plans to sell these brands in Goa, Gurgaon, Chandigarh and Pune later.

"We are targeting half a million cases (annually) in the imported beer market, which is around 25 per cent market share of this segment, in next 18 months," UBL Senior VP - Marketing Samar Singh Sheikhawat told PTI.

Imported beer is a niche market at the moment in India but is growing rapidly driven by affluent consumers in top metro markets, he added.

"This was a gap in our portfolio as we do not have a solution for those kinds of customers...(but) we have realised that Heineken has a massive range globally and we can tap in this very easily," Sheikhawat said.

Heineken NV is a promoter of UBL, which also brews the Heineken beer brand in India.

UBL has high expectation from Mexican brand Sol and French beer Desperados. While Edelweiss is an Austrian wheat beer, Affligem has roots in Belgian and Dos Equis in Mexico.

"The imported beers are shipped from Singapore but they are manufactured in the different parts of the world," he said.

According to Sheikhawat, the imported beer market is about 2 million cases a year with Corona leading the market with 950,000 cases. UBL's current share in this segment is negligible.

Other brands in the segment that are available in India include Hoegaarden, Stella Artois, Leffe and Erdinger.