Re Agreement
August 26 2003 - 5:00AM
UK Regulatory
BW20030826002002 20030826T080009Z UTC
( BW)(ANHEUSER-BUSCH)(AHB) Re Agreement
Business Editors
UK REGULATORY NEWS
MILAN, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 2003--
Budweiser Partners With Heineken In Italy; Heineken Italia Will
Brew, Market and Distribute the King of Beers
Anheuser-Busch Europe Ltd. (NYSE: BUD) and Heineken Italia S.p.A. have
reached a licensing agreement that will allow Heineken to brew, market
and distribute Anheuser-Busch's flagship brand under the "Budweiser"
and "Bud" trademarks in Italy. It is anticipated that the agreement
will take effect on November 11, 2003.
Budweiser, King of Beers, is the world's best-selling beer and has
been brewed and marketed under license in Italy since 1995. The brand
is well distributed in both on-premise and off-premise accounts and
has enjoyed steady growth reaching a strong position among premium
beers sold in Italy.
"We are delighted with the agreement with Anheuser-Busch allowing us
to add Budweiser to our product portfolio, as Italian consumers have
shown their appreciation for this beer since its arrival in our
country. The power of this brand will further enrich the range of
products we offer to our clients," said Massimo von Wunster, managing
director, Heineken Italia S.p.A.
"Heineken will be an excellent partner for Anheuser-Busch in Italy,
and we look forward to working with them to grow the Budweiser brand,"
said Andrew Day, vice president and managing director, Anheuser-Busch
Europe Ltd. "Italy continues to be an important market for our
company, and we're excited about this new partnership."
The agreement will be subject to approval by the Autorita Garante
della Concorrenza e del Mercato.
Birra Peroni Industriale S.p.A. has locally brewed, packaged and
distributed the Budweiser brand in Italy since 1995. Anheuser-Busch
and Peroni have agreed to end their partnership in November, due to
Peroni's recent ownership change.
Heineken is among the leading beer producers in the world; it employs
approximately 48,000 people and produces 108.9 million hectoliters of
beer. Its total turnover is approximately 10.3 billion Euros and its
net profit is 795 million Euros (2002 figures). The Heineken brand is
sold in more than 170 countries while the Heineken Group is present in
more than 60 countries with 110 production sites.
Heineken Italia S.p.A. has been doing business in Italy since 1974,
when it bought Birra Dreher S.p.A., a company that was founded in
Vienna in 1773. The company first entered the Italian market in 1865
when it opened its first brewery in Trieste. In 1996 Heineken Italia
S.p.A. acquired Birra Moretti S.p.A. reaching its current operational
dimensions. At present it employs 1,060 people, operates in Italy with
six production sites, produces and commercializes 5.5 million
hectoliters of beer and has gross consolidated turnover of 938.4
million Euros (2002 figures).
Anheuser-Busch is based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Its Budweiser
brand is the world's best-selling beer, locally brewed in 10 countries
and sold in more than 80 others worldwide. Anheuser-Busch is the
world's largest brewer and holds a leading world market share of 11
percent, including Anheuser-Busch's proportional share of its
international equity partners' brands. Anheuser-Busch reported
worldwide beer volume of 128.8 million hectoliters (109.8 million
barrels) in 2002, up 2.3 percent for the year. Pro-rated volume of its
partners' brands was 21.2 million hectoliters (18.1 million barrels),
giving Anheuser-Busch a combined volume of 150.0 million hectoliters
(127.9 million barrels) in 2002.
Short Name: Anheuser-Busch Cos
Category Code: AGR
Sequence Number: 00008857
Time of Receipt (offset from UTC): 20030825T223122+0100
--30--CB/na* SS/ny
CONTACT: Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
Tara Gray, 314-577-9667
tara.gray@anheuser-busch.com
or
Paul Byrne, (353) 086-811-5533 (mobile) or 314-577-9934
paul.byrne@anheuser-busch.com
or
Responsabile Relazioni Esterne Heineken Italia
Carla Sacchi, (39) 02-2707-6347
carla_sacchi@heinekenitalia.it
KEYWORD: MISSOURI ITALY UNITED KINGDOM INTERNATIONAL EUROPE
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RETAIL FOODS/BEVERAGES MARKETING AGREEMENTS
SOURCE: Anheuser-Busch Cos
Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet
with Hyperlinks to your home page.
URL: http://www.businesswire.com