Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Oct 08, 2002
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Oct 08, 2002 |
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Marketing
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Strategy SAB to uncork Castle Lager in Bangalore Boby Kurian
BANGALORE, Oct. 7 SOUTH African Breweries (SAB) is expected to uncork its flagship brand, Castle Lager, in the city towards the end of this month. The global brewer has been upgrading its local plant, Mysore Breweries, to gear up for the launch. SAB India officials remained tight-lipped on launch details even as they admitted that plans were afoot to bring the beer to Bangalore, the home turf of the leading Indian brewer, United Breweries (UB). When contacted, Mr Vinod Giri, Head (Marketing & Sales), SAB India said: `No date has been finalised yet." Bangalore is likely to be the fourth major market for Castle Lager after its foray into New Delhi, Mumbai and Goa earlier this year. Reliable trade sources said SAB would price its flagship brand competitively against UB's Kingfisher Premium Lager. Currently, Kingfisher has a near monopoly in Bangalore's mild beer market. Kingfisher accounts for close to 70 per cent of the mild beer sales in the country. In the past, many premium international brands have tried to gain a foothold in Bangalore's beer market. This includes names such as San Miguel and Foster's. While San Miguel has withdrawn from the market, Foster's remains a fringe player in some premium restaurants and clubs. Both San Miguel and Foster's were handicapped by the lack of local brewing facilities. The industry sources said Castle Lager might put up a better fight mainly on account of the distribution strength of Mysore Breweries. It must be mentioned that SAB took over Mysore Breweries on June last year. Knock Out, a high alcohol content beer from Mysore Breweries, is the only brand, which has sustained itself against UB's relentless onslaught on rivals. However, Kingfisher has retained its market share and not faced serious threat from Castle Lager in Delhi, Mumbai and Goa markets. The entry of Castle Lager comes at a time when the Karnataka beer market has reported moderate eight to nine per cent growth in the first half of the ongoing financial year.
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