Solid growth for Grolsch
Grolsch lift its share of an otherwise sluggish Dutch market.
Strong performances in the UK also contributed to a 6.6 per cent
rise in turnover during the half.
Dutch brewer Grolsch has reported a 6.6 per cent rise in turnover to €138.4 million for the first half of the year, pushing up net profits by 5.7 per cent to €11.9 million and operating profits by 12.9 per cent to €16.3 million.
Grolsch said that there had been little change in the Dutch beer market during the half, although the company's market share increased slightly due to the launch of the new Zinniz beer brand in April and to sustained growth in the on-trade sector.
On export markets, sales were higher in the UK but down in the US because of a change of importer. Other core markets showed growth, and Grolsch's third-party brewing operations also performed well, offsetting a poor performance in Portugal where there were heavy start-up losses.
For the year as a whole, the company predicted domestic sales volumes in line with those of 201, despite poor weather in July and August, mainly because of the additional volumes from Zinniz, a fresh, fruit-flavoured beer brand tailored for younger drinkers. The company is planning a major marketing campaign for Zinniz in the second half. The UK is also expected to continue to grow throughout the second half, while a turnaround is expected in the US. There will also be strong growth in Canada following the recent distribution deal with Sleeman, the company said.
