The biggest football event in the world is expected to give beer companies a brief spike in sales at a time when the industry is facing sluggish demand.
To take full advantage of the potential of the tournament, SABMiller’s subsidiary South African Breweries (SAB Ltd) enlisted the help of Crown to develop new beer packaging that would ease queues at busy bars without compromising on the drinking experience.
Full aperture
The result is a can with a full aperture end that allows the entire lid to be removed, turning the can into a drinking cup. According to SABMiller, this removes the need for glassware and draught installations.
“The new full aperture end provides an exciting alternative to traditional cans and glass bottles that are typically prohibited at stadiums and arenas around the world,” said Chris Homfray, president of the European division at Crown. “Consumers can now drink directly from the container, streamlining the serving process by eliminating the need for pouring beverages into plastic cups.”
The new can was developed specifically for the World Cup. Although it has potential to be used at other sporting or outdoor events, a SAB Miller spokesperson said there were no plans at present to roll it out more widely.
World Cup boost
With 400,000 people expected to visit South Africa in June for the World Cup, SAB Miller is anticipating a 4-6 per cent increase in demand for beer in the country during the tournament. The company has not put any figure on how it expects the tournament to affect demand globally but some sort of boost is anticipated.
Shares in a SAB Miller took a hit last week after its full year profit figures fell narrowly short of expectations. Profit before tax dropped slightly to $2.93bn while group revenue, which included sales from a joint venture in North America with Molson Coors, rose to $26.35bn from $25.30bn a year earlier. North America, Latin America, and South Africa were the main sources of growth as European and Asian sales struggled over the year.