SABMILLER PLC 
By 29 January 2013
Plze?, January 25, 2013 - Plze?ský Prazdroj exported 920 000 hectolitres of beer in 2012; it represents an increase of almost 3% and exceeds 900 000 hl for the first time in history. The record sales abroad were positively influenced by higher demand for Pilsner Urquell in Asian countries and in the United Kingdom. In the domestic market, the sales went up in the off-trade segment, benefiting from innovations such as convenient packaging or mixed beer-based drinks. The continuing outflow of consumers from restaurants and bars affected the overall domestic sales, reaching over 6.8 million hl. With licenced production of 2.10 million hl, Plze?ský Prazdroj sold in total almost 9.9 million hl of beer, matching last year's performance.
"Domestic market saw recovery mainly through innovations in the portfolio. However, domestic consumption has been impacted by continuous declining trends in the on-trade, resulting from economic and government austerities. Further development of the Czech beer market will be influenced by the recent VAT increase and subsequent shopping decisions made by consumers. We will continue to build our unique Czech beer culture by offering high quality products to satisfy our consumers' demands, bringing great shopping experiences when purchasing our beer in retail and creating pleasant and favourable environments in designed concepts of bars and restaurants across the Czech Republic," says Doug Brodman, CEO of Plze?ský Prazdroj.
New record in export charts
Despite the continually challenging economic situation in many export markets, the demand for beer brands of Plze?ský Prazdroj in 2012 grew to a new historical record. Export of Pilsner Urquell to more than 50 countries went up by 3% compared to last year. Marketing activities during the whole year and successful presentation of the Pilsner Urquell brand during the Olympic Games in London raised sales in the United Kingdom by more than 20%. Consumers in South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Taiwan showed higher interest in Pilsner Urquell, so the total export of this lager in the Asian region grew by more than 50%.
Increase in off-trade benefited from innovations
In the domestic market, sales in off-trade increased by a single digit percentage, mainly through successful innovations such as mixed beer-based drinks and convenient packaging like cans and PET bottles. This partially compensated for the continually declining trend in the on-trade segment. In 2012, Plze?ský Prazdroj introduced numbers of new products, such as mixed beers with fruit juices Gambrinus Lime & Elderberry and Gambrinus Sharp lemon, a wheat beer with peal of orange and coriander called Fénix, Frisco Blackcurrant or Birell Lime & Raspberry flavour and offered beer brands in convenient packaging. In addition, Plzensky Prazdroj developed, in close cooperation with partner Interspar, a new concept of Beer world, which sets new standards for a beer shopping experience and match the uniqueness of the beer category's position in the Czech Republic. In the on-trade segment, the company introduced our new brands and continued to offer unfiltered beer in a broader number of pubs.
Notes for editors
- With total sales of almost 9.9 million hectolitres in 2012 (including licenced production abroad) and exports to more than 50 countries around the world, Plze?ský Prazdroj is a major beer producer in the region and the largest exporter of Czech beer.
- Plze?ský Prazdroj, a.s. is a member of SABMiller plc. Pilsner Urquell is the international flagship of the SABMiller brand portfolio.
- SABMiller plc is one of the world's largest brewers, with brewing interests or distribution agreements in over 60 countries across six continents. The SABMiller brand portfolio consists of international brands such as Pilsner Urquell, Miller Genuine Draft, Grolsch, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, as well as many other successful regional brands.
This SABMiller subsidiary news release has been translated from its local market language to English language for publication on www.sabmiller.com. We have attempted to provide an accurate translation of the original material but due to the difficulties of translation slight differences may exist.
Note, the news release was first published in its local market on 25th January 2013.
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