1. Home
  2. Beer in UK Forum
  3. InBev want to be world's best brewer . . .

InBev want to be world's best brewer . . .

"We are the world's largest brewer by volume, and our opportunity is to be the best. By best, I mean we want to have the highest profit margin of anybody in the business. That means taking our profit margin from 25 to 30 per cent [i.e. above Anheuser-Busch's margin] in the next three years or so. That's where we're aiming to go and we're convinced we can get there with our strategy of brand development, portfolio management, cost reduction and targeted M&A."

so says John Brock, CEO of Inbev (formerly Interbrew & AmBev, owners of Skol, Rolling Rock, Bass, Boddies, Stella, Becks, Whitbread, Hoegaarden, BelleVue, Labatts, plus SouthAmerican brands such as Brahma) at (v long url from telegraph business section)

formatting link
$2&sSheet=/money/2005/02/06/ixcoms.html

Ah, and there was me thinking that the "world's best brewer" might maybe make the "world's best beer", but no, it apparently means "charge more for cack beer than anyone else on the planet" priceless logic.

In the whole interview, (chockful of big business toss-speak as above) published 2 days after the last brew, there was no mention of the end of Boddies 220+ year history, and the job cuts. Did it not occur to either intereviewer or interviewee? ho hum, cheers, MikeMcG.

Reply to
MikeMcG
Loading thread data ...

In message , MikeMcG writes

This is the reality behind similar claims that raising the price of beer will push the quality up. No, it will push the profit margin up for all the middlemen, in particular the bar owners pushing hardest for this idea.

Its *literally impossible* to be too cynical about the businessmen involved in the beer industry ;(

Reply to
Paul Shirley

I'm amazed that he actually said that. We all know that's what the dreadful gits running megabreweries actually think, but they're usually too circumspect to say so in public.

formatting link

Best regards, Paul

-- Paul Sherwin Consulting

formatting link

Reply to
Paul Sherwin

That said, I have heard similar calls from some members of the craft-brewing sector too, i.e. that by charging less than stella(r) prices for their beer, micros & good regionals are undervaluing their fine products, which to some customers might seem that the beers are less good or valuable than some (ahem) *reassuringly expensive* cacky lagers, or passable nitrokeg stouts, etc.

I can see the point, but I think pricing should be fair, not necessarily cheap at the expense of the brewers, but fair to all involved in producing, transporting, retailing and drinking the beer. That rarely happens today IMO.

agreed, but how often do we give them our money (outside of maybe drinking good beer in big brewery & big pubco pubs?) cheers MikeMcG

Reply to
MikeMcG

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.