The beer teams are getting ready for kick-off

In 2013 the beer market reacted with a 5-percent decline in volume sales to the 10-percent excise duty increase. Especially mainstream brands suffered as demand shifted towards economically priced products.

According to Jan-Willem van Wensem, marketing and trade marketing director of Heineken Hungária Breweries Zrt., the first quarter of 2014 was better and the company hopes that the football World Cup will bring increased consumption. Péter Unyatinszki, trade marketing manager with Borsodi Brewery told our magazine that there would be no increase in excise duty (which is already the highest in the region) this year and this could also result in sales growth. Not only economy beers improved their market positions but flavoured versions as well – at the same time the mainstream and premium categories performed worse than before. Premium brand manufacturers try to make their beers more affordable by introducing new product sizes, for instance 0.4- and 0.25-litre Heineken have appeared on store shelves. Ádám Szabó, brand manager at Pécsi Brewery Zrt. informed our magazine that the segment of flavoured beers is evening up in terms of both price and packaging; as for marketing, everyone is trying to position their brands upwards. PARADOR Kft. specialises in importing beer. Managing director Judit Schiff told Trade magazin that ales, IPAs and bock beers are more and more popular and limbic beers also appeared in the market. She spoke about how the term ‘artisan’ is being used for all kinds of beer, from poor quality home-made brews to premium specialties. PARADOR distributes really special artisan beers made in Denmark, the UK, Austria, Belgium and Estonia, such as Schremser Brewery’s ORGANIC Rye Beer or Hemp Beer. ALAKOR ORGANIC Beer is made by Körös-Maros Biofarm Kft.: alakor (einkorn wheat) is a 10,000-year-old wheat variety and the beer made from it is halfway between artisan and mass-produced beers. ALAKOR has only been available in shops for 1.5-2 months and the company would like to sell 100,000 bottles by the end of the year – we learned from sales director Attila Fodor. In 2014 the HEINEKEN Hungária put the alcohol-fee Soproni Lime-Mint and 2-percent abv Soproni Apricot on the market. In the cider segment Strongbow’s Red Berries version was added to the portfolio at the end of last year, while this year ushered in Strongbow Elder, a cider that is already very popular among consumers. Borsodi was the first to introduce the segment of mainstream flavoured beer mixes in Hungary and this plan worked out really well because the category is stable and popular. After last year’s great success, Borsodi Blackcurrant-Lime, this year the alcohol-free version of the same product appears in stores. Borsodi Friss Raspberry also makes its debut among flavoured beer mixes. Borsodi Brewery surprises customers with a packaging innovation too: the ‘open air’ technology is used with new cans, facilitating easier pouring and offering a new consumption experience to beer lovers. Staropramen is 145 years old this year and the brand is going to celebrate this special anniversary with a special event in the summer – with the involvement of Staropramen fans. A new trend in the beer category is that a growing number of women drink flavoured beers. Dreher reacted to this trend by putting alcohol-free fruit flavoured beers on the market in April. Attila Ferenczi, innovation and media manager told our magazine that the launch of the new Dreher 24 products relies heavily on tasting sessions, because these products are so unique that consumers don’t know exactly what taste to expect when buying them. In the company’s communication strategy highly successful seasonal product Dreher Summer Moment will be given special attention. The brewery will reactivate the Miller brand to focus on super premium consumers too. This year Dreher also refurbishes its traditional Arany Ászok brand. Kozel was one of the most successful beer brands in the retail channel. This May vintage design Kozel beers appeared in the stores of three modern retail channels. Kőbányai is one of the brewery’s most successful brands which is especially strong in Eastern Hungary; this year the brand’s face is rock musician Feró Nagy – marketing manager Ádám Sommer told Trade magazin. Pécsi Brewery started the year in great form: their products returned to Tesco stores and the Pécsi Radler product line won the 2014 Grand Prize in its category. Pécsi Beer, which has only been available as draught beer so far, will soon appear in shops, in small bottle version. The brewery’s Radler brand targets young consumers, Szalon counts on traditional beer drinkers and Pécsi’s target group will be premium buyers. PARADOR Kft.’s portfolio is strong because they only distribute prestigious beer and cider brands that have already proven themselves on the international stage and have a distinct image. The company imports them straight from the place of production. 0.5-litre FIZZ ciders are available in four flavours and they come packed in hygienic protective foil. Newcastle Brown Ale, Birra Moretti, Karlovacko and San Miguel will play the main role in the special promotion of one of the major retail chains during the football World Cup. This spring 4 types of Artisan Beer Selection hit the shops, while in the autumn the best beers of 8 Austrian artisan breweries will be featured in their Artisan Beer Box.