Anheuser-Busch InBev fizzes on Stella boost from drinkers
ANHEUSER-BUSCH InBev, the world’s largest brewer, yesterday beat analyst forecasts for its second-quarter profit, after sales of its key lager Stella Artois jumped.
The brewer said the launch of the lower strength Stella Artois four per cent beer and a new sixties-style marketing campaign had won customers back with a near seven per cent rise in volumes between April and June.
AB InBev said beer was “resilient” in the face of the global economic slump, although the industry has seen consumers trading down to cheaper brands and opting to drink at home instead of the pub.
The group said that UK sales volumes grew by 6.6 per cent in the second quarter and by 3.7 per cent in the first half. The company said group second-quarter volumes fell by 1.1 percent, against expectations for a 1 percent drop.
After InBev’s $52bn takeover of American brewer Anheuser Busch, the group said it had made cost savings of $315m in the second quarter of 2009.
The group posted profit between April and June of $1.07bn (£648m), a 28 per cent rise on the $836m booked in the same period the year before.