Kolkata, May 08: Liquor major United Breweries Ltd was aiming at 18 per cent growth in its beer sales this year while focussing on innovation and new launches to further consolidate its leadership position in the Indian beer market. "We have achieved 18 per cent growth in beer division last fiscal. This year, we expect to record similar growth rate with new launches and innovations," Shekhar Ramamurthy, company senior vice president (marketing and sales), told reporters here today. The company, which commands about 40 per cent share in the beer market, notched up a total sales of Rs 500 crore for its beer division last year, he said.
The company sold 18 million cases of its premier brand Kingfisher while the new kingfisher strong had a sales of eight million cases, he said. Speaking at the launch of the Kingfisher strong pint here, Ramamurthy said the company enjoyed about 65 per cent market share with its brands like Kalyani Black Label and Kingfisher in the eastern market. The 330 ml Kingfisher strong pint, launched by soccer star Baichung Bhutia, was targeted at the youth.
Replying to a question, Ramamurthy said the company was associating itself with various sports like football and motor racing as a brand building exercise. Bureau Report