Brewers Heineken and Carlsberg said new products and Asian demand would lift them out of the earnings doldrums they had encountered in Europe and North America. The beer companies said they could not rely on the uneven growth in other emerging markets like Brazil and other African countries to boost sales.
Both brewers, however, forecasted strong demand from Asian markets. They said this would enable them meet their earnings for this year. The robust demand could even beat their earnings last year. Heineken said it would also introduce new products to lure European drinkers back. Radler, a drink that combines lager and lemon juice, would be one of the drinks Heineken would put into the beer market.
The chiefs of both breweries were one in saying that no change could be seen in the near future in the European and North American markets. Heineken Chief Executive Officer Jean-Francois van Boxmeer said, "Certainly for Europe and North America we don't see any substantial trading condition change for fast-moving consumer goods and our industry in particular." Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen, CEO of Carlsberg, also said 2014 would be challenging for the beer market in Western Europe.
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