UPDATE: SABMiller To Build $34 Million Brewery In Namibia
23 4월 2010 - 6:46PM
Dow Jones News
SABMiller PLC (SAB.JO) is hitting back at brewing rivals that
have staked out ground in its stronghold in South Africa with plans
to build a $34 million brewery in neighboring Namibia, home of
Namibia Breweries Ltd. (NBS.WH).
The U.K.-headquartered company, which was founded in 1895 in the
then-recently established gold mining town of Johannesburg, said
Friday it expects to begin work on a 220,000 hectoliter brewery on
land about 70 kilometers north of Windhoek in the second half of
the year.
The brewery will produce the Castle and Castle Lite brands, and
include a returnable bottle packaging line and warehousing
facilities, it said. Returnable bottles are a major feature in the
South African beer market.
Namibia Breweries last month officially opened the Sedibeng
brewery south of Johannesburg with larger European partners
Heineken NV (HEIA.AE) and Diageo PLC (DEO), brewing its Windhoek
lager alongside Heineken, Amstel and Smirnoff Storm and Spin
blended drinks. The three have been gaining market share at the
premium end of South Africa's beer market, eroding SABMiller's
still dominant hold.
"We have been importing beer into Namibia for over 20 years and
such a significant investment symbolizes our current optimism in
the country," said Cobus Bruwer, SABMiller's country
representative.
He said SABMiller currently has an estimated 22% local market
share in the southern African country with brands such as Castle,
Carling Black Label and Peroni Nastro Azzuro.
The new brewery will be owned by a venture in which SABMiller
will own a 60% stake and local partners the remainder as part of a
black empowerment initiative. The company said as part of black
economic empowerment there will be 20% ownership by Onyewu
Investments and 20% by three charitable trusts working on behalf of
communities in the Omaheke, Karas and Northern regions of
Namibia.
SABMiller earlier this week reported a 1% dip in lager volumes
in South Africa in the year through March despite growth in the
final quarter, but a 6% rise in volumes for the rest of the
continent on an organic basis. That compares with level volumes
across the company's global operations.
-By Robb M. Stewart, Dow Jones Newswires; +27 11 783 7848;
robb.stewart@dowjones.com