Royal Unibrew Polska sales growing in contrast to the market

2010-08-23

Royal Unibrew Polska, the Polish brewery belonging to Danish beer concern Royal Unibrew, plans to expand nationwide, as Rzeczpospolita reported. Within two years the company intends to strengthen the position of its flagship brand Lomza in the western voivodships. At present, Lomza is a popular brand in the eastern part of Poland.

The brewery owns a share of around 4% in terms of value in the beer market in Poland. Thanks to the development of its distribution the producer expects to increase its market share to between 8-9%.

Despite lowering demand for beer in Poland, from January to July 2010, the sales of Royal Unibrew Polska grew by 12% when compared to the analogous period of 2009. Demand for the Faxe brand went up by 14%, while the Lomza brand reported a 28% rise in sales in H1 2010. The sales of the latter brand were boosted by introduction of a non-pasteurized version of Lomza that appeared on the market in May 2010. At the same time, industry representatives estimate that beer consumption in Poland decreased by around 3% in H1 2010.

Still, due to Royal Unibrew’s increasing sales, the brewery will launch a new production line in Lomza for PLN 10m (€2.5m). Also, in autumn 2010 the company will decide whether to enlarge its plants in Poland or move some production to its factories located in the Baltic countries.