Continued momentum in Europe - led by premium and super-premium growth

Positive balance sheet for Anheuser-Busch InBev for 2021 - increase in market share in Germany despite pandemic-related challenges

28-Feb-2022 - Germany

Anheuser-Busch InBev was able to build on the positive momentum of its premium and super-premium brands in 2021, delivering a strong sales performance ahead of the pre-pandemic period. Performance was driven by the ambition to engage consumers and customers through a shared, scalable portfolio of world-class brands across Europe.

In retail, an estimated one percentage point market share was gained across Europe compared to the pre-pandemic period, driven by the performance of the portfolio of global brands, craft beer and specialties. The Beyond Beer portfolio also expanded. In 2021, AB InBev was able to remain flexible and agile in a challenging operating environment. Bar and restaurant closures - Germany was affected for almost six months - impacted the restaurant industry and again limited operations in 2021. AB InBev has continued to work closely with its restaurant partners during this period to ensure they remain in the best possible position. Looking ahead to 2022, the company is optimistic and expects the market to continue to grow after the pandemic ends.

AB InBev Germany ends 2021 on a strong note, despite the pandemic-related challenges, with the company increasing its market share by almost two basis points. This was due to a strong focus on expanding the premium and super-premium portfolio, which grew by ten percent. The strength of demand in this area is demonstrated, for example, by the international premium product Corona Extra, with average sales growth of 46 percent since 2020. At the same time, AB InBev is also sticking to its strong brands. And with success: for example, sales of Munich-based Hell Spaten have grown by an average of 104 percent since 2020. And in the area of innovations, AB InBev also succeeded in launching the most successful product in the German beer market in the past five years with the multiple award-winning Beck's Unfiltered.

In addition to the positive business developments, AB InBev Germany has also continued to make great strides in the area of sustainability. The basis for all activities is the self-imposed commitment to become CO2-neutral across the entire value chain by 2040. A first step is already planned by 2028: By then, a total of five large breweries in Europe are to produce in a CO2-neutral manner, including the Beck & Co. brewery in Bremen. Other milestones on this path also include reducing the CO2 footprint in logistics by 19.61 percent since 2018 and sourcing 100 percent renewable energy for the electricity required for brewing.

The company has also implemented strong measures in the CSR area: for example, AB InBev has expanded its company parental leave policy for birth and adoption, going far beyond legal requirements to be an attractive employer for its employees and future applicants. This includes more weeks off for primary and secondary caregivers and a more flexible work schedule when returning to work. But a lot has also been done externally, for example with the delivery of 52,000 liters of beverages to the victims of the floods in western Germany.

In 2022, Anheuser-Busch InBev will build on its positive development and continue to lead and expand the premium and super-premium portfolio category. In addition, the company will continue to invest in the Beyond Beer category and accelerate its digital transformation.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

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