Profile
Heineken Slovensko belongs to the Heineken brewing group that has the broadest representation in the world.
Heineken Slovensko belongs to the Heineken brewing group that has the broadest representation in the world. The group produces and sells more than 170 brands, aside from the global brands of Heineken and Amstel. Heineken is the largest brewing group in Europe and the third largest in the world. The company produces more that 139 million hectolitres of beer a year in more than 119 breweries in 65 countries and employs more than 54,000 people.
Heineken N.V. entered the Slovak market in 1995, taking over the Zlatý Bažant brewery in Hurbanovo. In the late 1990s the company extended its portfolio by other major domestic brands through significant investments into the promisingly developing brewing market in Slovakia. Since Heineken entered the Slovak market more than SKK 6 billion has been invested in the development of breweries and maltings, as well as the staff development, with the aim to promote and establish strong national brands.
Heineken is nowadays represented by three companies in Slovakia, those of Heineken Slovensko a.s., Heineken Slovensko Sladovne a.s. and Heineken Slovensko Distribúcia s.r.o., that reached consolidated sales of SKK 5.109 billion in 2006 and employ almost 800 people all over the country.
In 2007, Heineken Slovensko enhanced its leading position at the Slovak beer market as well as the position of a major malt producer in Europe. The company increased its sale volumes to more than 1.8 million hectolitres in 2007, its annual market share thus rose to 42.4%.
The key domestic brand, Zlatý Bažant, has been significantly penetrating not only Slovak, but also foreign markets. Over 1 million hectolitres of Zlatý Bažant were sold all over the world in 2007, which equals to more than 200 million of half-a-litres of beer. Malt production also rose in 2007, to more than 145,000 tonnes of which almost 85 % was exported.
The Market
In 2002, Slovak brewers could enjoy the historically highest beer production amounting to almost five million hectolitres. Since 2003, however, a serious decline has occurred caused by both economic and tax factors. In the said year the government decided on raising the excise on beer of over 65 percent, the beer production in Slovakia has since dropped from almost five million hectolitres to less than four million in 2006. The Slovak brewing industry has thus returned to the volumes of ten years ago. In last few years, the beer consumption in Slovakia fell from the record 94 litres to slightly below 80 litres per capita at present.
Year 2007 marked a turn in the development of Slovak beer market. For the first time since 2003, the volume of beer sales recorded a modest annual growth. Important factors contributing to this turn were the increased market investments by the leading brewing company Heineken Slovensko, and its activities resulting in the introduction of new products and innovations to the market in 2007.
