Beer war: Nigerian Breweries promises competition good fight
As players in the Nigeria’s beer category market of FMCG strategise and strongly position for more market shares, Nigerian Breweries Plc, one of the major players in the beer market has said that it is ready for competition.
Jordi Borrut Bel, the managing director of the company, who addressed his trade partners from across the country during their recognition and awards recently in Lagos said emphatically that the company is ready for the fight in the market. “For competition, we are ready to fight this fight in Nigeria’s market”, he said.
He believed that those who will win the fight are those who have the strongest reason to fight as he encouraged the trade partners for stronger partnership to face competition.
Since the entry of SABMiller, one of the world’s foremost brewers in 2011 and its acquisition of majority share in both International Breweries Ilesa, manufacturers of Trophy Larger and Hero, a popular brand in the Eastern region, competition has intensified in the market especially among the three major players.
He also acknowledged the Federal Government intention to raise excise duties on alcohol and tobacco products with effect from June 4, 2018 and said that the company will respond but with consumer as major focus.
Jordi Borrut Bel who has sold beer in Europe and Burundi before coming to Nigeria described the consumer as the company’s boss. He said the company will continue to do those things that will excite the consumer even in the challenging economy.
Also speaking, Uche Unigwe, sales director of the company was appreciative of the trade partners who he said are doing amazing things for the company. He also thanked the haulage operators who move assets including the trucks and goods worth millions of Naira around the country. He calculated that value of a truck and its goods is about N40m.
The sales director further explained that the theme of this year’s award: “winning more together”, was conceived to recognize and reward the excellent performance of the company’s distributors.
Last year winner, Ken Maduakor Group Limited from Nnewi in Onitsha marketing zone beat two others to clinch the National Champions Award and the company’s best distributor for 2017.
Ancapas Global Investment Limited from Kaduna won the National Key Transporter Award and got a plaque, an award trophy and a Mitsubuishi L200 double cabin 4×4 DC van. Other trade partners were also rewarded handsomely.
Daniel Obi