An investment of 20 million euros over two years from 2023 to 2024 is planned Olympic Brewerygroup subsidiary in Greece Carlsberg. At the center of the investment, of course, is the Sindos plant in Thessaloniki, where since the beginning of 2023 the production of Carlsberg beer in cans and draft (draft) has begun, making the specific plant a production and export center for the Danish group, one of the world’s leading “players” in beer categories. At the same time, the company, as shown speaking today at “Kathimerini tis Kyriaki” Olympic Brewery CEO Deyan Bekodoes not exclude the expansion of the distribution of alcoholic beverages, as its main competitors, Athens Brewery and Coca-Cola Tria Epsilon, are already doing, now going beyond the narrow limits of beer and soft drinks.

Speaking of price increases, he argues that this was the only path to the viability of the company, while this year Olympic Brewery is expected to continue to reduce prices not in price lists, but in offers and promotions that are broadly in the beer category. However, despite the increase in prices, Olympic Brewery not only improved its sales in 2022, but also its profitability, while significantly strengthening sales compared to the growth of the market as a whole in the categories of mixers (cocktail drinks) and cider. The company expects an even better rate in 2023, with early omens to be positive, despite the fact that the beer as a whole realizes little sales in the first quarter of the year.

The Carlsberg Group has had a production subsidiary in Greece since 2008, when it acquired Mythos Brewery, which merged with Olympic Brewery in 2015, and in 2018 the Danish group acquired 100% of the shares.

– 2022 was a positive year for Olympic Brewery after a bullish run in 2021. For the economy overall, 2022 brought several challenges as the war in Ukraine accelerated already existing inflationary pressures and consumer disposable income declined. However, this was the year the pandemic subsided, the food channel operating without limits with strong domestic consumption and the world’s need for communication, as well as tourism performances that exceeded all expectations. In particular, according to the latest official data, 27.8 million tourists visited our country, which is 13.5 million more than last year.

It is clear that this context also favored beer consumption: the market as a whole showed double-digit growth, and our company moved slightly faster than the market, about 11% compared to last year (in terms of domestic consumption). sales). Accordingly, in the categories of mixers (including soft drinks for cocktails) and cider, we moved with significantly higher growth compared to the market. In particular, based on official data, in the supermarket channel we recorded a growth of 12.4% in mixers (with a market growth of +2.6%) and 25.4% in cider (with a market movement of -4.2%). Accordingly, in the traditional trading channel (small retail), we recorded an increase in mixers by 13.4% (with a market movement of +3%) and 23.1% for cider (with a market loss of 12.6%).

Combined with the growth in our volumes across all the categories we operate in, we also saw an increase in market share, while our margin (EBIT) also increased by 22% year-over-year.

Double-digit company growth in 2022, first positive signals for 2023.

– For 2023, the first messages for our company are positive, key allies are the long summer period, numerous and intense events across the country due to Halloween after three years of abstinence, as well as mobility in the tourism sector, although it has not yet officially started the season . And this despite serious challenges in international and local developments, combined with inflationary pressures, especially strong in the food sector. Our choice is to be moderately optimistic, expecting a continuation of the positive course, mainly in the field of catering and tourism.

– The high cost of energy, transport and raw materials is the main challenge facing the food industry as early as the end of 2021. For our part, we made every effort to ensure that increased costs were not passed on to consumer prices, and in the end we did it. In 2022, the situation escalated due to the war in Ukraine and its duration, multi-level geopolitical events and very high levels of inflationary pressure, with food inflation reaching 15.7% in December. That is why the increase in prices for our products was one-sided and clearly interconnected with our sustainability. Throughout 2023, while inflation continues to hover at a high level, closing at 7% in January, we hope for a gradual decline and, as a result, normalization of conditions that are putting pressure on the market. In any case, as a company, we are still trying to cover as much of the increase as possible in combination with targeted offers and promotional packages for the benefit of our consumers and customers.

“Despite the many challenges we faced in 2022, chief among which were strong inflationary pressures, together we managed to keep our exports stable year-on-year after five years of solid +37% growth (2017-2022). ). ). In 2023, in the context of protracted international challenges, our main challenge is, first, to maintain the performance of the previous year, combined with our targeted entry into new markets and strengthening our activity in selected existing markets.

– The domestic beer market is certainly very interesting, with strong mobility. In addition to the intense competition among existing beer players, new big players are entering the category, while companies that were primarily active in beer are expanding their portfolio by adding new categories. At the same time, microbreweries are very active both in terms of new offerings and in terms of synergy. Our position is that healthy competition is always a positive factor for the further development and evolution of the industry, working for the benefit of the consumer.

Export hub for the Danish group plant in Sindo

– For two years, 2023-2024, our investment plan is estimated at 20 million euros. As innovation is an integral part of the Olympic Brewery, and with sustainability always in mind, we continue to purposefully invest in new technologies, system automation, equipment and innovative programs for our manufacturing units. Prominent examples are the solar energy pilot program that has begun operating in Sindous, new start-ups, health and safety infrastructure at all sites, new technologies and equipment related to sales and business activities, and the expansion of advanced technology solutions for education and development of our people.

– The decision to move the production of Carlsberg beer to Greece, specifically to the plant in Sindos, is the result of the overall planning of our group for the production and distribution of international products, taking into account the consequences of the pandemic and the context of geopolitical events. .

The launch of Carlsberg production in our country also marks the greatest activation of the brand in the Greek market at all levels. Characteristically, it will now be re-released in a box, whereas until now it was produced only in glass bottle packaging, which was produced by our group’s subsidiary in Serbia. At the same time, this decision involves the modernization of the Sindos division as a production and export center with great prospects and, accordingly, a new investment plan.

– As an organization with strong domestic and international brands in the beer, mixer and cider categories, we are always alert, open and ready to consider any interesting proposals. Our goal, of course, is that any such solution will add value over time to all parties involved and be an interesting proposition for consumers.

“The hard seltzer market has seen strong momentum internationally in recent years, especially in the US, where several large groups have been looking to capitalize on the sudden demand for this new category. However, judging by domestic demand figures, this trend does not seem to have flourished, so this category does not fit into the context of our immediate interest.