Comments on: Heineken Drives On Deep Into the Czech Market http://www.beerculture.org/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/ Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:52:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Pivero http://www.beerculture.org/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/comment-page-1/#comment-161 Pivero Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:37:24 +0000 http://www.praguemonitor.com/beer/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/#comment-161 I don't think Heineken is an outside attack. It's just the owners of Drinks Union accpeting a juicy bunch of money from a foreign company. More interesting will be the development of Budvar's privatisation, here the owner is the state (which is all of us taxpayers here) and their duty will be to sell the company to someone who won't buy it just for a quick profit. Interesting question at the end of your comment, David. I'm not very optimistic about it. I'm not sure how well the breweries in Kutná Hora and Louny are doing locally, but if I had to bet, I would put my money on Stella Artois or Staropramen being easier to find than the local brews, and that is not a good sign. I don’t think Heineken is an outside attack. It’s just the owners of Drinks Union accpeting a juicy bunch of money from a foreign company.
More interesting will be the development of Budvar’s privatisation, here the owner is the state (which is all of us taxpayers here) and their duty will be to sell the company to someone who won’t buy it just for a quick profit.
Interesting question at the end of your comment, David. I’m not very optimistic about it. I’m not sure how well the breweries in Kutná Hora and Louny are doing locally, but if I had to bet, I would put my money on Stella Artois or Staropramen being easier to find than the local brews, and that is not a good sign.

]]> By: David http://www.beerculture.org/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/comment-page-1/#comment-160 David Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:19:49 +0000 http://www.praguemonitor.com/beer/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/#comment-160 This is just so bad. I am not a fan of Heineken corporate machine (or their 'beer' for that matter), just take a look at the Slovak breweries they ate to see what will probably happen. Whilst the brands have not gone, they have consolidated their multiple brewery operations at a single site and closed down some of Slovakia's older breweries - Corgon brewing, for example, was moved from its original brewery site to the Zlaty Bazant brewery in another town. Its a pity that the Czech breweries couldn't get together to fend off the outside attacks. On the other hand does it allow for new, smaller breweries to spring up in these towns? This is just so bad. I am not a fan of Heineken corporate machine (or their ‘beer’ for that matter), just take a look at the Slovak breweries they ate to see what will probably happen. Whilst the brands have not gone, they have consolidated their multiple brewery operations at a single site and closed down some of Slovakia’s older breweries – Corgon brewing, for example, was moved from its original brewery site to the Zlaty Bazant brewery in another town.
Its a pity that the Czech breweries couldn’t get together to fend off the outside attacks. On the other hand does it allow for new, smaller breweries to spring up in these towns?

]]> By: Pivero http://www.beerculture.org/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/comment-page-1/#comment-159 Pivero Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:20:11 +0000 http://www.praguemonitor.com/beer/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/#comment-159 I don't think the brand will dissappear. I think it will be something like Staropramen-Braník thing, with the production of Březňák shifted to Zlatopramen. If that turns out to be the case, I bet mir Zippich's brand will have the same luck as that of Prague 4. We can only hope that Zlatopramen (which has greatly improved) will not suffer the same fate as Staropramen. Still, as I've mentioned some time ago in my blog. Heineken seems to be taking things differently than InBev. Starobrno is a fine beer (their green Easter beer is pretty drinkable) and they are rolling out the tanks with Krušovice. In fact, I've had some Krušovice lately and their quality seems to have improved. But then, it couldn't get any lower, at least now they are not mixing leftovers from Radeberger as their previous owners used to do. One way or another, the biggest issue here is that breweries will start to close down and some products that aren't interesting to shareholders will be history..... I don’t think the brand will dissappear. I think it will be something like Staropramen-Braník thing, with the production of Březňák shifted to Zlatopramen. If that turns out to be the case, I bet mir Zippich’s brand will have the same luck as that of Prague 4. We can only hope that Zlatopramen (which has greatly improved) will not suffer the same fate as Staropramen.
Still, as I’ve mentioned some time ago in my blog. Heineken seems to be taking things differently than InBev.
Starobrno is a fine beer (their green Easter beer is pretty drinkable) and they are rolling out the tanks with Krušovice. In fact, I’ve had some Krušovice lately and their quality seems to have improved. But then, it couldn’t get any lower, at least now they are not mixing leftovers from Radeberger as their previous owners used to do.
One way or another, the biggest issue here is that breweries will start to close down and some products that aren’t interesting to shareholders will be history…..

]]> By: Evan Rail http://www.beerculture.org/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/comment-page-1/#comment-158 Evan Rail Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:25:38 +0000 http://www.praguemonitor.com/beer/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/#comment-158 It's either them or <a href="http://www.praguemonitor.com/beer/2008/02/06/pivovar-platan/" rel="nofollow">K Brewing Group</a>. Also, this probably means that the <a href="http://www.praguemonitor.com/beer/2008/03/19/czech-beer-in-vietnam-%e2%80%94-kinda/" rel="nofollow">Vietnamese brewery that ripped off Velké Březno's Zippich logo</a> can rest easy... It’s either them or K Brewing Group.

Also, this probably means that the Vietnamese brewery that ripped off Velké Březno’s Zippich logo can rest easy…

]]> By: Pivero http://www.beerculture.org/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/comment-page-1/#comment-157 Pivero Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:25:34 +0000 http://www.praguemonitor.com/beer/2008/03/26/heineken-drives-on-deep-into-the-czech-market/#comment-157 In today's piece in the free financial daily E15, it seems that Velké Březno is going to go down first. Unfortunately. And I would dare say that Kutná Hora is to follow. I don't think Heineken will be renting the brewery for much longer given that they have unused capacity in Louny and they want to doulble the capacity of Krušovice. I think I will start stocking on Drinks Union beers before they start to dissappear one by one. The article also hints at Heineken approaching PMS (Holba, Zubr and Litovel) to get their hands into that group as well. In today’s piece in the free financial daily E15, it seems that Velké Březno is going to go down first. Unfortunately. And I would dare say that Kutná Hora is to follow. I don’t think Heineken will be renting the brewery for much longer given that they have unused capacity in Louny and they want to doulble the capacity of Krušovice.
I think I will start stocking on Drinks Union beers before they start to dissappear one by one.
The article also hints at Heineken approaching PMS (Holba, Zubr and Litovel) to get their hands into that group as well.

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