SAB gears up for the FIFA World Cup
SAB, through a series of initiatives for its Castle brand, will try to rally South Africans to get behind their national team in the run up to the tournament and beyond.
SAB, which has recently seen its market share decline to 88 percent, hopes to sell an additional 17.6 million pints of beer during the five week World Cup period. This is over and above the normal consumption during June and July – South Africa’s late autumn/early winter months when consumption is usually low.
Although it does not have a production base in South Africa, AB-InBev’s Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the FIFA World Cup. It is available in 330 ml longneck non-returnable bottles and priced at levels similar to other imported premium lagers.
Budweiser is brewed and packaged at Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in the United Kingdom and imported by Xtreme Brands, the South African distribution arm of Weitnauer Africa Ltd., which was formed in 2003 specifically to distribute leading brands in the domestic markets of Southern Africa.
According to news agency reports, AB-InBev has given up some of its rights at fan parks as part of a strategic decision to focus its beer presence on the stadiums instead.
The decision will allow other brewers to sell beer at fan parks — venues in public areas where tens of thousands of supporters are expected to watch the games on big screens — during the tournament.
As predicted, ticket sales for the soccer matches have been slow. In February this year, only 60 percent of the 2 million tickets had been requested by the general public from 192 countries, says FIFA. 413,072 tickets had been allocated to South African residents.
This gives hope to brewers in South Africa that the majority of people will watch the games at home, in sports bars and taverns as well as in fan parks and viewing sites around the country.
SAB announced that it will increase its brewing in April and May ahead of the event to ensure there is reserve stock. It will make sure that the taverns on route to and from the stadium are well-stocked. Additionally, there will be refrigerated vans with stock on stand-by in key match areas to replenish fridges.
Dedicated telephone numbers will be set up whereby customers can dial in should they require emergency supplies.
