Grupo Modelo to import and distribute Carlsberg

In the second half of 2007, Mexico’s number one brewer, Grupo Modelo, will start to import and distribute Carlsberg.

It was actually just a matter of time before Grupo Modelo would clinch a deal with a European beer brand. After its domestic competitor FEMSA had found itself a partner in Heineken, Modelo had to follow suite. As there are not that many “unattached” beer brands left which can sport a European heritage, Modelo’s deal with Carlsberg was kind of inevitable even though some would argue that it resembles a clamber for the crumbs of globalisation.

According to a Modelo statement, the Mexican brewer will start to import and distribute Carlsberg in the second half of this year. The agreement grants Modelo the exclusive rights to sell the Club bottle in Mexico for the next five years.

Imported beer brands account for less than 2 percent of the Mexican market says research company Canadean. However, with annual growth rates in the two-digits, the segment has outgrown total beer consumption (+4.5 percent in 2005) for a while.

Modelo already has a portfolio of imported beer brands: It imports Anheuser-Busch’s products, Budweiser and Bud Light among them. Earlier this year Modelo started importing the Tsingtao brand, courtesy of its major stakeholder Anheuser-Busch, who also has shares in the Chinese brewer.