Ralph Zigerlig, director of the Carlsberg Serbia Group - Somersby made in Serbia to be released soon

(Ralph Zigerlig)

Somersby, an alcoholic drink that achieved a great success in our market last year, will soon be produced in Serbia as well. Installation of the required equipment, which will be used to both produce Somersby and improve the production of other Carlsberg's brands, is already underway, so that the Celarevo-based brewery will soon release the first bottles of the famous cider drink, Ralph Zigerlig, the newly appointed CEO of the Carslberg Serbia Group, announced to eKapija.

Zigerlig was unable to specify how much money would be invested in the new production line, adding that it was "a one-digit number expressed in millions of euros."

Market share on a rise

Zigerlig said at the presentation of Carlsberg's results for 2011 that the share of Carslberg Serbia in the Serbian market had grown to 26.6 percent at the end of the previous year, rising 1.7 percent from 24.9 percent in 2010, whereas the annual volume of production had reached the 2010 level. As much as 19 percent of the total production was exported to the countries in the region - Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Greece, as well as to France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and even Israel and Australia.

When asked to give his opinion on how the situation in the beer market would look like after the announced sale of the Apatin Brewer, Zigerlig said that it was difficult to predict.

- It depends on who will take over the Apatin Brewer. As you already know, Heineken and Carlsberg are already present in this market, and it is most likely that the brewery in Apatin will be acquired by some other foreign investor. The question is: what will that investor do upon the acquisition – the CEO of Carlsberg told eKapija.

Zigerlig said jokingly that he hoped the new owner "will have no intention to invest further in Serbia."

Plans

The CEO of Carlsberg Serbia also announced a big surprise related to its best-selling brand - Lav beer. He did not want to comment on whether it was a new flavor, saying that consumers would find out in early April.

Since it entered the market of Serbia in 2003, Carlsberg has invested about EUR 165 million, mainly in the expansion of its production and logistic capacities, as well as in the development of new brands and distribution channels. Of the total amount, about EUR 7 million were spent on support to numerous marketing and brand innovations in 2011.

The company has showed that it not only follows trends in the beer market, but also affects them significantly by introducing brand new categories. Consumers in Serbia very quickly accepted Lav Twist, a lemon-flavored beer. The market has also proven to be quite open to the "cider" range of products, so that the success of apple-flavored Somersby has been followed by the launch of the same drink with the flavor of pear.

People at that company pointed out that they had paid a tax of RSD 3.5 billion in 2011 alone.

Answering the questions of journalists, Zigerlig said that Carlsberg Serbia did not plan on increasing the prices of its products because of a drop in the value of Dinar against Euro and an increase in the price of oil derivatives.

They also have no plans to dismiss workers. On the contrary, the company wants to hire new people and invest in growth and development, Zigerlig concluded.

Jelena Djelic