16 April 2008

India... It's Tiger Time

Asia Pacific Breweries' Indian Arm launches Tiger Beer in Mumbai

To enhance its brand offerings in India, Asia Pacific Breweries Aurangabad Limited (APBAL), a subsidiary of Asia Pacific Breweries Limited (APB), today unveiled the launch of its locally-brewed Tiger beer (Tiger) in Mumbai. Joining the ranks of Singapore, Malaysia, China and Thailand amongst others, India is the 10th country in the Asia Pacific region to brew the award-winning Tiger.

Launched in 1932, Tiger is APB's flagship brand which is enjoyed by millions of beer drinkers in more than 60 countries. Tiger is not new to the Indian beer market. All the while, the brand has been imported into India but was only made available at exclusive premium outlets. With the introduction of locally-produced Tiger by APBAL located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, the brewery is set to quench the thirst for a quality premium lager by extending the availability of the brand. Tiger will be made more widely available at the various on and off trade outlets including wine shops, pubs and restaurants amongst others, enabling the local consumers to experience the distinctive taste of the 5% alcohol European-styled lager.

On this milestone, Mr Vivek Chhabra, Regional Director, South Asia & Director, Group Business Development, APB, said, "A firm believer in brand portfolio management, APBAL seeks to enhance its brand offerings to cater to the various segments of the beer market as well as to offer its consumers greater choice. Tiger is recognised as one of Asia's finest beers and will make an ideal addition to our growing brand portfolio in India. In view of India's growing beer market, rising disposable incomes of the consumers and favourable demographics, it is timely that we now offer Tiger as a premium option to the many discerning Indian drinkers who are becoming increasingly experimental in making an informed choice. Together with our other beer brands such as Baron's Strong Brew and Cannon 10000 which cater to the strong beer segment of the Indian beer market, Tiger will aptly serve those who enjoy a beer with a marginally lower alcohol content."

Promising Indian drinkers the same distinctive quality taste that Tiger is famous for, APBAL, like other APB breweries in the region brews Tiger using only the finest ingredients - malt from Australia, the choicest hops from Europe, and a unique strain of yeast cultured in Holland. Brewed under the supervision of Heineken N.V. technical experts, APBAL adheres to the most stringent quality control management and conducts no less than 200 quality checks during the brewing process.

On Tiger's brand position in India, Mr Chetan Gupta, Marketing Manager, India for APBL, Aurangabad elaborated, "We shall focus on creating a premium proposition for Tiger. Our marketing efforts will be targeted towards building the brand's appeal among discerning young adults via slick communication, recruitment programmes as well as unique and engaging experiential platforms. We are confident that Tiger's quality and distinctive taste will resonate well with the Indian consumers while the marketing campaigns will work to win fans for Tiger, who would in turn, be the advocates for the brand for the future."

Moving forward, APBAL is set to establish a significant presence for Tiger in Mumbai and gradually rollout the brand to other parts of India. Before a pan India rollout, plans are underway to take Tiger to northern India, starting with New Delhi; as well as southern India where Andhra Pradesh will be the first to introduce Tiger there. The move is consistent with the brewer's effort to tap the growing Indian beer market which registered an estimated 10.8 million hectolitres in March 2007. The total Indian beer market is expected to reach 300 million cases (about 23.3 million hectolitres) by 2012.

About APB
Asia Pacific Breweries Limited (APB) is one of the key players in the beer industry. A joint venture between the Fraser and Neave Group of companies and Heineken of Holland, APB was established as Malayan Breweries Limited (MBL) in 1931. It went on to open its first brewery in Singapore and launched the award-winning Tiger a year later.

MBL was renamed Asia Pacific Breweries Limited in 1990. Today, APB has brewery operations in twelve countries in the Asia Pacific region, namely Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, India, Sri Lanka and Laos.

Managing a portfolio of over 40 beer brands and variants including Tiger which is available in over 60 markets globally, APB is also the name behind Heineken in six markets in the Asia Pacific region.

APB has more than 75 years experience in the brewing industry, and was consistently ranked by the Far Eastern Economic Review as one of the top companies in Asia. KPMG has also rated APB as among the top ten value creators in Singapore, for having consistently added value for its customers, consumers and shareholders. In 2006, APB was ranked amongst the top 10 Singapore companies in Asia's 200 most admired companies survey by The Wall Street journal Asia.

In India, APB holds a 76% stake in Asia Pacific Breweries (Aurangabad) Limited which produces and markets local beer brands Cannon 10000 and Arlem in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

APB also holds the majority stake of 67% in the joint venture company Asia Pacific Breweries-Pearl Private Limited which is building a greenfield brewery just outside Hyderabad. The brewery is expected to commence operation in 2008.

Tiger
Launched in 1932, Tiger beer (Tiger) is Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd's flagship brand. A European-style lager with a golden colour and medium body, Tiger is brewed using only the finest natural ingredients like malted barley from Australia and Europe, hops from Germany and a unique strain of yeast specially cultured in Holland. Containing 5% alcohol, this smooth, medium bitter beer, coupled with a well balanced sweetness of malt, has seen beer drinkers globally acclaim Tiger as one of the finest in the world.

Today, Tiger is brewed in ten countries and available in over 60 countries worldwide including Europe, USA, Latin America, Australia and the Middle East. While it stands firmly as one of the leading beer brands in Southeast Asia including Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, Tiger is embraced as a leading premium brew that hails from the Far East in western markets such as the United Kingdom (UK), Europe, United States of America (USA), the Russian Federation and Australia amongst others.

In fact, Tiger which is available in over 8,000 premium bars, clubs and distribution outlets in UK's major cities such as London and Manchester amongst others, appeals to many discerning drinkers in the UK. The brand has made its way into top-end bars and restaurants such as The Light Bar at St Martin's Lane, Long Bar at Sanderson Hotel, Crazy Bear, Just St James, OXO Tower, Harvey Nichols and Prism London - popular hangouts for celebrities.

Likewise, Tiger has been witnessing strong demand growth in the USA where it is distributed in 48 of the 50 states there. In keeping with its premium image, Tiger associates itself with the "trendsetters" in the cities of New York, Miami, San Francisco and Boston amongst others; and is offered at some of the most up-market bars and clubs there such as the Velvet Rope Shore Club in Miami, the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in Orlando and the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

An Award-Winning Beer
Over the years, Tiger has received more acclaim from the world's leading newspapers and journals than most other beers. For example, the Washington Magazine, in a blind taste-test involving several hundred brands, unreservedly voted Tiger "positively the best beer in the world".

Tiger has also accumulated over 40 accolades, awards and distinctions. Some of the more notable awards include a Gold medal at the Brewing Industry International Awards in 1998, the equivalent of "the Oscar Awards for the brewing industry"; and the more recent being a Gold medal in the highly contested European-Style Pilsner category at the World Beer Cup 2004, which has been dubbed "the Olympics of Beer Competitions" by the beer industry.

Each year from 2004 to 2006, Tiger was named a UK Cool Brand Leader. The recognition reaffirmed Tiger's popularity and was given only to the coolest brands in the UK.

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