SABMiller prepares to launch MGD in China

Modern Brewery Age,  Jan 24, 2005  

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SABMiller has announced it would launch its first international beer brand in China, and the brand is expected to be Miller Genuine Draft. SABMiller is already the Number Two player in China with an estimated 12 percent share of market (behind Tsingtao, which is part owned by Anheuser-Busch). The launch of MGD in certain important urban markets, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong, would give the company a weapon to compete against Heineken and Budweiser.

SABMiller has been testing its Pilsner Urquell and Peroni brands in China, but these may be proving too hoppy for Chinese tastes. MGD is a lighter-bodied, lighter-hopped product, and American brands also have some cachet in China.

SABMiller says it has moved from acquisition mode to brand building mode in China, which continues to be one of the fastest-growing beer markets in the world.

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