Pilsner Urquell Defends the VerkaufsHit Award in Germany

The VerkaufsHit is an award decided upon by experts, i.e. Getränke Zeitung magazine readers. The decision is based on confidence in a particular brand. This is the second time in a row that Pilsner Urquell has been awarded a prize within the imported beers category. No other product has ever managed to do so.

„The German market is characterized by very strong competition and that is why we feel very proud to have been awarded the VerkaufsHit 2008 award. The jury’s decision is exceptional for us:  Pilsner Urquell is the only brand that has won the prize twice in a row. This award represents another positive evaluation of the Pilsner Urquell brand name and its quality worldwide,” says the Pilsner Urquell brand manager, Karel Kraus.

The marketing and distribution support the SABMiller Comp. granted to Pilsner Urquell helped the brand to grow in Germany by 23% on a year-to-year basis despite the fact that sales in Germany have been falling.

The PU growth has so far also continued in 2009. „Pilsner Urquell is still a hit not only with experts reading the Getränke magazine but also with the general consumer public. Consumers have been buying more Pilsner lager at the beginning of this year as well: we have recorded a slight sales growth despite the German economy facing some problems. At the turn of the year we were also able to increase the price by 6%,” adds Mr. Mareček, Plzeňský Prazdroj’s spokesperson.

Germany is Plzeňský Prazdroj‘s largest export market, followed by the United States and Slovakia. Thanks to its good distribution network, Pilsner Urquell premium lager can be purchased in 1,400 German restaurants. Packed, it is sold in 20,000 shops across German.

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Notes for editors:

• With total sales of over 10.7 million hectolitres in the calendar year 2008 (including licensed production abroad) and exports to more than 50 countries around the world, Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s., is a major beer producer in the region and the largest exporter of Czech beer.
• Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s. is a member of the global group SABMiller plc. Pilsner Urquell is the international flagship of the SABMiller brand portfolio.
• SABMiller plc is one of the world’s largest brewers, with brewing interests or distribution agreements in over 60 countries across 5 continents. The SABMiller brand portfolio consists of international brands such as Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell, as well as almost 200 other successful regional and national brands. It is quoted on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges.

For further information, please contact:
Vladimír Jurina, Plzeňský Prazdroj, tel.: 257 287 209, 724 617 219
Roman Binder, AMI Communications, tel.: 234 124 112, 724 012 641

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