Carlsberg eyes growth for Staropramen after acquisition
Carlsberg is set to ramp up marketing activity to grow Czech lager Staropramen after acquiring the right to market the brand in the UK from rival AB-Inbev.
The brewer’s UK arm wants to boost Staropramen’s share of the growing world beer category. The drink, billed as the “original Czech lager”, is currently the number three draught world beer in the UK, according to CGA data.
Carlsberg will import, market and distribute the brand in UK on behalf of brand owners StarBev.
Dr Isaac Sheps, chief executive of Carlsberg UK, says it will use Staropramen’s “strong Czech heritage” to market the brand and push it to “great heights” in both the on and off-trade.
He adds: “We look forward to working together with our new partners and with our customers to grow the brand in the UK.”
Carlsberg claims the deal makes its UK division the biggest brewer in the world beer category with three – along with San Miguel and Tuborg – of the top four brands in the on-trade.
Rivals Molson Coors and SAB Miller have also bolstered their world beer portfolios in the past year to exploit a category growing at about 20% a year.
