IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2009, Net turnover of "Heineken" Romania increased 12%

Turnover of "Heineken" România increased 12% y/y in the first semester of 2009, to 509 million lei (gross), or 436 million lei (net).

Jan Derck van Karnebeek, General Manager of the company"s Romanian division, said that "investments in its main brands, the consolidation of "Bere Mureş", as well as the strategy of focusing on the company"s core assets have helped the company achieve this 12% increase in turnover. The careful review of our investments, the cost management programs and the management of working capital has contributed to the overall increase of our cashflow generation", he added.

Mr. Karnebeek said that it is difficult to predict how the beer market will evolve until the end of the year, due to the uncertain domestic and international economic climate, who mentioned that the goal of Heineken Romania is to win market share by providing value to its customers.

According to company estimates, the beer market shrank 11% in terms of volume in the first semester, due to the drop in purchasing power and consumer confidence, on the back of the uncertain foreign and domestic economic conditions.

In terms of packaging, market share increased slightly for PET bottles and cans, whereas glass bottles and kegs saw a slight drop. PET had a market share of 46.7% in the first semester, (January-June, AC Nielsen 2009), glass bottles - 37.3% (January-June, AC Nielsen 2009), cans - 14.5% (January-June, AC Nielsen 2009) and kegs - 1.5% (January-June, AC Nielsen 2009).

Heineken România has five Romanian breweries located in Constanţa, Craiova, Haţeg, Miercurea Ciuc and Târgu Mureş, 1,300 employees, and the company"s portfolio covers all the segments of the market.