Feb, 24, 2009 - Carlsberg has made an agreement with the Mexican brewery Grupo Modelo to extend the current business cooperation to include nine new markets.
This agreement ensures that Carlsberg's subsidiaries in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and Belarus as well as the markets Kirgizstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Moldova will distribute the Corona Extra brand produced by Modelo. The agreement gives Carlsberg Breweries the exclusive rights to import, promote and sell the Corona Extra brand on behalf of Modelo. Until now Corona has been distributed in Russia by a local leading importer of super premium beer to Russia.
The new cooperation between Modelo and Carlsberg's Russian subsidiary, Baltika Breweries is an effective combination in the Russian market. So far the cooperation between Carlsberg and Modelo includes Modelo being the exclusive importer of Carlsberg beer in Mexico and distribution of Corona through Carlsberg's subsidiaries in Italy, Switzerland, Malaysia and Singapore.
“The second step in the development of the alliance of Modelo and Carlsberg covers important parts of the Eastern European countries which is a key strategic area for us. With Corona our portfolio will get a unique brand that has a well defined and strong growth potential. This cooperation is an important step for us in driving growth in the super premium segment in the Russian market. We are very excited and pleased to work with Modelo and their Corona brand which will compliment Carlsberg's already established beer brand portfolio in Russia,” says Anton Artemiev, Senior Vice President, Carlsberg Eastern Europe.
Ricardo Mattos, GModelo's CEO for Europe, adds: “We have a longstanding and excellent relationship with Carlsberg, and we perceive this cooperation to be a cornerstone in driving the growth of our Corona brand even further. Baltika, as the leader in Russia, will provide our Corona brand with an excellent distribution network that will help us reach more consumers in this growing market. We look forward to continue the successful collaboration with Carlsberg in these markets.”