Brewers increase sales in first 2 months of 2001, new laws darken future

In the first two months of 2001, Polish breweries sold 2.9 million hectoliters, increasing their sales by 11% compared to the respective period last year.The top seller remains Grupa Zywiec, producer of Warka, Lezajsk, EB and Zywiec, with sales of 975,000 hectoliters of beer, 130,000 hectoliters more than in the first two months of 2000. Yet beer makers warn that new alcohol advertising regulations may render future figures less satisfactory. Producers are gloomy about their future after new, punishingly harsh regulations concerning beer advertising take effect. According to sector representatives the new laws will result in an increase of beer imports and will do much harm to smaller breweries whose brands are not strong enough to withstand the competition. Together with the fiscal burden and the costs of ingredients, it will stop the growth of the sector, said Andrzej Dlugosz, the beer production sector ombudsman. It is possible that in order to circumvent the law the biggest Polish beer brands will be registered abroad. (Puls Biznesu, p.4) J.K.