Grupa Żywiec to invest zł.200 million in expansion

The firm will expand its production capacity by 1.5 million hl by Q1 2008 at a cost of zł.200 million. Żywiec has so far not provided data on its quantitative H1 sales, but it is known that the leading brands recorded a growth. The highest growth in sales was recorded by Warka, whose sales rose 31%. This is an important achievement, as the brand is a direct competitor to Kompania Piwowarska's Tyskie brand. Sales of Heineken increased by 21%, which was related to changing the packaging and introducing 5-liter kegs to the market. "Interest in the product surpassed our expectations," said Chris Barrow, president of Grupa Żywiec. The main brand, Żywiec, had a growth of sales of 15.5% and for the first time the brand sold three million hl to the consumers in summer. Foreign sales rocketted by 47% in the first six months of the year. (Parkiet, p. 6; Rzeczpospolita, p. B3; Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 11) M.M.