Carlsberg UK boss to Romanian brewers: Go to pubs to take the pulse of the market

Isaac Sheps, currently CEO of Carlsberg UK, who was chairman of Tuborg Romania in the past, says any manager in the beer industry needs to go to pubs and talk to people because in this way you can find out about consumption trends that can influence business decisions.

"Market surveys are very important, one cannot do without them, but they are statistical information. If you want to understand the market, you have to go out there and talk to the people. All that is said about a brand is part of how it's perceived," Sheps said.

The manager was chairman of the local Tuborg and Carlsberg bottler for five years until 2004, then moved on to the helm of Carlsberg's operations in Bulgaria, and later ran the Serbian subsidiary and the South-East Europe region that includes seven countries. Currently he is CEO of Carlsberg UK, which accounts for 40% of Carlsberg's worldwide sales, as well as being a member of the board of directors of URBB (United Romania Breweries Bereprod - bottler of Tuborg and Carlsberg).

Born in Banat (Western Romania) and speaking perfect Romanian, Sheps has noticed the Romanian market has significantly changed compared with the period when he took over at the helm of the Romanian company.

"The market is much bigger now (compared with the end of the '90s i.e.) but the structure of players has changed as well. Eleven years ago there were more small players, which have either been bought or closed down. Customers have changed, too, there are more store chains. The market is not yet as developed as the Danish market, for instance, though," Sheps added.