Gary Whitlie, chairman of Ursus Breweries, the biggest player inthe Romanian beer industry, says in the next few weeks the companywill open a mini-brewery on the former location of the plant thatthe company closed last year and is not planning to shut down anyof the remaining three operational plants.
"Production of the Ursus brand has largely been moved to Bra[ov andTimi[oara. In Cluj we will produce enough to supply the area,"Whitlie told ZF.
In November 2010, the producer closed the Cluj plant, whoseoperating costs were high. However, Ursus volumes in the Cluj areawent up between January and March 2011. The new production facilityin Cluj requires EUR1.1 million in investments. Previously, thegroup had also closed the Azuga production facility.
Asked if he was considering selling the Azuga assets, Whitlieanswered such a decision was being contemplated. At the beginningof the year, Violeta Moraru said she was interested in buying theassets of the former plant, which she and her husband ValeriiMoraru sold to Ursus. The transaction was concluded in 2009 andamounted to EUR10 million. At present, the Moraru family isdeveloping the Azuga Waters business, which owns the Perla Covasneibrand and others.
Ursus Breweries, which has brands such as Timi[oreana, Ciuca[,Stejar, Azuga, Redd's, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Grolsch, Miller andPilsner Urquell, recorded an 8% decline in volumes sold betweenApril 2010 and March 2011, according to the report published by thecompany.
Pentru alte știri, analize, articole și informații din business în timp real urmărește Ziarul Financiar pe WhatsApp Channels
