Every summer, in Lebanon, beer sales increase by 30%, proof, if any were needed, that the Lebanese like to crack open a cold one at the beach. In fact, according to Almaza, we apparently like a very cold beer on the beach – served straight from a special Almaza “sub-zero cooler” at -2 degrees Centigrade and so, since the beginning of June, beach resorts across the country have been serving the famous green bottle from one of three hundred sub-zero coolers distributed gratis by the company. A genuine breakthrough in beverage enjoyment or just another weapon in the annual beer wars?
One thing is certain: as the mercury rises, beer sales competition heats up. Since the overall beer market is not growing much, despite an increasing variety of cheap, obscure, often high-alcohol-content brands, competition is especially fierce. According to Almaza Marketing Director Francois Mourad the market is growing by only 3.5% a year. A sizeable portion of that growth can be attributed to the non-alcoholic beer market, of which Almaza has a share greater than 70% according to Mourad.
Although Almaza controls around 70% of Lebanon’s beer market, it isn’t resting on its laurels, said Mourad, because it expects the Government to sooner rather than later cut the 40% duties on imported beer – possibly as part of the Euromed agreement with the EU – and open the floodgates to a wider range, and higher numbers, of imported beer.
Meanwhile other beer importers continue trying to hammer away at Almaza’s market dominance. Abiramia Bros., a company that imports Effes from Turkey, Fosters from Australia and Budweiser from the United States, says it is spending $350,000 on marketing this year, including a “massive ad campaign” which includes sponsorship of two motor races and advertising on billboards and radio. It is also increasing the sales percentage in cash money it gives to its five distribution agents as an incentive for them to boost sales.
The company’s marketing director, Abdou Younes, claimed that the company’s beer sales were growing by 25%-30% a year, which imply it is eating into Almaza’s market share. For its part, Heineken is trying to wean clubbers off ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages such as Bacardi Breezer by presenting Heineken in cooler bottles “You don’t see many people drinking beer in nightclubs,” noted Mourad. “You see them drinking RTDs. That’s why we are distributing Heineken in aluminium bottles designed by a Japanese designer.”
