AB InBev revenue down 9.9% with struggling sales in EMEA | Progresiv
AB InBev saw its third-quarter revenue shrink by 9.9% in part due to the struggling performance of its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) unit. 
The company, which owns brands such as Beck’s, Budweiser and Stella Artois, recorded sales of 13.28 billion dollars in the three months to 30 September.
Revenue in EMEA was down 27.2% to 2.1 billion dollars. The world’s largest brewer also recorded a reduction in gross profit for the quarter of 9.7%.
However, in the US the company said its Budweiser and Bud Light beers performed better than earlier in the year.
AB InBev drew attention to the strong performance of its above-premium portfolio in the US and the continued growth of Michelob Ultra and the launch of Michelob Ultra Pure Goldearlier this year.
The company also highlighted its positive performance in China, the world’s largest beer market, with third-quarter volume up by 1%. The growth was said to be partly by fuelled by successful brand activations over the summer and ongoing premiumisation. In September, the company formed a distribution partnership in China with Japanese brewer Sapporo.
During the quarter, AB InBev’s venture capital division ZX Ventures expanded in the online alcohol retail sector with the purchase of Australia’s BoozeBud.
AB InBev also revealed plans to construct a new brewery in Mozambique which will be capable of producing 2 million hectolitres of beer annually. (www.foodbev.com)
