Tinkoff plans to launch in western Europe
planning to launch its premium beers in western Europe, following a
recent announcement that it is also to launch its beer in Ukraine.
Speaking exclusively to CeeFoodIndustry.com, Tinkoff public relations manager Oxana Grigora, said the company was currently drawing up its marketing strategy for 2005 and that a prominent part of the plans were to launch its beer in key western European markets.
"We are planning to focus our growth on international markets in the coming years," said Grigorova. "Our recently announced move into the Ukraine market will hopefully be the first in a major series of drive to push our beer outside of the domestic market."
The company says that it has invested $150,000 in an effort to market an initial 500,000 33ml bottles of beer onto the market, priced at between $1 and $1.20.
According to Andrey Rodionov, Tinkoff sales director, the Ukraine market should prove receptive to its ultrapremium microbrewed beer. "Clearly a middle class is starting to form now in Ukraine, and they are ready to buy quality products. On top of this, Ukrainians are very loyal to the Russian manufacturers, therefore we regard the Ukraine market as very attractive," Rodionov said.
The population of Ukraine is 49 million people, and it has an average beer consumption of 35 litres a year per person, compared to 51 litres a year in Russia.
Tinkoff was founded by Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov in 1998 as a one off brewery restaurant in St-Petersburg. The company is now the only Russian chain of microbrewery restaurants that combines the brewing of ultrapremium class beer. Turnover in 2003 was $33 million and the company is reported to have increased its turnover four-fold in the last year. By the end of 2004 the company plans to command 3 per cent of the Russian beer market, compared to just 0.5 per cent in 2003.
