The Russian successor got decent capabilities.
Photo: Shutterstock
Dutch brewer Heineken has sold its Russian division. This is stated in the official statement of the manufacturer. The deal amounted to one euro (102 rubles). At the same time, the company estimates losses at 300 million euros. The buyer was the Arnest group of companies. It specializes in the production of perfumes, cosmetics and household products in the form of aerosols.
The Russian successor got decent capabilities. That is, seven breweries. They are located throughout the country: St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and Sterlitamak. It is true that the national company did not get the business for free. The company will be obliged to repay the debt to the company headquarters. It is estimated at 100 million euros. At the same time, this transaction does not provide for a repurchase, as provided, for example, in the agreement on the transfer of McDonald’s assets. “Heineken” has completely disappeared.
The Dutch company has been operating in Russia for more than 20 years. And currently it occupies 12% of the Russian beer market. The assortment includes three dozen drink names. Some of them have already disappeared (Guinness, Miller, Heineken) or will soon disappear from the shelves of Russian stores (Amstel). There is no information about local brands with names in Russian, but they are likely to remain (see help).
What is known about the buyer? Arnest is the largest manufacturer of aerosol products in Russia (accounting for 53% of the market). The main owner of the group is businessman Alexei Sagal. At one time the company produced products of various transnational corporations Unilever, Beiersdorf, Colgate-Palmolive, L’Oreal, Oriflame. And the most famous brand of the company can be considered “Dichlorvos” (this is the best-selling insecticide in Russia).
Last year, Arnest’s revenue amounted to 11 billion rubles. This is almost all that will have to be given to the former owner of Heineken in Russia. By comparison, last year Heineken’s revenue in Russia amounted to 42 billion rubles. At the same time, as reported, the government commission ordered the buyer to keep its 1,800 employees in the state for at least the next three years. In addition, all senior management will continue to work in the company. It should be noted that this is not the first purchase of a foreign company by Arnest. Last year, the company became the owner of three factories for the production of aluminum cans in the Chelyabinsk region. They previously belonged to the American Ball Corporation.
What brands did Heineken produce in Russia?
Heineken, Amstel, Edelweiss, Guinness Original, Gösser, Buckler, Zlatý Baant, Desperados, Kalinkin, Königsberg, Bochkarev, Pete, “Hunting”, “Stepan Razin”, “Three Bears”, “Doctor Diesel”, “Shikhan”, “Gray Ural”, “Okskoye”, “Zhigulevskoye Heineken”, “Patra”, “Sagittarius”, “Ostmark”, “Free Siberia”, “Fort”, “Baikal Coast” and others.
