Kompania Piwowarska achieved strong growth of market share in a declining market

KP RESULTS FOR TWELVE MONTHS ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2009

Warszawa, February 25, 2010

KP PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

•    Volume 14.6 m hl (3.0% below 2008)
•    Market share 45.3% (3.13 p.p. above 2008)
•    Tyskie market share 18%
•    Żubr market share 14%
•    Lech market share 8%

Managing Director Comment
Gary Haigh, the Managing Director of Kompania Piwowarska said: “We finished the calendar year of 2009 with very strong results and managed to gain highest ever market share. During the year we also have had record market shares for all of our major brands, which is a significant achievement in a market badly hit by excise increase and the financial crisis.

Over the year Kompania Piwowarska has gone through many organizational changes, which have allowed us to react quickly to rapidly changing macroeconomic environment. As a result we have entered 2010 as a much stronger organization”.

Sales results and market shares
Kompania Piwowarska SA (a subsidiary of SABMiller plc) domestic sales in 12 months (January – December) of 2009 amounted to 14.6 m hl. The sales results represent a 3% decline compared to the previous year. In 2009 the total domestic market declined by 10% with estimated volume of 32.2 million hectoliters. The strongest single reason of the sales decline was the significant increase of the excise tax rate (13.6%) in March 2009 which strongly impacted beer prices.

During twelve months of 2009 KP increased market share in the Polish beer market to 45.3% (up from 42.2% in 2008), increasing the lead over the nearest to the level exceeding 10%.

All of KP main brands grew market shares. The best selling Polish beer brand, Tyskie, increased its market share to 18%, with Żubr (market share of 14%) being the second largest Polish beer brand. The third best selling brand in KP portfolio has been Lech with market share of 8%.

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Notes to editors:

Kompania Piwowarska - leader of the Polish beer industry
Kompania Piwowarska is the largest brewer in Poland. Hundreds of years of experience in brewing, state-of-the-art technology and rigorous adherence to the ‘world class manufacturing’ principles guarantee the highest quality beer. The company's brand portfolio includes best selling Polish beers, such as Tyskie, Żubr, Lech, Dębowe Mocne, Redd's as well as international premium brands: Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch and Peroni Nastro Azzurro. Kompania Piwowarska, established in 1999, operates three breweries (in Tychy, Poznań and Białystok) and fourteen depots across the country. Kompania Piwowarska is engaged in a number of social programs, addressing poverty based social exclusion as well as educational programs promoting responsibility and moderation in alcohol consumption. In the fiscal year F09, ended on 31 March 2009, KP sales volume amounted to 15.1 mill hectoliters.

SABMiller – one of the largest brewers in the world
Kompania Piwowarska is part of SABMiller plc. SABMiller plc is one of the world's largest brewers with brewing interests or distribution agreements across six continents. The group's wide portfolio of brands includes premium international beers such as Grolsch, Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell, as well as market-leading local brands such as Aquila, Castle, Miller Lite, Snow and Tyskie. SABMiller is also one of the largest Coca Cola bottlers outside the US. In the year ended on 31 March 2009 the group reported US$ 3.4 billion in adjusted pre-tax profit and group revenue of US$ 25.3 billion. SABMiller plc is listed on the London and Johannesburg stock exchanges.

Further enquiries:

Paweł Kwiatkowski
Corporate Affairs Director, the company spokesman
KOMPANIA PIWOWARSKA SA
11 Szwajcarska St., 61-285 Poznań
Tel. +48 61 66 77 509
Fax +48 61 66 77 881
Cell phone +48 601 599 198
pawel.kwiatkowski@kp.sabmiller.com
www.kp.pl
www.abcalkoholu.pl
www.sprawdzpromile.pl   
www.warto.eu

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Gary Haigh, Managing Director for Kompania Piwowarska

The market share of LECH brand grew to 8%.

Tyskie remains the market leader.

LECH is the third biggest brand in KP portfolio.

Żubr brand attracts 14% of beer consumers.

Tyskie enjoys 18% of the market share.

Żubr is the second most popular beer brand in Poland.

Kompania Piwowarska has achieved 45.3% of the market share.