Heineken’s group revenue grew organically by 2.2% on the back of a strong performance in the Americas and Asia Pacific regions, the company announced in a trading update today.
The group’s total sales were up 8.1% to €4.83bn before currency exchange rates and other financial effects are taken into account. In the Americas, that growth rate was 18%, while in Asia Pacific, it was 21%. The Africa, Middle East and Western Europe regions saw lower growth, while revenue in Central & Eastern Europe was down 5.4%.
The company reported net profit for the quarter of €579m, up from the €143m in Q1 2014 – although this year’s figure includes €375m from the sale of Mexican packaging business Empaque.
Within the premium segment, Heineken’s volume sales were up 6.2% to 6.7 million hl, with the growth coming from the Asia Pacific, Africa Middle East and Americas regions. However, Heineken said that the UK and Spain were both among markets contributing to this growth.
“We have made solid progress through the first quarter, with top-line growth reflecting the benefits of Heineken’s geographic diversity and our continued focus on marketing and innovation,” said CEO and chairman Jean-François van Boxmeer.
“Volumes were once again strong in Asia Pacific and Americas, offset by slightly lower volumes in Europe and more subdued volume growth in Africa Middle East. Heineken premium volume growth continued, especially in developing markets. Whilst pricing continues to be limited by deflationary and off premise pressures, and markets including Nigeria and Indonesia are challenging, we remain confident of delivering on expectations for the full year.”
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