South African Breweries says “unusually” high demand for beer, particularly for brands in returnable bottles, has put pressure on the availability of 750ml quarts, forcing it to start importing 20,000…
South African Breweries says “unusually” high demand for beer, particularly for brands in returnable bottles, has put pressure on the availability of 750ml quarts, forcing it to start importing 20,000 tons of glass a month to address the shortages. SAB beer volumes jumped from 11 million hectolitres in 2006 to 13.7 million in 2007. Spokeswoman Shirley Scriven said: “We are importing bottles and have reprioritised glass production from our suppliers to ensure that there will be an improvement in bottle stocks within the next few weeks”. She said higher demand for non-returnable bottles had resulted in glass shortages from the major suppliers, and a temporary shortage of stocks in certain brands. The company would continue importing glass until the end of 2007. “The increased volumes are obviously good news for us but it“s proving quite difficult to keep up with demand in certain areas”, she said. Ms. Scriven said consumers were buying larger volumes of SAB premium brands, including Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Miller Genuine Draft, as well as mainstream brands.