Efes opened its 3rd brewery in Russia

Efes opened its 3rd brewery in Russia

Moscow Efes Brewery, the Russian subsidiary of Efes Breweries International N.V., that conducts the Efes Beverage Group’s international beer operations, opened its new brewery in Rostov, Southern Russia.

The opening ceremony was held in Rostov, with the participation of Mr. Vladimir Chubb-Head of Administration (Governor of Rostov Region), Mr. Mikhail Chernishov-Mayor of Rostov-on-Don, Mr. Iosif Ordjonikidze-Deputy Mayor of Moscow in Moscow Government, Mr. Alexander Belayev-Minister of Transportation and Communication in Moscow Government, Mr. Lev Voldman-First Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology in Moscow Government, Mr. Taşkent Kurtuluş-Turkish Ambassador to Russia, Mr. Kamil Yazıcı-Chairman of the Board of the Anadolu Group, Mr. Tuncay Özilhan-Chairman of the Board of TUSIAD (Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association) and CEO of the Anadolu Group as well as Mr. Muhtar Kent-CEO & President of the Efes Beverage Group and other authorities.

Rostov Brewery, which commenced production in July 2003, is a state-of-the-art brewery with annual brewing capacity of 100 million litres. The brewery produces “Efes Pilsener” and “Stary Melnik” brands that are the leaders of the licensed premium and local premium segments of the Russian beer market, respectively. Moscow Efes Brewery also plans to produce the brands of the Amstar Brewery that was acquired in August 2003 - “Beliy Medved” targeted at the mainstream segment and “Sokol”, Russia’s leading non-alcoholic beer, in the local premium segment - in the Rostov Brewery.

Muhtar Kent, Chief Executive Officer and President of Efes Beverage Group said:”Our brewing capacity in Russia has now exceeded 500 million litres with the inclusion of the Rostov Brewery in our system. We now established a golden triangle with our three breweries in Moscow, Rostov and Ufa, which provide us with a significant logistic advantage. We will continue the rapid growth of our business in Russia through this advantage and our unmatched portfolio of strong brands.” Moscow Efes Brewery Following the acquisition of Amstar, Moscow Efes Brewery has become the 3rd largest brewer in the Russian Beer Market with around 7% market share by value based on ACNielsen research as of July 2003. Moscow Efes Brewery currently leads the licensed premium segment with 17% volume share with “Efes Pilsener”; meanwhile “Stary Melnik” is the leader of the local premium segment with 23% share by volume as of July 2003. The Company also produces the leading German brand “Warsteiner Premium Verum” in Russia under license. “Sokol” and “Beliy Medved” complete Moscow Efes Breweries’ portfolio in Russia.

Efes Breweries International

Efes Breweries International was founded in the Netherlands as the Holding company of the Efes Beverage Group’s International brewery operations. Efes Breweries International has had over 135% compound growth in volume over the past 4 years since the start of its operations and became a leading producer of quality and premium beers across a territory spanning from the Adriatic to China. Efes Breweries International currently owns and operates 9 breweries and 2 malteries in Russia, Romania, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova and Serbia, with a total annual capacity of around 9 million hectoliters of beer and 50,000 tons of malt. In 2002 total sales volume of Efes Breweries International reached around 320 million litres and is expected to increase over 500 million litres in 2003, through significant organic growth and acquisitions.

Anadolu Efes / Efes Beverage Group Anadolu Efes is the main listed company of the Efes Beverage Group and is the major shareholder of Efes Breweries International with 85% share. Efes Beverage Group, one of the largest beverage groups across a territory spanning from the Adriatic to China, currently consists of 14 breweries, 4 malteries and 9 Coca-Cola bottling facilities in 10 countries and is among the 10 largest European brewers by sales volume as of 2002. The Group’s total beer sales volume, which was close to the 1 billion litre threshold in 2002, is expected to maintain its rapid growth in 2003 to reach around 1.2 billion litres.