Budweiser comes to Vietnam

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Anheuser-Busch continues to expand into Asia, now launching Budweiser in Vietnam.

The St. Louis-based brewer on Monday announced an import and distribution agreement with the Gannon Distribution Co., making Budweiser available in Vietnam starting early this month. A specific date was not announced.

Initially, Budweiser will be available in bottles and cans in upscale bars, restaurants and supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City and in select chain outlets across Vietnam.

"Vietnam's growing economy and large young adult population make it an ideal market for Budweiser," said Walter Blocker, chief executive officer of the Gannon Group Vietnam Ltd.

Tom Santel, CEO and president of Anheuser-Busch International Inc., called Vietnam "an exciting beer market and an important one for Anheuser-Busch to begin establishing and building the Budweiser brand." He noted the country experienced double-digit volume growth for the past three years.

The Budweiser sold in Vietnam will be brewed and packaged at an Anheuser-Busch facility in Los Angeles.

Anheuser-Busch holds a 48.5 percent share of the U.S. beer market. But that market has flattened in recent years, and the brewer has increasingly looked overseas for growth.

In April 2007, Anheuser-Busch announced plans to double distribution in China, a move expanding Budweiser distribution to an additional 100 cities. The company noted at the time that China is the world's fastest-growing beer market. Anheuser-Busch has a 27 percent share in China's Tsingtao, whose beer is the country's best-selling premium beer.

Also last year, Anheuser-Busch announced a joint venture with Crown Beers India Ltd., giving the company entry into the beer market in India. Under that agreement, Anheuser-Busch brews, markets and distributes Budweiser and other beers in India. Each company has a 50-percent ownership in the joint venture.

Anheuser-Busch also has 50-percent ownership in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading beer-maker.

------

On the Net:

Anheuser-Busch, http://www.anheuser-busch.com.

Gannon Group, www.gannon.com.vn.