India & Nepal: United Breweries launches its Kingfisher beer in Nepal

Tying up with Yeti Brewery, Indian beverage company United Breweries Ltd announced on May 18 the official launch of Kingfisher Beer in Nepal, The Himalayan Times reported.

Shekhar Ramamurthy, the managing director of United Breweries Ltd, told The Himalayan Times that United Breweries Ltd aims to be a part of the burgeoning beer industry of Nepal.

“We always wanted to be in Nepal and we had a brewery here a few years back that produced the popular Star Beer. However, it was shut down due to some labour issues,” informed Ramamurthy, adding that United Breweries has once again forayed into Nepal to become a part of the country’s growing beer industry.

Citing that Nepal is an important market, as the beer industry here has been growing rapidly for the past few years, Ramamurthy said that Kingfisher is a popular beer brand among youths and will target the same group in Nepal.

Ramamurthy believes that though per capita beer consumption is low in Nepal, the annual industry growth rate of almost 25 per cent witnessed in recent years has developed Nepal into a strategic and potential beer market.

On Kingfisher’s plans to create its space in a market brimming with other brands, Ramamurthy said, “Kingfisher is a young and contemporary beer in Nepal and offers its own peculiar taste. We just want Nepali consumers to give a chance to Kingfisher Beer.”

Saying that United Breweries Ltd will build a strong market network in the country soon, Ramamurthy claimed that Kingfisher will capture almost 10 per cent of the country’s beer market within the next two years.

“As Kingfisher is our flagship product, we will not compromise in terms of quality and marketing strategies here in Nepal,” added Ramamurthy.

Moreover, he also informed that United Breweries will introduce other beverages in Nepal in the future.

At present, two variants of Kingfisher Beer — Kingfisher Premium and Kingfisher Strong — are available in Nepal at Rs 275 and Rs 235 per bottle, respectively.

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