Castlemaine XXXX is poised for a renaissance after Interbrew's pledge to pump £9m into the standard lager brand.
The move comes after Heineken announced plans to scrap its standard lager in favour of a new premium offering.
And brewing giant Interbrew, which relinquishes control of Heineken in the UK next year, intends to dive straight back into the standard lager fixture after striking a deal to brew and promote Castlemaine XXXX. Stewart Gilliland, chief executive of Interbrew UK and Ireland, said: " With XXXX we have a top 10 standard lager which fits well within our lager portfolio."
Australian owner, Lion Nathan, decided to end its licensing agreement with Carlsberg-Tetley because of concerns that it was being neglected in favour of Carlsberg.
The impending demise of standard Heineken has added fuel to speculation reported in The Grocer last week that lager brands will be squeezed out of the market because of aggressive pricing policies by the multiples.
Chris Edger, sales md for the off-trade at Coors, warned: "Unless this stops, some brands will disappear."
Heineken denied that the decision to switch its famous beer to premium signalled the beginning of the end for the brand as a major player. It plans to set up new offices in Wimbledon employing 100 people to push a 5% Dutch-brewed offering.
Interbrew has also picked up the licence for Murphy's Irish stout, which will also see a £5m investment, from Heineken Ireland.
>>P27, Analysis
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The move comes after Heineken announced plans to scrap its standard lager in favour of a new premium offering.
And brewing giant Interbrew, which relinquishes control of Heineken in the UK next year, intends to dive straight back into the standard lager fixture after striking a deal to brew and promote Castlemaine XXXX. Stewart Gilliland, chief executive of Interbrew UK and Ireland, said: " With XXXX we have a top 10 standard lager which fits well within our lager portfolio."
Australian owner, Lion Nathan, decided to end its licensing agreement with Carlsberg-Tetley because of concerns that it was being neglected in favour of Carlsberg.
The impending demise of standard Heineken has added fuel to speculation reported in The Grocer last week that lager brands will be squeezed out of the market because of aggressive pricing policies by the multiples.
Chris Edger, sales md for the off-trade at Coors, warned: "Unless this stops, some brands will disappear."
Heineken denied that the decision to switch its famous beer to premium signalled the beginning of the end for the brand as a major player. It plans to set up new offices in Wimbledon employing 100 people to push a 5% Dutch-brewed offering.
Interbrew has also picked up the licence for Murphy's Irish stout, which will also see a £5m investment, from Heineken Ireland.
>>P27, Analysis
{{NEWS }}
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