South African Breweries (SAB) said on Wednesday that the company was experiencing “unusually high” demand for this time of the year, across its range of brands.
“The increased volumes are obviously good news for us, but currently it’s proving quite difficult to keep up with demand in certain areas,” said SAB spokesperson Shirley Scriven.
“The premium sector is showing really good growth as consumers try out new brands,” she said.
High demand for brands in returnable bottles has put pressure on the availability of these packs. At the same time, the increased demand on non-returnable bottles has resulted in an intermittent glass shortage from the major suppliers, and a temporary shortage of stocks in certain brands.
Scriven said consumers were buying increased volumes across the spectrum of SAB premium brands, which include Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Miller Genuine Draft, as well as in mainstream brands.
“We are currently 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.”
The company also confirmed that given the recent carbon dioxide shortages, pressure was being felt on its Brutal Fruit range and, to a lesser degree, some of its other brands.
“We want to assure both liquor traders and beer consumers that we are doing everything in our power to minimise any inconvenience to them,” she said. — I-Net Bridge