World Cup lifts ABInBev sales
Sales across the first six months of 2014 rose 8.1%. The company estimated that it delivered market share gains, driven by Budweiser and Stella Artois.
Globally, revenues grew 5% in Q2, with revenue per hl growing 4.3%, “driven by our revenue management and premiumisation initiatives”. In H1, revenues grew by 6.8% with revenue per hl growth of 4.7% or 5.2% on a constant geographic basis.
Total volumes rose 1% in the quarter. EBITDA grew by 9.5% in 2Q14 to US$4.9bn with a margin expansion of 157 bps, “driven by strong top line growth and lower cost of sales per hectoliter, partly offset by the timing of sales and marketing investments to support our top line initiatives”.
The company said: “The strong momentum built in the first quarter of the year continued into the second quarter, with volumes benefiting from the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The tournament provided us with an exciting opportunity to build brand equity, not just in Brazil, but in many of our markets around the world.
“Total volumes in 2Q14 grew by 1%, with total revenues growing by 5% and revenue per hl growing by 4.3%.”
The company said beer volumes in its top four markets were “in line or ahead of our expectations,” with an increase of 7.2% in Brazil, 4.6% in China, and 1.5% in Mexico, while sales to wholesalers in the US fell 3.4%
