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Since the collapse of the Russian rouble in August 1998, East Europe' s soft
drinks industry has built itself a strong base upon a sustained phase of
restructuring activity. This has included the privatisation of state owned
enterprises, increased direct foreign investment and the formation of new
businesses and joint ventures.
East Europe represents a clear strategic priority for international soft
drinks leaders. For example, Coca-Cola HBC has played a major role in most
Eastern European countries since its acquisition of Coca-Cola CIS and Coca-Cola
Beverages. As many as eleven national Coca-Cola operators are listed in East
Europe' s top 50 soft drinks companies ranking. Coca-Cola is often present in
all sectors offering many of its internationally known brands. In addition to
these better known brands, Coca-Cola operators have continued the production of
strong local brands inherited through takeovers. PepsiCo, Danone and Nestle have
also raised their profile in the region. As with Coca-Cola, these companies have
built upon existing distribution platforms with a flurry of acquisitions in East
Europe.
The importance of local operators should not be underestimated. Romanian
company European Drinks has continued to build scale. Wimm-Bill-Dann is a
leading company in fruit juices/nectars. Hoop, an important Polish soft drinks
producer, has ambitions for future expansion in East Europe. As well as local
operators, local tastes are particularly important. Built upon Soviet era
nostalgia, Kvass malt based beverages have remained an alternative to cola,
particularly in Russia and Belarus.
Private label brands are becoming more widespread in the region -
particularly in the larger markets such as Poland, the Czech Republic and
Hungary. It is expected that this trend will continue and spread to other
markets as the region adopts western practices and closer ties with the European
Union.
Zenith International reports offer you the most reliable market figures and
in-depth analysis of trends. This comes from a bottom up approach to the
research process, and detailed discussions undertaken with industry players.
The East Europe Soft Drinks Report 2004 is broken down into 3 main sections:
1. A full East Europe market commentary provides in-depth analysis of trends
in such areas as industry structure, segment dynamics and forecasts.
2. Comprehensive and extensive tables and charts interrogate the East
European soft drinks market. 95 in-depth tables/charts address consumption
trends to 2003, country rankings by sector, flavour breakdowns, packaging
trends, leading companies, and forecasts of consumption to 2008. New tables in
the East Europe Soft Drinks Report 2004 cover: market value by category and
country. Now also included in Zenith' s latest report are comprehensive tables
on energy drinks and sports drinks.
3. 16 country profiles contain expert market interpretation, tables and
charts. A full country section analysis of Bosnia-Herzegovina has additionally
been introduced in the East Europe Soft Drinks Report 2004.
Countries covered:
Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine |