Lion Lager makes a return, but only for Christmas

Lion Lager, first brewed in 1889 at the Newlands plant in Cape Town, is back on the shelves, although only for a limited period.

The beer has been produced to the original recipe, but only one million litres have been brewed as a commemorative drink for the 2007 festive season.

It will be available in eight-packs and cases of three eight-packs, available at selected stores.

The eight-pack promotional will also be used for Castle over the festive season.

“We are very excited to be offering Lion Lager to our customers again, albeit for a short time only,” said communications manager Janine van Stolk.

“Lion Lager is an integral part of SAB's heritage and a legendary brand, which in the 2006 Markinor/Sunday Times Top Brands survey was one of the top three brands that South Africans missed most.

“Now fans will have a rare opportunity to take a trip down memory lane, but they'll have to hurry.”

Lion Lager was a strong brand during the '50s when it became an SAB brand after Ohlsson's.

Windhoek Breweries and Castle Breweries amalgamated to form SAB in 1956.

Lion was the biggest seller in the SAB group during the '70s and into the early '80s, but in the '90s its popularity began to decline compared to Castle sales.

It is estimated that its share of the market had fallen to below 3.5% of SAB sales and it was taken off the market in 2000.

In an effort to reposition the beer to appeal to a younger and female market, the recipe was changed to a lighter and lower-alcohol product, as well as new packaging and advertising.

The new Lion was launched in October 2000, but in March 2003 it was again off the shelves.

SABMiller, the second-largest brewer in the world, is aiming to strengthen its position against world leader — the US-based Anheuser-Busch, which produces the market leading Budweiser beer — by announcing its intended €816-million offer to purchase Dutch-based Koniklijke Grolsch, brewers of the premium Grolsch beer.

The offer translates into €48.25 a Grolsch share, an 84.3% premium to the share price over the past month.

SABMiller believes there is potential for the Grolsch brand in Africa and Latin America, where premium beer sales are low.

The group will also spend 50- million in a new global brand campaign for its premium Italian premium beer, Peroni Nastro Azzuro.

Entitled Calendario, it is a short film that follows a calendar photo shoot in a small Italian town, Bellagio on Lake Como.

International sales of Peroni have risen 69% in the year to September.

Source: Sunday Times

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