Major demand determines Ursus Breweries to increase production

“We are only expanding the breweries in [the cities of] Buzau and Timisoara, because they are good locations for distribution countrywide. The Cluj-Napoca and Brasov units cannot be further expanded, because there is insufficient space,” the company’s Manager for Europe, Alan Clark, said.

He denied rumors published in the press on a possible closure of its Cluj-Napoca and Brasov factories, as these are located within city limits, thus violating EU regulations. According to Clark, Ursus factories produced beer at their maximum capacity in the past few years, but could not fully meet market demand, so closing the two units was not considered.

Ursus Breweries claims a 24.9 percent market share in Romania, according to MEMBR research company. Main players are Heineken, Ursus Breweries, InBev, URB and European Foods, on a market worth over €1 billion.

Last year, beer consumption per capita amounted to 89 liters in Romania, compared to 160 liters in the Czech Republic and 116 liters in Germany.