Sinking sales “increased significantly toward the end of the quarter”, the company said in its financial results posted on 7 May. Total volumes fell by 9.3%. However, this figure would have only been 3.6% if its business in China, where lockdowns had been imposed from January, isn’t factored in.
Global revenue also declined by 5.8%. The company expects the impact of coronavirus lockdowns will be “materially worse” later in the year.
Volumes fell 32% in April, when AB InBev was forced to close its brewing facility in Mexico to adhere to the country’s own social distancing measures. Adjusted earnings fell 14%, slightly below analyst’s expectations.
The company was also affected by a number of countries that had banned the sale and production of alcohol, in markets such as Mexico, South Africa and Peru, where “brewery operations have been severely restricted.”
AB InBev said it will “continue to work with governments in this fast-changing environment and are doing our part in the fight against COVID-19. We look forward to resuming our operations when appropriate.”
The combined revenues of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona, declined by 11.0% globally and by 17.5% outside of their respective home markets.
AB InBev is the latest brewer to report a sharp decline in beer sales at the start of the year. Molson Coors’ beer sales fell close to 9% in the first three months of the year
Danish brewer Carlsberg’s sales fell by 7.4% in the first quarter of 2020, but CEO Cees t’Hart warned the worst is yet to come.
百威英博4月出貨量下跌32%
全球最大的啤酒生產商百威英博在4月份減少了32%的出貨量,原因是酒吧和餐廳的大范圍停業切斷了其主要的銷售途徑。
該公司在5月7日發布的財務報告中稱,“到季度末銷售顯著下滑”,總銷量下降了9.3%。但如果不考慮其在中國的業務(從1月份開始實行禁售),這一數字將僅為3.6%。
全球收入也下降了5.8%。該公司預計,今年晚些時候,新冠病毒封鎖的影響將出現“實性質惡化”。
4月,百威英博被迫關閉其位于墨西哥的釀酒廠,以遵守該國的社會疏遠措施,致使總銷量下降了32%,調整后收益下降了14%,略低于分析師的預期。
該公司還受到許多禁止銷售和生產酒精飲料的國家的影響,例如墨西哥、南非和秘魯,這些國家“釀酒業受到嚴格限制”。
百威英博表示:“在這一瞬息萬變的環境中,我們將繼續與政府合作,并在與新冠病毒的斗爭中盡我們的一份力量。我們期盼在適當的時候恢復正常運營。”
百威、時代和科羅納三大啤酒巨頭的總收入在全球范圍內下降了11.0%,在各自的國內市場之外下降了17.5%。
百威英博是最新一家報告其啤酒銷售在今年年初急劇下降的啤酒巨頭。此外,摩森康勝的啤酒銷售收入在今年前三個月也下降了近9%。
丹麥啤酒巨頭嘉士伯的銷售收入在2020年第一季度下降了7.4%,但首席執行官Cees t’Hart警告說,“最糟糕的時刻還沒有到來”。
徐菲遠 譯自 The Drinks Business