Budweiser Brewing Group has been adapting breweries to production of hand sanitiser, for groups such as South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, pictured here
AB-InBev has seen revenue decline by 5.8% in the first quarter of 2020, as the effects of the global coronavirus pandemic take hold.
The closure of on-sales in most markets has seen volumes drop by 32% as the second quarter gets under way, in April.
Likewise, for Budweiser Brewing Group — AB-InBev’s UK branding — a strong start to the year, with a growth in market share and brands, has given way to sales drops and uncertainty.
In response to the wide-reaching impact of Covid-19 on pubs, bars, and restaurants across the country, the company launched Save Pub Life in March to provide urgent financial support to the trade during the closure period.
The initiative enables pub-goers to buy a gift card to spend at their local pub once it re-opens, and Budweiser Brewing Group has pledged to match the value of the gift cards to pubs up to a combined total of £1 million. So far, more than 12,000 vouchers have been sold, contributing more than £735,000 to the trade.
Paula Lindenberg, Budwesier Brewing Group’s UK and Ireland president, said: “In our breweries, we have been adapting our production to create hand sanitiser and disinfectant to be distributed to key workers. We are pleased to have been able to distribute, free of charge, more than 10,000 litres of hand sanitiser and disinfectant to frontline workers in our local communities, including the Metropolitan Police, Gwent Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, care homes, doctors’ surgeries, and other vital services.
“We’ve also been working with our customers to understand and serve their changing needs. For instance, we quickly developed and implemented direct delivery services for several customers, to ensure we were able to keep stock on shelves.”
