Promo-girls provider’s sales keeps falling after losing Heineken contract

With average 5 percent annual industry growth, new beer brands have a hard time penetrating the market.

Panic-buying has ensued with prices expected to rise ahead of Tet.

The beer maker is aggressively pouring money into Vietnam, one of the biggest markets in Asia-Pacific.

It’s breweries that have the power to dictate what local pubs decide to put in their fridges.

With a thriving street-side cafe and bar culture, young population and rising middle class, Vietnam is luring top brewers.

While net profits in most markets dropped, performance was strong in Vietnam and Mexico.

Interflour, one of the largest flour millers in Asia, has started building its first malting plant in Vietnam to capitalise on the burgeoning middle class and its appetite for beer, the Weekly Times reported on Monday.

The world’s third largest brewer Heineken considers Vietnam a vital growth engine in Asia Pacific as the Dutch beer manufacturer struggles to increase profitability from its businesses in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

Saigon Beverage Company (Sabeco) coupled with the Ministry of Industry and Trade is seeking approval from the Vietnamese government to sell 53 percent of its stake through public auction.