- United Breweries Group
Infobox Company
name = United Breweries Group
type = Conglomerate
genre =
foundation =1857
founder = Thomas Leishman
location_city =Bangalore
location_country =India
location =
locations =
area_served =India
key_people = Dr. Vijay Mallya,Chairman
industry =Brewery Alcoholic Beverage Airline Chemicals &Fertilizers Information Technology Pharmaceuticals
products =
services =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
owner =
num_employees =
parent =
divisions = United Breweries Ltd (BSE|532478)
United Spirits Ltd (BSE|532432)Kingfisher Airlines [http://www.flykingfisher.com]
Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd [http://www.mangalorechemicals.com/]
UB Global (trading company)
UBICS, Inc.
subsid =
slogan =
homepage = [http://www.theubgroup.com]
footnotes =
intl = Infobox Brewery
name = United Breweries (UB Group)
caption =
location =Bangalore ,India
owner = Dr.Vijay Mallya
opened =1857
production =
active_beers = brewbox_beer|name=Kingfisher Lager|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Kingfisher Light Lager|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Kingfisher Strong Lager|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Kingfisher Super Strong Lager|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Flying Horse Royal Lager|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Kalyani Black Label Strong Lager|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Premium Ice Beer|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Raj Cobra|style=Lager brewbox_beer|name=Taj Mahal Premium Lager|style=Lager
seasonal_beers =
other_beers =United Breweries Group or UB Group, based in
Bangalore , is a conglomerate of different companies with a major focus on thebrewery (beer) and alcoholic beverages industry. The company markets most of its beer under the Kingfisher brand and has also launchedKingfisher Airlines , a domestic airline service in India.The group is headed by Dr.
Vijay Mallya who is also a member of theIndian Parliament . United Breweries now has greater than a 40% share of the Indian brewing market. Recently UB financed a takeover of the spirits business of the rivalShaw-Wallace company giving it a majority share of India's spirits business. The group owns theMendocino Brewing Company in the United States.History
The UB Group was founded by a Scotsman,
Thomas Leishman in1857 . The Group took its initial lessons in manufacturingbeer fromSouth India n based Britishbreweries . At the age of 22,Vittal Mallya was elected as the company's first Indian director in1947 . After a year, he replacedR G N Price as the chairman of the company.United Breweries made its initial impact by manufacturing bulk beer for the British troops, which was transported in huge barrels or "Hogsheads". Kingfisher, the Group's most visible and profitable brand, made a modest entry in the sixties.During the1950 's and 60's, the company expanded greatly by acquiring other breweries. First was the addition of McDowell as one of the Group subsidiaries, a move which helped United Breweries to extend its portfolio to wines and spirits business. Strategically, the Group moved into agro-based industries and medicines when Mallya acquiredKissan Products and formed a long-term relationship withHoechst AG ofGermany to create the Indian pharmaceutical company now known asAventis Pharma , the Indian subsidiary of the global pharma majorSanofi-Aventis .The Logo
The
Pegasus , which is the symbol of the United Breweries, first found its place as the Group logo in1940 . Then, theHelladic horse – associated withbeer andnectar in Greekmythology - carried a beer cask between the wings, ostensibly because beer formed the core operations of the Group. Later, the beer cask was removed to represent the Group’s multifaceted operations . Now, it is just the Pegasus.Present history
Sales of the United Spirits Ltd. are expected to exceed 60 million cases during the fiscal year 2005-06 making the Group the third largest manufacturer of Spirits products in the world [ [http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_25/b4039056.htm/ "India's Life Of The Party"] ,
BusinessWeek ] , only afterDiageo PLC andPernod Ricard . In addition, UBL is one of only three in the world to own seven millionaire brands and at least five brands rated byDrinks International , UK, to be amongst the ten fastest growing brands in the world in their respective categories. The market share of the Spirits Division in India is currently 60% and exports to theMiddle East ,Africa and Asian countries are growing rapidly.The UB Group’s Brewing Enity - called United Breweries Limited (UBL) - has also assumed undisputed market leadership with a national market share in excess of 50%. Through a process of aggressive acquisition and market penetration, The UB Group today controls 60% of the total manufacturing capacity for Beer in India. The flagship brand, Kingfisher is now sold in over 52 countries worldwide having received many accolades for its quality.
With plans to becoming a global player United Spirits Ltd. (USL), the flagship of the UB group, purchased the Scottish distiller
Whyte and Mackay in May 2007 for £595 million (Rs. 4,800 crore) [http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/17/stories/2007051706161700.htm] . This would bring the brands of W&M like The Dalmore, Isle of Jura,Glayva , Fettercairn,Vladivar Vodka , and Whyte & Mackay Scotch under its portfolio.The UB group is also into manufacture of Fertilizers. The group company
Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF ) has factory atPanambur inDakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.The group entrance to the
IT sector had also been marked by the formation of UBICS, Inc. The company provides IT consulting, services and professional IT products to business companies.In August 2007, the group made a first-of-its-kind media alliance for the promotion of NDTV Good Times, a lifestyle television channel run by
NDTV .United spirits limited has 144 brands under its umberella.
Financials
In July 2007, United Breweries Limited reported volume growth of 16.3% compared to the previous year.
References
External links
* [http://www.kingfisherworld.com/ Kingfisher World] website
* [http://www.theubgroup.com/ United Breweries Group] website
* [http://www.theubgroup.com/beveragealcohol.html Beverage Alcohol]
* [http://www.ubics.com Information Technology]
* [http://www.mangalorechemicals.com Mangalore Chemical and Fertilizers]
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