AB InBev is launching its American flagship beer Bud(weiser) in the Netherlands, in an attempt to hurt its rival Heineken. At first the beer will only be offered in pubs, retailers are to follow by the end of the year.
‘The King of Beers’
Bud, as Budweiser is marketed in Europe due to a naming rights issue, is the world’s biggest beer brand according to its owner AB InBev. There is a growing demand for this ‘King of Beers’ in the Netherlands, the Belgian brewery group says: “It is an easily drinkable beer with a soft taste that is not too bitter”, country director Nicolas Bartholomeeusen says.
With its American powerhouse, the world’s biggest brewery group wants to appeal to a broad public, but mainly people between 18 and 35 years old. As a beer with a soft taste and an alcohol content of 5 %, it is likely that Bud would aim directly for the segment that usually drinks Heineken – AB InBev’s closest competitor on the global beer market.