Political uncertainty hit EABL's half year sales, Diageo says

A reveller enjoys his Senator keg drink. FILE PHOTO | NMG 

By MUGAMBI MUTEGI

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Summary

• Parent company says sales remained flat due to a dip in sales of Senator Keg.
• This means that the regional brewer’s sales for the period under review will be in the region of Sh35.2 billion.
• In the six months to December 2016, the brewer posted a net profit of Sh5.6 billion, representing a growth of two per cent from the Sh5.5 billion posted the previous year.
• Spirits such as Ciroc, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff have emerged as another revenue churner for the brewer, consistently returning double-digit growth in sales.

East African Breweries Limited's (EABL) revenues for the six months to December have remained flat as political uncertainty arising from last year’s elections slowed down consumption, the brewer’s parent company Diageo has disclosed.

This means that the regional brewer’s sales for the period under review will be in the region of Sh35.2 billion, taking into consideration exchange rates differences between sterling pound, Diageo’s reporting currency, and the Kenya shilling.

EABL’s flat sales were mostly due to a dip in sales of Senator Keg, a low cost drink, which undid a resurgence by Guinness and Tusker whose sales in the period jumped three per cent and one per cent respectively.

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