Miller Brands outperforms UK market with innovations

British fans of stylish Italian beer Peroni Nastro Azzuro can now pick up a Piccola, a new 25cl bottle aimed at the pre-dinner drinks occasion, which is launching at the House of Peroni – a London installation showcasing high-end Italian design, art, fashion, photography, music and film during May.

It’s the latest innovation from SABMiller subsidiary, Miller Brands UK (MBUK), which outperformed the UK beer market for the 12 months to the end of March 2014. During the period, MBUK’s domestic lager volumes grew by +5% compared to the overall beer market in the UK which was almost level with the prior year, declining by less than 1%.

Gary Haigh, Managing Director of Miller Brands UK, said: “Consumers are increasingly looking for authenticity and a story in the beers they drink. The strong growth of Peroni and Pilsner Urquell in the UK reflect the heritage of our brands and the introduction of innovative ways for people to enjoy and experience our great beers.” 

During the year MBUK also introduced unpasteurised Tankovna Pilsner Urquell to the UK via permanent tanks at two London pubs: the White Horse in Parsons Green, and The Strongroom Bar & Kitchen in Shoreditch. Pilsner Urquell is the first – and remains the only – international beer to be offered to the UK market in an unpasteurised form, which lets people enjoy the unique taste of Pilsner Urquell at its very freshest.

The Tankovna installations build on the success of MBUK’s strategy to raise consumer awareness of Pilsner Urquell’s heritage by hosting hundreds of tasting events at pubs and bars around London where consumers can sample the original pilsner beer, first brewed in Pilzen near Prague in 1842, freshly tapped from an oak barrel. During the year, MBUK organised over 200 of these tasting events at 250 pubs, bringing over oak barrels of Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic, each containing 40 pints of freshly brewed, unpasteurised and unfiltered Pilsner Urquell.