NEW DELHI : For beer makers, the summer of 2020 has been the driest ever. Sales in the peak summer months that help the industry fetch over half of their full-year volumes were wiped out due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Even as the restrictions were eased and liquor stores opened, consumers lapped up hard liquor for its longer shelf life and unit economics as a special cess spiked liquor prices, said Kartikeya Sharma, president, South Asia at Anheuser Busch InBev (AB InBev), which makes the popular beer brands Budweiser and Leffe.
Edited excerpts from an interview:Has covid forced Ab InBev to lower growth forecast in India for the current year?Summer is gone; March, April, May, June, cumulatively contribute 55% to full-year volumes for the.