Budweiser Budvar National Corporation has today announced that Simon George has informed BBUK of his intention to step down from the UK Board in the New Year.
Commenting, Petr Dvořák, Budweiser Budvar NC Managing Director, said: “We are extremely grateful to Simon for all his hard work and effort over the past seven years – he leaves our business with our very best wishes and sincere thanks.
“Simon and the UK team have done a great job in building the Budvar brand. In particular, we are pleased with the brand performance in the UK, and we are particularly proud of the latest market share data showing we are the fastest-growing Czech brand in the GB off trade*.”
Joining the UK management team is Jitka Vlčková, who will serve initially as joint MD, alongside George, as part of an extensive handover. Ms Vlčková joins Budweiser Budvar UK with class-leading business building skills and most recently she was the Country Commercial Manager responsible for the Czech and Slovak markets for a Belgian food company.
Commenting, George, who has been UK managing director for six years, said: “I have loved my time here but it’s now the right time for me to handover and embrace a new challenge. I am very grateful for the support that I have received during my time here at BBUK from our chairman Renata Pánková, and I wish the rest of the board well for the future.
“The appointment of Jitka means the UK business is in great hands as the team prepares for Brexit and the full roll out of our “Greetings from the Republic of Beer” programme to the UK On Trade. As a Top 10 World beer brand in both draught and packaged formats**, we are confident about the future opportunities for Budweiser Budvar in the UK.”
The news comes on the back of strong market share data that shows Budweiser Budvar Original is the fastest-growing Czech beer brand in the off trade in the last 12 weeks*. The Czech beer brand is currently trialling the TopClip sustainable packaging solution in Waitrose and has undertaken a full market launch of its new Republic of Beer packaging, focusing on its provenance, ingredients and ownership by the Czech people.
Notes
* IRI GB Off Trade 12 weeks Value to 12/09/20
** CGA On Trade World beer P08 4 w/e 08/08/20
ENDS
Editor’s notes
- Budweiser Budvar (budweiserbudvar.com) is the national brewery of the Czech Republic and an iconic Czech lager, known the world over but only ever brewed only in České Budějovice (Budweis), South Bohemia.
- The brewery is fiercely independent, cold-conditioning its beer for months. Budweiser Budvar is exclusively brewed in the same town it has been since 1895, using quality local ingredients that have earned it Protected Geographical Origin status from the EU.
- Budvar knows all about devotion, tradition and doing things the right way. The brewery still proudly uses the finest whole-cone Saaz hops, Moravian malts, artesian soft water from an Ice Age aquifer underneath the brewery. Small wonder it’s been described as the “last true lager in Europe”.
- Budweiser Budvar UK, based in Bristol, is the UK arm of the business, responsible for sales, distribution and marketing of the range of imported beers.
Issued on behalf of Budweiser Budvar UK by Fleet Street Communications.
For more information and high-res images of the new branding and bottles, please contact:
- Mark Stretton: mark@fsc.uk.com / 07974 303657