Amsterdam-based brewer Heineken has announced that it will build its first
local brewery, to the south of Johannesburg, in partnership with spirits
company Diageo, mainly to produce and bottle its Heineken and Amstel brands
of beer.
The site chosen is in the Sedibeng district of the Gauteng province, between
the towns of Vereeniging and Alberton.
"The location of the brewery was a difficult decision based on far
more than just geology, geography and infrastructure," said Heineken
regional president for Africa and Middle East Tom de Man in a company
statement this week.
"We are also very aware that southern Johannesburg is an area that
will benefit enormously from new commercial investment, which will in
turn assist and enable social and economic progress in the whole area."
The choice in location has also enabled the company to gain strong support
from the government, various development agencies and the Department of
Trade and Industry.
It is anticipated that the brewery will initially create approximately
225 new, permanent jobs at all levels and a considerable number of new,
service-related outsourcing opportunities.
In addition, Heineken will provide technical training for South African
personnel in South Africa and abroad.
The new brewery will be 75% owned by Heineken and 25% by Diageo, who already
have a joint venture business in South Africa to market and sell various
alcoholic drinks, under the name of Brandhouse.
The Sedibeng site covers an area of 80 hectares while the brewery itself
will have an initial capacity of three million hectolitres, with the built-in
flexibility to expand.
According to Heineken, work is already underway on the site and construction
is expected to be complete by the end of 2009. A local Heineken management
team with significant experience in brewery construction in other markets
will oversee the entire process.
"Having built 17 breweries, including 4 in Africa in the last 15
years, we fully understand the great opportunities as well as the potential
challenges along the way," said the local brewery's general manager
Johan Doyer. "We are absolutely confident that everything is in place
to ensure the successful, on time delivery of the project."
The second site considered as a potential location for the brewery in
the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality, to the northeast of Johannesburg,
is still under consideration for other operations.
,
27 March 2008
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