Krombach / Germany, January 11th, 2024. The Krombacher Group also felt the effects of the generally subdued consumer sentiment in 2023, mainly due to high inflation. Nevertheless, the Siegerland-based company presented a satisfactory annual result. Total output fell only slightly to a total of 7.628 million hectolitres (hl). Compared to the previous year, this is a slight decrease of 0.1 %. The Krombacher umbrella brand performed significantly better than the industry average. At 5.739 million hectolitres, the decline here was only 0.3%. In contrast, the non-alcoholic brands surrounding Schweppes grew slightly in 2023, namely by 1% to 1.608 million hectolitres. The share of non-alcoholic beverages within the Krombacher Group is around 40%.
"In 2023, high inflation has made people think very carefully about which products and brands they want to spend their money on. We are therefore particularly pleased that we were also able to gain significant market shares with our brands last year. Our dedicated employees, our high variety and product quality, and the modernity and relevance of our brands are the constant guarantors of success here," says Ralph Zimmerer, Chief Marketing Officer.
Krombacher umbrella brand further expands strong market position
People's favourite beer in Germany continues to be a naturally fresh Krombacher. Despite all adversity, the market share of Krombacher Pils increased further to a record level of over 11%. Krombacher draft beer also had a strong year in the HoReCa segment, at events and in exports and continued to grow.
The wide range of varieties under the Krombacher umbrella brand also provides important impetus. For example, Krombacher NaturRadler, which was launched in 2022, performed very well last year and continued to gain significant sales.
Another alcohol-free alternative from Krombach impressed all along the line in 2023: Krombacher Spezi, based on the original Spezi recipe from 1965, was a hit with many users right from the start. The fruity, sparkling flavour and the modern, vibrant product design generated a very positive response from the market in its debut year.
The Krombacher results in detail:
Turnover of the Krombacher Group
Recharge strong brands and continue to grow with variety
"With our strong brand portfolio in both the beer and non-alcoholic beverage segments, we are ideally positioned for the future. This has also been demonstrated by the past year, which was very challenging overall," states Ralph Zimmerer. "In 2024, we will work intensively as a team to recharge our brands from the core in a new and contemporary way, to make them an even more consistent experience for consumers across all consumer touchpoints and to generate real growth impetus through consumer-centric innovations in the market. We will drive forward our diversity of varieties within the Krombacher Group and surprise our consumers with exciting new product ideas."