As a company KALS has been growing organically and inorganically acquiring breweries and distilleries along the way. With the acquisition of Foster’s in India, the company has added a new dimension to its growth plans. A report.
KALS is looking to brew a new vision in the Indian beer industry with its acquisition of Foster’s Beer and three breweries from ABI, which include the East Coast Brewery in Odisha, SICA in Pondicherry and Malabar in Kerala, all formerly SAB breweries. The company has acquired a package deal from ABI which includes three breweries, Kerala, Pondicherry and Odisha along with the Foster’s brand.
The brand has been purchased on an outright ownership basis for India, in other words, KALS now owns Foster’s, it’s variants and all IP related properties for the territory of India. The acquisition fits very well into KALS premium growth vision and they believe that the brand is vibrant with high consumer brand recall.
Not long ago Foster’s was a Pan India brand that was well accepted and this belief has been reaffirmed by the consumers and market since its relaunch few weeks ago. KALS has also acquired a brewery in Rajasthan, formerly Mount Shivalik, with brand rights of Thunderbolt, Golden Peacock amongst others for the state of Rajasthan.
All these acquisitions have given KALS a combined brewing capacity of 3 Million HL, putting KALS as the largest standalone Indian brewer in the market.
Foster’s, the famous Australian beer, is an internationally-distributed brand of lager. It is owned by the international brewing group Asahi Group Holdings, and is brewed under licence in a number of countries, including its biggest market, the UK, where the European rights to the brand are owned by Heineken International.
KALS is in the process of rolling out Foster’s Nationally and as part of the process, the brand has been launched in Pondicherry, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka with plans to roll out in the other markets in the next few weeks.
In last 24 months KALS has created a solid foundation, especially in creating brewing capabilities across the country with five breweries located strategically making them the largest, stand-alone Indian brewing company.
According to spokesperson of the KALS group, the promotional strategy is currently a work in progress, and we are getting ready for the oncoming season. Plans are also afoot to launch a vodka brand which is a new segment for KALS.
KALS Distilleries and KALS Breweries was launched in one of the most backward districts of Tamil Nadu in the year 2010 and 2013 successively. Both these manufacturing units have become one of the largest players of alcoholic beverages to TASMAC, a Government run wholesale-cum-retail undertaking in Tamil Nadu. The products of KALS Distilleries and KALS Breweries have already made their imprints in the
States of Kerala and Puducherry and Karnataka.
KALS Breweries, a state-of-the-art and automated plant with its own dedicated system software, was set up with German know-how. It has also entered into a tie-up with VLB, Berlin for talent infusion and development of brewing. KALS also has exclusive manufacturing facility to produce canned beer is already installed and the products are being sent to Kerala, Puducherry and other states.
The Management of the KALS Group of Companies are particular about ensuring compliance with high standards of quality keeping the consumer preference in focus. Legal compliances are given top priority. KALS Distilleries and KALS Breweries are the first alcoholic beverage manufactories in Tamil Nadu to obtain clearance from the statutory Site Approval Committee.
This drive towards ensuring quality and satisfaction of consumer preference enabled IMFS and beer products of KALS to record the second largest sales in Tamil Nadu. KALS Group of Companies occupy the top few sales in terms of performance of alcoholic beverage products in Tamil Nadu all through the year. La Martine VSOP Premium Brandy and 1848 Premium XO Brandy are the premium segment products highly cherished and sought-after by consumers in Tamil Nadu. Kolt Extra Strong Beer, Black Pearl Triple Super Strong Beer and Sterren 7 Premium Quality Lager Beer are among the most popular beer products in Tamil Nadu. Both KALS Distilleries and KALS Breweries have a wide range of products serving all sections of society.
