Miller Genuine Draft enters China

SABMiller, a UK-based brewing and bottling company, along with its joint venture China Resources Snow Breweries (CR Snow), has launched its international premium brand Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) in the Zhejiang region of China.

With the launch of Miller Genuine Draft into the Zhejiang market, the company aims to drive its growth in the world's biggest beer market.

SABMiller operates in China through CR Snow, a joint venture with China Resources Enterprise. The company is looking to test the potential for MGD beer imported from the US in Hangzhou and Wenzhou.

CR Snow has a 21% share of the Chinese beer market and the company's sales in 2010 crossed 92 million hectoliters. CR Snow will act as the exclusive importer of MGD and will use existing infrastructure to service the market.

Zhejiang is said to be one of the largest markets in Central China, while its capital, Hangzhou, is said to have one of the highest GDPs of the provincial large cities.

SABMiller portfolio includes around 150 brands, along with international beers such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Miller Genuine Draft, Grolsch and local brands such as Gambrinus and Castle Milk Stout.