Based in Bangalore, it is a conglomerate of different companies with a major focus on the brewery (beer) and alcoholic beverages industry. The company markets most of its beer under the Kingfisher brand and has also launched Kingfisher Airlines, an airline service in India, with international flights operating recently. It is also present in the sporting industry by the way of buying a team in the Indian Premier League (cricket) from their hometown i.e.
Bangalore by the name of Bangalore Royal Challengers. The group has also made India’s first team entry into
Formula One by being the joint owner team Force One (India’s first-ever Formula
One Team) with the Netherlands based Mol Family. United Breweries is India's largest producer of beer with a market share of around 48% by volume.
The group is a multi-faceted conglomerate with business interests in Beverage
Alcohol, Pharmaceuticals, Media, International Trading, Aviation, Fertilizer, Research &
Development, and Infrastructure Development.
After Vittal Mallya's death in 1983, his son Vijay Mallya assumed the mantle of the group.
Vijay Mallya inducted professional management and consolidating the Group into individual operating divisions. In 1988, UB Group acquired the global Berger Paints Group with operating companies across four continents. The paints business was divested for significant value in 1996.
After India adopted economic liberalization in 1991, the UB Group decided to retain interests in only those businesses that were globally competitive and did not depend upon fiscal tariff protection. Today, UB Group is the third largest manufacturer of Spirits products in the world. In
2005, the Group entered aviation sector with the launch of Kingfisher Airlines
Limited. Within a short time the airlines has captured an impressive market share and has established a niche identity for itself.
Business Interests of UB Group
Beverage Alcohol: The UB Group is 3rd largest spirits marketer in the world, with overall sales of 60 million cases. The company offers 140 brands at varying price points. Some of the famous brands of the UB Group are: Bagpiper Whisky, McDowell's No.1 Whisky,
Director's Special
Whisky, McDowell's No.1 Brandy and McDowell's Celebration Rum. The group owns the Mendocino Brewing Company in the United States.It has also acquired
Glasgow-based distillers Whyte & Mackay for nearly £500 million (Rs 4,350 crore) This would brought the brands of W&M like The Dalmore, Isle of Jura, Glayva, Fettercairn, Vladivar
Vodka, and Whyte
& Mackay Scotch under its portfolio.
Pharmaceuticals: The group's company Aventis Pharma Limited is the second largest pharmaceutical multinational in India. It develops and markets branded prescription drug and vaccines.
Media: The UB Group also has a shareholding in Asian Age Holdings Ltd, the company that owns and manages daily newspaper, The Asian Age.In August 2007, the group made a first-of- its-kind media alliance for the promotion of NDTV Good Times, a lifestyle television channel .
International Trading: The Group's company UB Global Limited is a recognized export house engaged in the export of Beer, Spirits, Leather Footwear and Processed Foods. The
Company also exports Pharmaceutical Products and customized perfumeries.
Fertilizer: Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited is under UB Group's management. It has a manufacturing capacity of 2,17, 800 MT of Ammonia and 3,80,000 MT of Urea.
Research & Development: Vittal Mallya Scientific Research Foundation
(VMSRF) was established in 1987 with the objective of developing newer and novel technologies that will have substantial application in industry and health care. The foundation is it is recognized by the
Departments of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Dept. of Biotechnology
(DBT), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Ministry of Finance, Govt. of
India.
Aviation: UB Group entered aviation sector in 2005 with the launch of Kingfisher
Airlines
Limited. Kingfisher Airlines has captured an impressive market share and has established a niche identity for itself. On 19 December 2007, it was announced that Air Deccan would merge with
Kingfisher Airlines. The merger became effective April 2008, with Vijay Mallya becoming the Chairman and CEO of the new company, while G. R. Gopinath became its
Vice-Chairman.
Engineering: UB Engineering Limited is the group's engineering business arm. It undertakes EPC Projects, Infrastructure, On-site fabrication of structures, Installation, Testing and
Commissioning of Electrical and Mechanical Equipments, Piping etc. for large
Industrial projects such as Power, Refineries, Steel, Cement, Fertilizer, Petrochemical and
Desalination
Projects. The company was initially established as Western India Erectors in 1963 and came under the UB Group in 1988.
IT consulting: The group entrance to the IT sector had also been marked by the formation of
UBICS, Inc. The company provides IT consulting, services and professional IT products to business companies.
United Breweries now has greater than a 40% share of the Indian brewing market.
UB financed a takeover of the spirits business of the rival Shaw-Wallace company giving it a majority share of
India's spirits business. United Breweries is India's largest producer of beer with a market share of around 48% by volume. The company markets most of its beer under the
Kingfisher brand and has also launched Kingfisher Airlines, an airline service in India, with international flights operating recently.
The Group is the third largest manufacturer of spirits products in the world, only after Diageo PLC and Pernod Ricard. UBL is one of only three in the world to own seven millionaire brands and at least five brands rated by Drinks International, UK, to be amongst the ten fastest growing brands in the world in their respective categories. The market share of the
Spirits Division in India is currently 60% and exports to the Middle East, Africa and Asian countries are growing rapidly. The UB Group’s Brewing Entity - called United
Breweries
Limited (UBL) - has also assumed undisputed market leadership with a national market share in excess of 50%. Through a process of aggressive acquisition and market penetration, The UB
Group today controls 60% of the total manufacturing capacity for Beer in India. The flagship brand,
Kingfisher is now sold in over 52 countries worldwide having received many accolades for its quality. Sales of the UB Spirits Division have crossed 90 million cases (9 litres each) during the fiscal year 2008-09.
In this report we would be trying to understand the strategy of United Breweries,
Kingfisher
Airlines and the sports business for the UB group
Competitors:
The competitors like Seagrams, Fosters, Johnie Walker offer stiff competition to
Kingfisher. In rivalry competitors try to grab each other’s market share by introducing price wars, advertising battles and new product introductions. Currently United breweries are the market leader in beer segment which places it ahead of its competitors. This is because of its investment in the
Research and Development sector in liquor industry which enables it to introduce new brands rapidly. It has been present in India for many decades which give it an advantage of strong brand loyalty and also a strong brand image.
Threat of new entrants:
There are many other emerging brands which are coming up in India. As the lifestyle in urban areas is increasing the per capita liquor consumption is also increasing. These trends are inviting a lot of new foreign companies who willing to expand in the growing Indian market. Several foreign brands have made brand associations and are marketing their brands aggressively through various point-of-sale promotions throughout their distribution networks.
Buyers:
As the liquor consumption in India increases the customers also see their power increasing. Inalcohol industry the brand loyalty is not there. So when more and more brands enter the marketthe customer goes for the cheapest brand in the same volume and alcohol limit bracket.
Substitutes:
In India the primary segments are beer and whiskey. So there is a threat from other substitutes like Vodka, Wine and Rum. If the competitors decide to make these segments more popular then there is a threat for the dominant market share of UB group in the liquor segment.
Suppliers:
The UB group is dependent upon barley producer for their beer production. Any change in barley prices affects the price of beer
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths:
1.Market share of 48 % in beer segment.
2.Market share of 59 % in spirits segment.
3.Strong brand image in India.
4.Global presence of the brand.
5.Known for quality and innovation.
6. Aggressive advertising.
7.Financial backing from UB group.
Weakness:
1.Over leveraged position leading to short term cash flow problems.
2.Dominant single brand Kingfisher. 3.Expensive brand maintenance.
4.Static market growth rate.
5.Long development cycles.
Opportunities:
1.Growing beer market.
2.Demand for better quality.
3.Increase in disposable income.
4.Low per capita beer consumption.
5.Any deregulation in the excise policies with reference to taxation and duty on beer which could drastically push up the demand for beer.
Threats:
1.Advertising and market restrictions.
2.Entry of foreign liquor brands.
3.Cloning of successful brands.
4.Growth in substitutes.
5. Economic downturn.
6.Negative perception of alcohol in India.
7. High taxes.
STRATEGY 1.The UB group should increase the profitability of their breweries unit in line with
the
FMCG industry. This can be done by increasing the market share in high price
liquor
brands in scotch and whisky segments. They should also continue to innovate new
liquor
brands to strengthen their grip on the market share in normal priced brands.
2.They should be aiming to increase their exports. There is a large market potential in
African countries. This will make their brand more global in nature. They have
already
making inroads into Europe and USA by manufacturing and exporting grain based
whisky.
3.They should make their wine segment more popular in India and abroad. Wine is
both
abundantly consumed in Europe and is also costly. So it offers high return on
investment
plus it also strengthens the global brand image of the company.