SABMiller To Shut Brewery In Low Growth Market

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In response to slowing sales, beer giant SABMiller has announced it will shut its Pivovary Topvar brewery in Slovakia in February 2010 and shift brewing operations to its Pivovary Saris unit. With a market share of about 35%, SABMiller is the number two player behind Heineken. No longer a dynamic emerging market alcoholic drinks opportunity, Slovakia's beer industry is one of Central Europe's most developed with per capita annual consumption estimated at close to 80 litres. To 2014, a forecast 3.2% increase in headline beer volume sales to 415.5mn litres and a similarly low key value sales outlook suggests that