SMB inks alliance with leading Spanish brewer Mahou San Miguel
Screengrab from sanmiguelbrewery.com.ph
MANILA, Philippines—The country’s largest beer-maker San Miguel Brewery (SMB) has entered into a business alliance with Spain’s leading brewer Mahou San Miguel (MSM) to unify the storied San Miguel brand and expand its global footprint.
In a press statement on Wednesday, SMB said its international unit San Miguel Brewing International Ltd. had inked a cooperation agreement with Mahou San Miguel that calls for these brewers, which are market leaders in their respective countries, to collaborate in promoting San Miguel as an “iconic” and “genuinely international” beer brand.
Through this alliance, the two brewers, which are linked by a shared history, defined a framework for collaboration that will allow them to reach more consumers and markets with the San Miguel brand, which is now present in 60 countries on all five continents. The combined international sales of the two companies outside of the core and original Philippine market today make San Miguel one of the top 10 global premium beer brands.
“MSM and SMB share a long and storied history. Leveraging on the strength and depth of our category as well as presence in our respective markets can do a lot for ramping up San Miguel as a global flagship brand,” said Ramón S. Ang, SMC president and chief operating officer and SMB chair.
“This alliance is much more than a business partnership,” said Javier López del Hierro, MSM chair. “It has been an emotional journey to the origins of San Miguel, and is a unique opportunity to release the brand’s enormous potential, promoting a common positioning across the globe. An initiative which will help transform our international business, for which the San Miguel brand already represents 90 percent of our sales outside of Spain.”
In 1953, San Miguel Philippines granted branding rights for Europe and Mediterranean Africa to San Miguel Spain, giving rise to a new Spanish brewing affiliate in 1957. Since then, the two companies have — independently but in a parallel manner — developed a positioning for San Miguel as an international brand.
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