Coopers Brewery enjoyed record sales and profits for the 2009-10 financial year on the back of strong sales of their new lighter lagers, as well as continued growth of their traditional ales.

Dr Tim Cooper

Turnover for the 12 months ended June 30, 2010 reached a record $179 million, compared with $169 million in 2008-09, while after tax profits reached $23.5 million, compared with $20.3 million in the previous year.

Coopers Managing Director, Dr Tim Cooper, said that Coopers produced a record 62 million litres of beer during the 2009-10 financial year, the first time in the company’s 148 year history it has brewed more than 60 million litres a year.This came from increased sales across Australia and the exceptional take-up of Coopers’ new lagers, Coopers Clear and Coopers 62, combined with continued support for its traditional ales, especially Coopers Pale Ale and Coopers Sparkling Ale.

Dr Cooper advised Australian Brews News that for the financial year ending 30 June 2010 the new lagers, the combined sales volume of Coopers Clear and Coopers 62 Pilsner was 4.3 million litres, which represented 6.9% of Coopers’ total volume sold. This is a very strong result given Coopers 62 was available for nine months ad Clear for six months of the financial year.

Sales of Coopers Clear and 62 Pilsner represented 6.9% of Coopers’ total volume

“While strong growth in beer sales was a key driver of our results, we also enjoyed a 1.9% rise in home brew products while malt extract sales grew 14.8%,” Dr Cooper said.

Dr Cooper said that the strong growth was expected to continue in the next 12 months with a permanent second shift having been introduced recently to meet additional demand.

“For some years now we have run an additional shift from October until Christmas to boost stock levels ahead of the busy summer and Christmas periods,” he said.

“In more recent times, we have also run an additional shift for 12 weeks in the New Year to cope with post-Christmas demand.

“This year we extended the post-Christmas second shift until May because of ongoing demand and the decision was made to introduce a permanent second shift. This was introduced in September and we are currently working to build stocks in the lead up to summer and Christmas, which is traditionally our busiest time of the year.”

Dr Cooper said that during the Christmas period in 2009, Coopers had enjoyed a 9.2% increase in the number of the cartons it sold and provision was being made for similar growth again this year.

He said Coopers’ Regency Park warehouse had the capacity to store around one million cases of beer and stocks would get close to this figure by late November.

www.coopers.com.au

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