OREANDA-NEWS  On 30 October was announced, that the international exhibition SIAL-2008 held in Paris on 19-23 October 2008 at the exhibition centre Parc d`Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte. More than 5,000 of the world’s leading producers from 2,000 countries showed off their goods on an exhibition space greater than 200,000 square metres.

Baltika Breweries participated in SIAL for the first time and was the only representative of the Russian brewing industry. All varieties of the Baltika brand were present on the Company stand. During the several days of the exhibition, the Baltika stand was visited by more than 3,000 people. The Company views its participation in SIAL-2008 as a good opportunity to find new clients and develop business relations with existing partners. The SIAL exhibition traditionally is visited by a great many business representatives from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Near East.

Interest in Russian-produced beer is rather high in the countries of the European Union. Baltika Breweries is successfully exporting beer to fifteen European countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Latvia and Malta. At the end of H1 2008, the growth of export sales in this region amounted to +15%. France is one of the TOP-10 countries importing beer in Western Europe. Baltika has been supplying its beer to this country since 2005 and at the present time the entire line-up of varieties of the Baltika brand is available in France.

Each year Baltika Breweries takes part in more than 20 exhibitions in countries around the world. Participation in national and international professional forums is one of the most important channels for promoting the products and image of Baltika abroad. During the seven years of its export activity, Baltika has set up deliveries to 50 countries and it maintains a high rate of growth of export sales: 15-20% annually.