United Breweries Group

United Breweries Group

Type Public
Industry Conglomerate
Founded 1857
Founder(s) Thomas Leishman
Headquarters Bangalore, India
Area served India
Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman
Key people Ravi Nedungadi (President & CFO)
SR Gupte (Exec. Vice Chairman)
Brewery
Alcoholic Beverage
Airline
Products Chemicals & Fertilizers
Engineering
Information Technology
Pharmaceuticals
Owner(s) Dr. Vijay Mallya
United Breweries Ltd (BSE: 532478)
United Spirits Ltd (BSE: 532432)
Kingfisher Airlines[1]
Divisions Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers
Ltd[2]
UB Global (trading company)
UBICS, Inc.
www.theubgroup.com
Website

United Breweries (UB Group)

Location Bangalore, India
Owner(s) Dr. Vijay Mallya
Year opened 1857
Active beers
 Name Type
Kingfisher Lager Lager
Kingfisher Light Lager Lager
Kingfisher Strong Lager Lager
Kingfisher Super Strong Lager Lager
Flying Horse Royal Lager Lager
Kalyani Black Label Strong Lager Lager
Premium Ice Beer Lager
Raj Cobra Lager
Taj Mahal Premium Lager Lager

A Kingfisher beer advertisement in Goa

A bottle of Kingfisher Premium Lager Beer

United Breweries Group or UB Group, based in Bangalore, is a conglomerate of
different companies with a major focus on the brewery (beer) and alcoholic beverages
industry. The company markets beer under the Kingfisher brand and has also launched
Kingfisher Airlines, an airline service in India, with international flights operating
recently. United Breweries is India's largest producer of beer with a market share of
around 48% by volume.[1] Its owned by Vijay Mallya who is also a member of the Indian
Parliament. United Breweries now has greater than a 40% share of the Indian brewing
market with 79 distilleries and bottling units across the world. Recently UB financed a
takeover of the spirits business of the rival Shaw-Wallace company giving it a majority
share of India's spirits business. The group owns the Mendocino Brewing Company in
the United States.

History
The UB Group was founded by a Scotsman, Thomas Leishman, in 1857. The Group took
its initial lessons in manufacturing beer from South India based British breweries. At the
age of 22, Vittal Mallya was elected as the company's first Indian director in 1947. After
a year, he replaced R G N Price as the chairman of the company.

United Breweries made its initial impact by manufacturing bulk beer for the British
troops, which was transported in huge barrels or "Hogsheads". Kingfisher, the group's
most visible and profitable brand, made a modest entry in the sixties. During the 1950s
and 60s, the company expanded greatly by acquiring other breweries. First was the
addition of McDowell as one of the Group subsidiaries, a move which helped United
Breweries to extend its portfolio to wines and spirits business. Strategically, the Group
moved into agro-based industries and medicines when Mallya acquired Kissan Products
and formed a long-term relationship with Hoechst AG of Germany to create the Indian
pharmaceutical company now known as Aventis Pharma, the Indian subsidiary of the
global pharma major Sanofi-Aventis.

[edit] The logo

The Pegasus, which is the symbol of the United Breweries, first found its place as the
Group logo in 1940. Then, the Helladic horse – associated with beer and nectar in Greek
mythology – carried a beer cask between the wings, ostensibly because beer formed the
core operations of the Group. Later, the beer cask was removed to represent the Group's
multifaceted operations. Now, it is just the Pegasus.

[edit] Present history

Sales of United Spirits Ltd [3] products are expected to exceed 60 million cases during
the fiscal year 2005–06, making the Group the third-largest manufacturer of spirits
products in the world,[2] only after Diageo PLC and Pernod Ricard. In addition, USL 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.

With plans to become a global player, United Spirits Ltd. (USL), the flagship of the UB
group, purchased the Scottish distiller Whyte and Mackay in May 2007 for £595 million
(Rs. 4,800 crore).[3] This would bring the brands of W&M like The Dalmore, Isle of Jura,
Glayva, Fettercairn, Vladivar Vodka, and Whyte & Mackay Scotch under its portfolio.

The UB group is also into manufacture of fertilizers. The group company Mangalore
Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF) has a factory at Panambur in Dakshina Kannada district
of Karnataka.

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.

The group entrance to the IT sector had also been marked by the formation of UBICS,
Inc. The company provides IT consulting, Bodyshopping services and professional IT
products to business companies.

In August 2007, the group made a first-of-its-kind media alliance for the promotion of
NDTV Good Times, a lifestyle television channel run by NDTV.

United Spirits Limited has 144 brands under its umbrella, including White Mischief
vodka, the market leading brand in India.

[edit] Businesses

• Fertilizer
• Engineering
• Beverage Alcohol
• AVIATION
[edit] United Spirits

[edit] Whisky

• Royal Challenge
• Dalmore
• Jura
• Whyte & Mackay
• Black Dog whisky
• Antiquity rare
• Antiquity blue
• Signature
• McDowell's No.1
• McDowell's No.1 Platinum
• Bagpiper
• Bagpiper Gold
• Director’s Special
• Old Tavern
• Haywards
• McDowell’s Green Label
• Gold Riband
• Kingfisher BEER
• Kannai Nelson
• Kalyani Beer

[edit] Brandy

• McDowell’s No.1
• Honey Bee
• John Ex-Shaw

[edit] Liquor

• Glavya

[edit] Rum

• Celebration Rum
• Old Cask Rum
• Old Adventurer Rum

[edit] Gin

• Blue Riband

[edit] Vodka
• Romanov
• White Mischief
• Pinky