ABInBev saw UK volumes fall 3% in 2013, with a decline of 2.9% in the fourth quarter, although the country outperformed Western Europe as a whole.
The company said that in the UK, Budweiser “performed well” in the year, with volumes increasing by 3%.
Across Western as a whole volumes declined by 4.3% in the year, and by 3.6% in Q4. Volumes in Germany, for example, declined by 7.1% across the year, and by -8% in the fourth quarter.
Across Western Europe, EBITDA fell 5% to $1,125m (£674m) in FY13 with an EBITDA margin decline of 86 bps to 31.1%, mainly due to the volume decline. In 4Q13, EBITDA declined 11.1% to $287m (£172m).
Global revenues grew 3.3% in the year and 4.6% in Q4, with revenue per hl growth of 5.8% in FY13 and 8.4% in 4Q13, “resulting from favorable brand mix and revenue management best practices”.
Total and own beer volumes declined 2% in FY13, while non-beer volumes decreased 2.2%. In Q4, total volumes declined 1.7%, with own beer volumes down 2% and non-beer volumes flat
EBITDA grew 8.1% in FY13 to $17,188m (£10,303m), with a margin of 39.8%, an increase of 179 bps. In Q4, EBITDA grew 13.1% to $5,199m (£3.117) with margin expansion of 336 bps.
The company said: “In 2013, Anheuser-Busch InBev continued to focus on creating and expanding opportunities, by investing for the long-term, building on our strong position as the brewer of many of the world’s favorite beer brands, and constantly striving to deliver on big goals and even bigger dreams.”
