Our Products
We own or license all of our trademarks for all of our brands. Brands sold
primarily in the Americas include: Coors Light®, Coors Original®, Coors® Non-Alcoholic,
Extra Gold®, Zima®, George Killian’s® Irish Red TM Lager, Keystone®, Keystone
Light®, Keystone Ice®, Blue MoonTM Belgian White Ale and Mexicali®. We also
sell the Molson family of brands in the United States through a joint venture.
Brands sold primarily through CBL include: Carling®, Worthington®, Caffrey’s®,
Reef®, ScreamersTM and Stones®. We also sell Grolsch® in the United Kingdom
through a joint venture.
In the United Kingdom in 2003, we achieved considerable success with the continued
roll-out of Carling Extra Cold, which is dispensed at on-trade locations (pubs,
clubs, restaurants and hotels) at two degrees centigrade, four degrees cooler
than traditional English draft lagers. Additionally, in the last quarter of
the year, we introduced Coors Fine Light Beer to the on-trade channel. In January
2004, we launched this beer into the off-trade channel (retail and wholesale)
and commenced television advertising for the product. In the United States in
2004, we plan to introduce a low-carb beer called Aspen EdgeTM, and a variety
of new flavored Zima products, collectively called Zima XXXTM (in select US
markets).
Americas Segment
The Americas business segment is focused on the production, marketing and sales
of the Coors portfolio of brands in the United States and its territories. This
segment also includes the Coors Light business in Canada that is conducted through
a partnership investment with Molson, Inc. (Molson) and the sale of Molson products
in the United States that is conducted through a joint venture investment (Molson
USA) with Molson. The Americas segment also includes a small amount of volume
that is sold outside of the United States and its territories.
Europe Segment
The Europe segment consists of our production and sale of the CBL brands principally
in the United Kingdom, our joint venture arrangement relating to the production
and distribution of Grolsch in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and
our joint venture arrangement with Tradeteam for the physical distribution of
products throughout Great Britain.
Canada Segment
Molson is Canada's largest brewer by volume and North America's oldest beer
company. Molson brews, markets, sells and nationally distributes a wide variety
of beer brands. Molson's portfolio consists of strength or leadership in all
major product and price segments. Molson's strong market share and visability
are consistent across retail and on-premise channels. Priority focus and investment
is leveraged behind key owned brands (Coors Light, Molson Canadian, Molson Export
and Rickard's) and key strategic distribution partnerships (including Heineken,
Corona and Miller).
Before the Merger, the Canada segment consisted of Coors' 50.1% interest in
the Molson Coors Canada joint venture through which Coors Light was sold in
Canada. The joint venture contracted with Molson for the brewing, distribution
and sale of our products. Molson Coors Canada managed all marketing activities
for our products in Canada. In connection with the Merger, Molson Coors Canada
was dissolved into the Canadian business. Coors Light currently has a 10% market
share, and is the largest-selling light beer and the second-best selling beer
brand overall in Canada. Molson Canadian currently has a 9% market share and
is the third-largest selling beer in Canada.
Following the Merger, our Canada segment consists primarily of Molson's beer
business including the production and sale of the Molson brands, principally
in Canada, our joint venture arrangements related to the distribution of beer
in Ontario and the Western provinces, Brewers Retail, Inc. (BRI) (consolidated
under FIN 46R), and Brewers Distribution Limited (BDL); and the Coors Light
business in Canada.