Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) has halted the production of Windhoek Light beer due to low demand.
The Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group unit said given the rapidly changing nature of the beer landscape and the need to remain current and competitive within it, the decision to cease production of Windhoek Light was informed by current consumer demand as well as market trends.
“NBL regularly reviews all its Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) to assess their feasibility according to the company’s responsibility to deliver value through appealing products to consumers and shareholders alike,” the company said on Thursday.
The brewer said its on-going acquisition by Heineken had not influenced the decision, which could be reversed depending on consumer demand.
“NBL, however, provided reassurance that the offering will not be disappearing for good, and might be revisited in future depending on consumer demand, and that the Heineken transaction had no influence on the decision.NBL foresees the current stock of Windhoek Light to be sufficient at current demand for the month of May 2022, after which the discontinuation will take effect,” the company said.
Last month NBL shareholders approved its planned acquisition of Distell Namibia for N$1.64 billion.
Distell’s key brands include Tassenberg, 4th Street, Castello, Savanna, Hunters and Richelieu, which are currently manufactured by Distell and imported from South Africa.
In March, NBL Managing Director Marco Wenk told The Brief that the company is looking at diversifying its product portfolio inline with consumer needs, while rationalizing some of its brand’s pack types.
NBL is currently subject to an acquisition by Heineken NV, which has offered to buy Ohlthaver & List Group of Companies (O&L)’s 50.01% stake in NBL Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited (NBLIH), the controlling shareholder with a 59.4% shareholding in brewing company.
Heineken already owns a 49.99% interest in NBLIH and will become the majority shareholder of the brewer on completion of the transaction in 2022.
