 "UB plans to launch Kingfisher Buzz in all major cities by year-end")
Beer maker United Breweries is looking to introduce its recently launched malt-based ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage 'Kingfisher Buzz' in all major cities of the country by this year-end.
Kingfisher Buzz is currently available in two flavours — berry and lychee — in Mumbai, Pune and Thane.
The company plans to add more flavours to expand its portfolio in the segment.
“In the next few days, we will be launching in Bengaluru and Goa, followed by Delhi. Over the next 12 months, Buzz would be made available across all major cities and towns in India," UBL Senior VP Marketing Samar Singh Sheikhawat told PTI.
Kingfisher Buzz would be in direct competition with Bacardi Breezer, which is a market leader in the segment.
"The introduction of Buzz marks UBL's latest efforts in product innovation, and is an extension of the company's portfolio that caters to even non-beer drinkers. We have launched
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Buzz with the intention of extending our product portfolio and are expanding our customer base to make a steady impact in the RTD segment," Sheikhawat said.
Over expansion of Buzz in other flavours, Sheikhawat said: "This category demands the introduction of new flavours and we have concrete plans of introducing new variants in the coming months. Our product development team is constantly innovating and we have some exciting flavours in the pipeline.
Currently, the estimated market size of RTD is of around 2 million cases and the segment has an annual growth of around 11-12%.
"Kingfisher Buzz is targeted at urban young men and women, who are above the legal drinking age, and are looking for a differentiated alcobev experience," he said adding that the Buzz's packaging is young and edgy, which makes it ideal go-to drink for our target audience.
For branding and marketing of the product, UBL which is now majorly-owned by Dutch beer maker Heineken, would focus on digital platform.