'The beer market will soon rival that of China'

IN CONVERSATION: Karan Billimoria

After taking the UK market head on, Karan Billimoria is ready to take on the Indian market with the same vigour. On his recent visit to the country, Aabhas Sharma caught up with him on how he sees brand Cobra growing in the country and making inroads into the 100-million cases per annum Indian beer market.

How has the journey been for Cobra in India and how are you looking at the brand growing in the next few years?

The journey has been good. We are much ahead of the targets in terms of sales and the response to the brand has been good too. As far as the future is concerned, we are looking at ramping up production facilities in the country. We are one of the fastest growing brands in the country and looking to grow even more.

How do you see the beer market in the country growing?

The market potential is immense and I think it is a matter of time that it matches that of China. There would be three factors which would drive this growth "" affordability, availability and better regulatory policies. Beer consumption is pretty high and we expect it to almost double in the future.

The Indian market is dominated by two players "" United Breweries and SABMiller. How do you plan to take them on?

Competition has never bothered me. When we started off with Cobra in the UK, which is the most competitive market in the world, I didn't have much expertise or resources. But over time we have turned it into a global brand.

The kind of growth we have seen in India in the first few years has been quite encouraging. The market is set to grow at a phenomenal rate and we would be looking to capitalise on it.

What about the competition from international brands such as Carlsberg or Heineken and many others that are looking to enter the market?

It is a good sign for the market. As for us, we know we have a unique offering in the market and have all the processes in place. As I mentioned earlier, if we keep on growing at this pace or go one step ahead, the future looks bright. As for competition, I am not fazed by the idea of it!