Coopers Brewery has announced a record $19.5 million profit for the 2006-07 financial year on the back of growing beer sales in Australia and overseas.
The result represents a 53.5% increase over the 2005-06 profit of $12.7 million, although that figure was impacted by costs associated with the defence of the attempted takeover bid by Lion Nathan in 2005.
Coopers Managing Director, Dr Tim Cooper, said turnover in 2006-07 had reached a record $141 million, 8.2% above the $130 million in 2005-06.
Cooper said much of the company’s strong performance nationally could be attributed to the efforts of Coopers’ distribution company, Premium, which is responsible for distribution across Australia, apart from South Australia and the Northern Territory. Premium Beverages is majority owned by Coopers.
Premium Beverages also distributes Budweiser in Australia as a result of an agreement with Anheuser-Busch.
The Budweiser range was supplemented in October last year with the introduction of Michelob ULTRA, a world-recognised premium beer.
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