Financial Times/MSNBC.com: Heineken tops forecasts as growth surges - by Lucy Killgren

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Heineken tops forecasts as growth surges - by Lucy Killgren

Strong demand for its light beer in the US and a solid performance in central and eastern Europe put the fizz into Heineken's first-half results as the Dutch brewer exceeded expectations and confirmed full-year forecasts of net profit growth above 10 per cent. Heineken, which surprised the market in July when it upped forecasts for growth, said that net profit for the first half, excluding exceptionals, was €410m ($525m), a rise of 10.5 per cent.

Overall Heineken sales were boosted by new marketing campaigns and new products across the Americas, central and eastern Europe and Africa, while in the US the introduction of Heineken Premium Light, its 3.5 per cent alcohol by volume beer, exceeded expectations. Heineken developed the brand to take advantage of the large US market for low-alcohol beer that makes up about half of the total beer market there. "Heineken expects that Premium Light will achieve more than 600,000 hectolitres of sales in 2006, 50 per cent above the original forecast, " the company said.