Pilsner Urquell brand pub franchise expands to Sweden

“A year ago, as a part of the Pilsner Urquell Ambassador Program, we visited the Pilsner brewery, as well as many different Czech pubs and restaurants. We liked the Pilsner Urquell Original Restaurant concept a lot, it is an amazing thing. We want to serve beer of the highest quality to our customers and guests in a pleasant authentic atmosphere, so we decided to open such an establishment here in the square in the historical center of Malmö,” say Göran Tufvesson and Johan Walterstrom, Czech Point restaurant owners.
 
The interior of the new Czech Point was designed by a Czech architect Jiří Hanzlík who designs and realizes PUOR restaurants in the Czech Republic from the very beginning. The restaurant holds more than 290 guests, who can also treat themselves to representative meals of the Czech cuisine, such as brewery goulash or roasted pork knuckle.

Two thirds of Swedes know the Pilsner Urquell brand
Although the total beer sales in Sweden decreased slightly last year, the Pilsner Urquell brand grew and exceeded sales of 24,000 hl. The Pilsner Urquell beer is very popular in Sweden. 66 percent of beer consumers are familiar with the brand, roughly one quarter of consumers drinks it regularly. Swedes most commonly associate the brand with a unique taste and quality, and recommend Pilsner Urquell to true beer experts. It is of interest that Prazdroj exports all beer to Sweden by train.

New Czech Point launch: The best Swedish bartender is a woman
During the ceremonial opening of the restaurant for about 300 guests, the final round of the “Pilsner Urquell Master Bartender” national competition was also held. Twelve selected finalists got together in Malmö to demonstrate their practical and theoretical knowledge right in Czech Point. Interestingly, the first three places were taken by women in the tight finals. The winner was Majsan Johansson, who is the best Pilsner beer bartender in Bjorn's Bar restaurant in Gothenburg.

Pilsner Urquell Original Restaurant concept
PUOR restaurants are a franchise project of Plzeňský Prazdroj – combining the best of Czech brewing tradition and Czech cuisine with the standards of modern lifestyle – to create a unique ambience with an inspiring original atmosphere. There are 16 of these restaurants in 10 Czech cities. One is also in Kiev in Ukraine.

Further information:
Vladimír Jurina, Plzeňský Prazdroj, phone: +420 257 287 209, +420 724 617 219
Radim Kovács, AMI Communications, phone: +420 234 124 112, +420 724 012 617

Notes for editors:

• With total sales of 10.7 million hectoliters in the year 2008 (including the licence production abroad) and with exports to more than 50 countries worldwide, Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s., is the leading beer producer in the region and the largest exporter of Czech beer.
• Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s., is a member of SABMiller plc. Pilsner Urquell is the international flagship of the portfolio of SABMiller brands.
• SABMiller plc is one of the largest brewing companies worldwide with brewing interests or distribution agreements in over 60 countries across six continents. The group's brands include major international brands such as Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Pilsner Urquell, and almost 200 successful regional and national brands. Outside the USA, SABMiller is also one of the largest producers and distributors of Coca-Cola products in the world.

Malmö/Prague