‘CASTEL BEER’ BECAME 100% SHAREHOLDER OF ‘KOTAYK’ BEER FACTORY, ARMENIA

Yerevan, March 31. ArmInfo. French entrepreneur Pierre Castel,
founder of the ‘Castel Beer’ concern, bought 29% of the Yerevan
‘Kotayk’ beer factory from Parliamant deputy Gagik Tsarukian, owner of
‘Multi Group’, at the price of $4 million.

According to Christophe Leonian, director general of the Kotayk
factory, P.Castel now became the owner of 100% shares of the factory.

He denied the information that ‘Castel Beer’ intends to sell the
Kotayuk factory to another company.

According to the information of the National Statistics Service, in
2005 Armenian factories produced 10,7 million liters of beer, 21,7%
more than in 2004 (8,8 million liters). The experts say that the beer
market of Armenia is equally shared between the ‘Kotayk’ and ‘Yerevan
Beer’ factories. 10% is taken by the ‘Gyumri’ factory. ‘Kotayk’ was
founded in 1975-76 in cooperation with Czechoslovakia. Castel Beer
owns a number of beer factories in the CIS, particularly in Georgia.