Birthday tour for Molson brothers
To celebrate 225 years of the brewery with their name, the brothers Geoff and Andrew Molson go on tour across the country. "But it's not a big celebration with a bus, flags and stuff," says Geoff Molson jokes.
> Further reading: 225 years of beer
The Molson brothers still bring their check book while traveling. Molson Coors will donate to each of the seven Canadian cities visited in the coming weeks. "We did not have a big show with the audience, but rather focus on communities. In each city, we will do something good for the community, "said Geoff Molson, a member of the board of directors of Molson Coors chaired by his brother Andrew.
Six years ago, the oldest brewery in North America merged with the U.S. company Coors. A controversial transaction that caused more heartbreak family in the public square. "When we looked at the future, we saw that our shareholders and we would be much better in partnership with Coors, Molson said Geoff. It was not an easy decision, but we are very happy with our decision. "
Seventh global brewer, Molson Coors could live other transformations in the coming years. As a buyer or target acquisition. "The beer market continues to be consolidated, the opportunities are becoming rarer and our team is on the lookout," said Andrew Molson, 43, who chairs the board of directors of Molson Coors since May.
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An opportunity to acquire recurring: the Australian brewer Foster's. As good members of the Board, the Molson brothers do not comment on rumors. But they know the Foster's brewery, which already owned about 40% of the shares of Molson in the 90's. "I drank when we were partners. This is the movie Crocodile Dundee that made this beer popular outside of Australia, "said Geoff Molson, which is part of the seventh generation of the family involved in the Molson brewery.
More Molson sold in the U.S.?
In Molson Coors is a beer from the Coors family, Coors Light, which sells best in the world. "The world of beer is becoming smaller and brands are becoming more global. It takes a lot of marks that can be successful anywhere abroad. We must have more than one and examine the potential of all the Molson brands, "says Geoff Molson.
Chairman of the Board of Directors believes that beer sales will rise in his name in the United States. "There are still a lot of potential in the U.S. for Molson," said Andrew Molson.
In the land of Uncle Sam, Molson Coors, however, must cope with the loss of the sponsorship contract in the NFL in the hands of Budweiser (Anheuser-Bush InBev). Miller Coors will fall back on the teams in the NFL - it already sponsors 21 of 32, including the Dallas Cowboys, the Patriots of New England and Pittsburgh Steelers. "What we do to replace this contract is also important. Coors Light will continue to have an association with football in the United States, but in different ways, "says Geoff Molson.
Until this season, Molson Coors has operated that way in hockey, leaving the sponsorship of the NHL rival Labatt, but sponsoring 19 of the 30 NHL teams including the Boston Bruins and four Canadian teams (Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Edmonton). This summer, Molson Coors won the sponsorship contract in the NHL in Canada and the United States by paying $ 375 million for seven years, but disputes the agreement Labatt Ontario courts. Molson Coors also sponsors 13 of the 30 basketball teams in the NBA and 16 of the 30 major league teams.
Despite their ambitions American descendants of John Molson currently focus on their anniversary tour of Canada that began last Tuesday in Montreal. Molson Coors has donated 325,000 U.S. dollars at the Museum Pointe-à-Callière, a history museum and archaeological site located on the foundation of Montreal. The Molson brothers will visit Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Moncton and Saint John's in Newfoundland between September 27 and October 6.
AGFA-GEVAERT: EIB FINANCING OF 130 ME
This funding will cover 7 years of planned spending for 2010 to 2013.
The bank intends to contribute to the creation in Europe of a "competitive economy based on knowledge and innovation."
The program co-financed by the EIB focuses first on hospital information systems and clinics, including the patient record data, but also on archivageet image sharing, and finally to the digitalization of medical images analogue .
"With health care spending overall pressure, governments and authorities are brought increasingly turning to innovative products in information technology and medical imaging to reduce their spending" particularly stressed Christian Reinaudo, CEO of Agfa-Gevaert.
Brussels Stock Exchange, the Agfa-Gevaert share fell by 1.1% to 4.3 euros, when alongside the EuroStoxx 50 index yields 0.85%.