MillerCoors Discontinues Zima
CHICAGO -- MillerCoors LLC will discontinue the clear malt beverage Zima, introduced by Coors Brewing Co. in 1992, because of "challenging malternative segment sales and declining consumer interest," the St. Louis Business Journal reported.
Production of Zima ceased Oct. 10, and remaining orders will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis using available inventory, chief marketing officer Andy England said in an e-mail, the newspaper reported. The last orders are expected to be filled in December.
The beverage was produced at MillerCoors' breweries in Golden, Colo., and Elkton, Va., spokesman Julian Green said in the report.
The decision was made to reduce "complexity" in the brewer's brand portfolio, allowing it to focus on more preferred brands like Sparks, a malt beverage brand acquired by Miller Brewing Co. of Milwaukee in 2006, the report stated.
MillerCoors, the recently merged U.S. operations of Miller and Coors, is asking distributors to replace Zima on store shelves with Sparks, Sparks Plus four-packs and Sparks Light.
Production of Zima ceased Oct. 10, and remaining orders will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis using available inventory, chief marketing officer Andy England said in an e-mail, the newspaper reported. The last orders are expected to be filled in December.
The beverage was produced at MillerCoors' breweries in Golden, Colo., and Elkton, Va., spokesman Julian Green said in the report.
The decision was made to reduce "complexity" in the brewer's brand portfolio, allowing it to focus on more preferred brands like Sparks, a malt beverage brand acquired by Miller Brewing Co. of Milwaukee in 2006, the report stated.
MillerCoors, the recently merged U.S. operations of Miller and Coors, is asking distributors to replace Zima on store shelves with Sparks, Sparks Plus four-packs and Sparks Light.