Ljubljana - The Heineken-owned Slovenian brewery Pivovarna Laško Union has reported a 13.7% increase in revenue to EUR 165.6 million for 2021. Net profit rose by 13.8% over 2020 to EUR 18.9 million as beverage sales were up by 15% to a record 2.7 million hectolitres.

The country's biggest beer maker recorded 8.9% growth on the domestic market while growing by 24.1% abroad. Operating profit increased by 9.2% at the annual level to EUR 24.4 million.

The company wrote that it successfully mitigated last year cost pressures from increased prices of raw materials, supplies and services, as well as the adverse impact on its business due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

While lager remains the cornerstone product, Pivovarna Laško Union is looking for new opportunities through innovation and expansion in the non-alcoholic and lower-alcohol beer categories, it added.

The company will continue to grow its business by mastering automation and investing in digitalisation. This will give it the opportunity to increase investment in employees through the development of new skills and competencies, the press release quotes CEO Zooullis Mina as saying.

Pivovarna Laško Union, which was acquired by Heineken in 2016, had 528 employees at the end of 2021, 39 less than at the end of 2020.