MOLSON BREWERIES GETS NEW PRESIDENT
By Adnews Staff
Molson Breweries is now being led by a scrapper who knows how to get down in the street and duke it out at the retail level. The beer maker has hired John Barnett to lead the fight for share of a market that it sees as becoming more and more like the one south of the border, marked by a day-to-day effort to move cases through the stores. Barnett is known as "a good tough operator," Molson spokesperson Barry Joslin said yesterday when Barnett's appointment as president and chief executive was announced. He replaces Bruce Pope who, for the moment at least, is continuing in "an advisory capacity." Pope was promoted from general manager of Canadian operations to president of the brewery in March of 1992. Joslin said that "it's up to Bruce" how long he maintains an association with Molson. "We would like to have an ongoing advisory relationship with him." Barnett was head of Carling O'Keefe when that company was merged with Molson six years ago. He went to the U.S. as president of Molson Breweries U.S.A. Under his leadership U.S. sales went from around 17 million cases a year to more than 30 million. However, his position became redundant when Molson U.S.A. was recently integrated into Miller Brewing which owns 20% of Molson Breweries. Molson's board felt he would be ideal for Canada, where the market has changed in the last three or four years to become much like that of the U.S., Joslin told Adnews. Discount beer has 20% of the market and there is price competition at all levels. Consumer promotions are becoming more important and there is a lot more merchandising being done at the retail level.