AUSTRALIA: Lion Nathan misses Victoria opportunity as Fosters settles strike dispute

Lion Nathan missed a golden opportunity last week to get one up on its arch rival Fosters.Fosters ran into trouble with its workers in the Australian state of Victoria over a new bargaining agreement. A week long stoppage at the Foster's brewery in Victoria gave Lion Nathan a chance to leap on itsrival's misfortune.As stocks of Fosters brands Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught ran low, Lion is understood to have rushed extra kegs of its Tooheys product to the state.But by the time the Lion beer got into the state the Fosters strike was over and its beer began flowing again."We have come to an agreement and they are back at work and the ban on production of these brands is over," Fosters spokesman David Park told just-drinks.com.Lion Nathan has been desperate to break into the A$2bn Victoria market, and its biggest city Melbourne, but Fosters has a traditional stranglehold that it is not letting go of.But wags at the Sydney Morning Herald pointed out that Melbourne's stubborn drinkers would probably rather have gone thirsty than be seen drinking imported Sydney beer.