The German brewer, Krombacher Brauerei, reported turnover of €460.5m ($490.4m) for 2002, up 8.1% from 2001.

Total beer production for 2002 reached 4.86m hls in 2002, representing a rise of 3.7%. However, draft beer production fell by 2.3% to 821,000 hls, the company said.

The company, which employs 770 people, is planning major advertising campaigns for Cab, a pre-mix of Cola and beer, and its Krombacher Radler brand, with a total marketing budget for 2003 set at €50m. Krombacher also plans to spend €30m on upgrading production facilities.