Turkey's Efes Breweries 9-mo Sales Volume in Moldova Falls 29% Y/Y

Last year EBI reported a 10.1% rise in the nine-month sales volume of its Moldovan unit to 1.0 million hectolitres.

"The challenging economic conditions in Moldova continued in the third quarter of 2008," EBI said in a statement but did not elaborate.

EBI said that its beer sales in Moldova fell by an annual 14% in the first nine months of the year.

However, the sales figures are not fully comparable as last year the company had a soft drinks business in addition to its brewing operations in Moldova which it sold to the Coca-Cola Company in February 2007.

EBI operates one brewery in Moldova.

EBI reported an 8.0% growth of its total nine-month sales volume to 11.2 million hectolitres.