Guinness Nigeria Plc has reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable growth through market expansion, wider product availability and disciplined pricing, with Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Girish Sharma, expressing confidence in the company’s long-term prospects.
Sharma, who spoke in an interview with CNBC Africa, said the company would continue to prioritise making its products more accessible to consumers while expanding its presence across cities, markets and distribution channels.
He explained that the company’s growth strategy was driven by increasing product availability, ensuring products were accessible and properly chilled at more outlets, and maintaining competitive price points rather than relying primarily on price increases.
According to him, Guinness Nigeria has recorded significant growth in the number of locations and cities where its products are available, as well as in its distributor network.
Sharma said the expansion was part of a long-term commercial strategy that would continue over the next three to five years.
He described the progress as a major undertaking that began with his first 100-day plan and has remained central to the company’s business direction.
The CEO also identified operational efficiency and improved financial fundamentals as key factors supporting the company’s performance.
He said decisions taken over the past year to strengthen the balance sheet, adjust pricing and address underlying business challenges had provided a stronger foundation for growth.
Sharma added that the company’s operations and procurement teams were working to minimise price increases while boosting output, noting that improved currency stability had also created a more favourable operating environment.
On the company’s outlook, he said Guinness Nigeria was focused on delivering consistent and healthy results rather than making specific projections about outperforming its previous quarter.
“I’m not here to stand and say that we’re going to do better than the third quarter, but what I see is we will be consistent in terms of delivering healthy results. Consistency is the word,” he said.
Sharma also highlighted the importance of the final quarter of the year to the beverage industry, particularly because of increased consumer spending and activity during the festive season.
He disclosed that Guinness Nigeria had lined up strategic partnerships for the period, with some initiatives expected to extend into the first quarter of the following year.
According to him, the company’s broader ambition is to build a resilient business capable of financing its own growth, delivering value to shareholders and sustaining strong performance over the long term.
“The business is sturdy, business is strong, business is good, and I’m confident that we will continue to grow sustainably,” Sharma said.