Budweiser Budvar’s reaction to the media campaign of HC Mountfield České Budějovice

In the recent days, numerous media continually published information that could make the public speculate whether the rational approach of Budweiser Budvar Brewery could cause HC Mountfield club to leave České Budějovice (hereinafter referred to as the “club”). The club’s statements are becoming more intensive and therefore Budweiser Budvar feels the need to comment on the matter. “The last statement of the club’s general manager regarding Budweiser Budvar’s reluctance to support major league ice-hockey is very upsetting, particularly with respect to the fact that our brewery has ranked amongst the club’s biggest and most reliable sponsors in the last 20 years, investing a total of CZK 100 million into the support,”says Budweiser Budvar’s PR manager Petr Samec. “The present complications or even blame for the club’s possible leaving can in no case be attributed to the brewery or the town’s municipality, since the club has signed a contract with its marketing partner ČSLH, therefore with the BPA Sport marketing agency, without considering the impact on the older valid contracts with both the brewery and the town of České Budějovice. According to the new contract, the club is basically banned from any cooperation with us. The key to the solution lies in the club’s hands. We proceed from the fact that all the entered-into contracts should be respected and what needs to be found is an acceptable compromise,” adds Petr Samec. Drawing beer of the Budweiser Budvar brand has been guaranteed in the Budvar arena by contracts between the brewery and the town as well as the town and the club in the long term. Problems arose after the newly entered-into contract between the club and the BPA agency, which allows an exception for drawing Budweiser Budvar beer in the Budvar arena only if ‘severance payment’ is remunerated. The amount for getting this exception is a minimum of CZK 13 million a year.

“In no case can this situation be solved by a media campaign against us or the town’s municipality. We would like to see our beer drawn in the Budvar arena next year, however not under unacceptable financial terms and at all costs. The negotiations are still in progress and it is too early to jump into any conclusions for the time being,” concludes Petr Samec.