United Breweries Group or UB Group, based in Bangalore, is a conglomerate of

different companies with a major focus on the brewery (beer) and alcoholic beverages
industry. The company markets of its beer under the Kingfisher brand and has also
launched Kingfisher Airlines, an airline service in India, with international flights
operating recently. United Breweries is India's largest producer of beer with a market
share of around 48% by volume.[1] Its owned by Vijay Mallya who is also a member of
the Indian Parliament. United Breweries now has greater than a 40% share of the Indian
brewing market with 79 distilleries and bottling units across the world.. Recently UB
financed a takeover of the spirits business of the rival Shaw-Wallace company giving it a
majority share of India's spirits business. The group owns the Mendocino Brewing
Company in the United States.

History
The UB Group was founded by a Scotsman, Thomas Leishman, in 1857. The Group took
its initial lessons in manufacturing beer from South India based British breweries. At the
age of 22, Vittal Mallya was elected as the company's first Indian director in 1977. After
a year, he replaced R G N Price as the chairman of the company.

UB Group's headquarters in Bangalore, India

United Breweries made its initial impact by manufacturing bulk beer for the British
troops, which was transported in huge barrels or "Hogsheads". Kingfisher, the group's
most visible and profitable brand, made a modest entry in the sixties. During the 1950s
and 60s, the company expanded greatly by acquiring other breweries. First was the
addition of McDowell as one of the Group subsidiaries, a move which helped United
Breweries to extend its portfolio to wines and spirits business. Strategically, the Group
moved into agro-based industries and medicines when Mallya acquired Kissan Products
and formed a long-term relationship with Hoechst AG of Germany to create the Indian
pharmaceutical company now known as Aventis Pharma, the Indian subsidiary of the
global pharma major Sanofi-Aventis.

[edit] The logo

The Pegasus, which is the symbol of the United Breweries, first found its place as the
Group logo in 1940. Then, the Helladic horse – associated with beer and nectar in Greek
mythology – carried a beer cask between the wings, ostensibly because beer formed the
core operations of the Group. Later, the beer cask was removed to represent the Group's
multifaceted operations. Now, it is just the Pegasus.

[edit] Present history

Sales of United Spirits Ltd [3] products are expected to exceed 60 million cases during
the fiscal year 2005–06, making the Group the third-largest manufacturer of spirits
products in the world,[2] only after Diageo PLC and Pernod Ricard. In addition, USL is
one of only three in the world to own seven millionaire brands and at least five brands
rated by Drinks International, UK, to be amongst the ten fastest growing brands in the
world in their respective categories. The market share of the Spirits Division in India is
currently 60% and exports to the Middle East, Africa and Asian countries are growing
rapidly.

The UB Group's brewing entity – called United Breweries Limited (UBL) - has also
assumed undisputed market leadership with a national market share in excess of 50%.
Through a process of aggressive acquisition and market penetration, The UB Group
today controls 60% of the total manufacturing capacity for beer in India. The flagship
brand, Kingfisher, is now sold in over 52 countries worldwide, having received many
accolades for its quality.

With plans to become a global player, United Spirits Ltd. (USL), the flagship of the UB
group, purchased the Scottish distiller Whyte and Mackay in May 2007 for £595 million
(Rs. 4,800 crore).[3] This would bring the brands of W&M like The Dalmore, Isle of Jura,
Glayva, Fettercairn, Vladivar Vodka, and Whyte & Mackay Scotch under its portfolio.

The UB group is also into manufacture of fertilizers. The group company Mangalore
Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF) has a factory at Panambur in Dakshina Kannada district
of Karnataka.

UB Engineering Limited is the group's engineering business arm. It undertakes EPC

Projects, Infrastructure, on-site fabrication of structures, installation, testing and
Commissioning of Electrical and Mechanical Equipments, Piping etc. for large industrial
projects such as Power, Refineries, Steel, Cement, Fertilizer, Petrochemical and
Desalination Projects. The company was initially established as Western India Erectors in
1963 and came under the UB Group in 1988.

The group entrance to the IT sector had also been marked by the formation of UBICS,
Inc. The company provides IT consulting, services and professional IT products to
business companies.

In August 2007, the group made a first-of-its-kind media alliance for the promotion of
NDTV Good Times, a lifestyle television channel run by NDTV.
United Spirits Limited has 144 brands under its umbrella, including White Mischief
vodka, the market leading brand in India.