Johannesburg - The suspension of the National Lottery coincided with a 2 percent increase in beer sales for the local operations of SABMiller, show the company's interim results, released yesterday.
The demand shadowed the disappearance of Amstel from the local market after the brewer lost the contract to produce the lager in South Africa for Heineken.
Chief executive Graham Mackay said the financial implications for the termination of the contract and the impact of glass shortages in South Africa were expected to affect earnings for the next six months.
"The current situation of glass shortage is likely to stabilise by the end of next year," said Mackay. "Interventions by other companies to increase capacity of glass production will not provide an immediate solution to the problem."
Amstel made up 9 percent of SAB volumes and contributed 12 percent to revenue.
The brewer forecast a loss of of $40 million (R267 million) to $50 million on this year's earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation, after the loss of the 40-year-old contract.
Garth Saunders, financial director for SAB, said the company would increase its marketing expenditure over the next year.
"We are currently rebranding a number of our products and our budget is going to be bigger than the previous years," Saunders said.
The company said the void left by Amstel had been filled by the Hansa Marzen Gold brand, which had sold more than 3 million litres since it was introduced in May.
Spokesperson Janine van Stolk attributed the increase in beer sales to "a large number of people spending their disposable income on beverages".
Soft drink volumes were up by 11 percent despite months of carbon dioxide shortages late last year.
The past six months had seen a number of SABMiller products undergoing packaging upgrades aimed at strengthening its portfolio.
Mackay said Africa's developing market made an immense contribution to growth.