With Carlsberg and Heineken’s recent takeover of the UK’s biggest brewery Scottish and Newcastle, the Danish brewer is hoping to make big inroads into the Russian market. This comes as a recent survey revealed that Danes are one of least worried in Europe about enjoying their brew on any occasion.
According to SABMiller, a joint British-South African brewer which is now the world’s largest beer company, Danes still consider beer very much a part of social occasions in Denmark, more so than in wine-belt nations such as Italy and France.
A full 95% of those surveyed said they found a glass of beer acceptable with all meals, compared to 56% among the French and only 23% among Italians. Figures also suggest that they consume an average of 6.5 beers during a typical bar session, second only to the people of Belgium.
Meanwhile Carlsberg is eyeing their newly acquired control of Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH) which owns a lion’s share of the Russian beer market. It also gives them access to the emerging Chinese market through Congqing Breweries.
A brewery control war has been brewing for several years, when South African Breweries (SAB) created a controlling merger with American giant Miller, to wrap up two very frothy markets.
South Africans drink a large amount of beer, with SAB’s Castle lager being the fifth biggest selling beer in the world by volume. The Australian company Fosters is another big rival in the scramble for the lucrative Chinese market.
[…] Beer-loving Danes look East […]