Carlsberg takes on San Miguel distribution

Carlsberg will take over full responsibility for the production, marketing, selling and distribution of San Miguel in the UK from November 1.

San Miguel - Britain's biggest-selling world beer brand, according to Nielsen data - had previously been distributed by Scottish and Newcastle (S&N). It follows Carlsberg and Heineken jointly assuming ownership of S&N's UK brewing and pub operations, as well as the group's businesses in a number of European markets, in March.

The licensing and distribution agreement is with Spain's Mahou San Miguel group. A spokesman said: "We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Carlsberg UK. We are confident that the team at Carlsberg is well placed to unlock San Miguel's potential within the UK on-trade over the coming years, maintaining the brand's momentum".

Carlsberg UK has set aside a "significant" budget to support the brand, including a marketing programme that will be unveiled to customers over the coming months.

Carlsberg head of on-trade customer marketing Dave Scott said: "We are really excited about this latest addition to the Carlsberg family. San Miguel has real scale in the on-trade."

A Carlsberg representative will be contacting all on-trade customers shortly to ensure the transition is a smooth one.