Carlsberg's plans for UK business on track

Carlsberg said new management running its UK operation had "successfully improved the business in what is a very challenging market".

Announcing its first half group results the Danish brewer said the improvement, overseen by Carlsberg UK chief executive Isaac Sheps, was "driven by value management and efficiency initiatives".

Including its off-trade business Carlsberg said its market share of the UK was now 14.4 per cent.

The brewer said its overall beer volumes had risen 15 per cent in the six months to June 30, 2009, with net revenues of DKR29.4bn (£3.5bn) up 8.9 per cent.

Carlsberg said consolidated profits rose 33 per cent to DKR1.99bn (£239m).

The brewer said the integration of assets it acquired from Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) last year, notably Kronenbourg in France, was "on track and synergies are coming through as expected", with around DKR430m (£52m) of cost savings being made so far.

The Russian market - which was behind Carlsberg move to launch a bid for S&N its partner in the Baltic region in late 2007 - was down around nine per cent and the brewer said it was "reducing its market expectations" for Russia to around a five to six per cent fall for the full year.