Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Carlsberg joint venture buys Indian brewery

Danish brewer Carlsberg said on 14 May its joint venture South Asia Breweries had bought a brewery in Himachal Pradesh, accelerating its plans to tap into the growth potential in the Indian beer market.

South Asia Breweries is 45% owned by Carlsberg and 55% by other investors including the Danish brewer’s Sri Lankan partner, Lion Brewery Ceylon.

Carlsberg said the brewery in Himachal Pradesh was 10-year old and one of the very few breweries in North India with brewing equipment of European standards.The plant has an annual capacity of 150,000 hectolitres with possibilities for significant expansion, Carlsberg said in a statement, but did not give the size of the investment.

The world’s sixth-biggest brewer said in December South Asia Breweries would build a brewery with an annual capacity of 450,000 hectolitres in the state of Rajasthan to be completed in 2008.Carlsberg has estimated the total beer market in India at about 8 million hectolitres per year and said it is among the top three markets in Asia in terms of expected growth rates.

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