Carlsberg: beer demand falling in Europe, Russia

Carlsberg says beer sales are likely to fall this year in western Europe and Russia, but continue to grow in Asia.
The Copenhagen-based group says its fourth-quarter net sales fell slightly to 15.7 billion kroner (USD 2.9 billion) as overall beer volumes dropped 3 per cent.
Net profit in the period, however, surged to 1.13 billion from 192 million kroner, but mainly because the comparative 2012 figures included discontinued operations in Ukraine and closures in Russia.
Revenue in 2013 increased slightly to 66.6 billion kroner, chiefly because of growth in Asian markets. Carlsberg said today that Asia would remain a main target of investments.

The company said it expects poor demand this year in many regions because of a slowdown in global economic activity.