The Danish brewing force, Carlsberg, is losing its cache in its home market, a report in the Danish newspaper Boersen said on January 9. The brewer is suffering in Danish supermarkets because of a wide range of beers available to consumers, Boersen writes. According to the paper customers are opting for foreign brews and those made by Carlsberg's Danish rival Bryggerigruppen, which also distributes Heineken. No actual figures are quoted in the news story. Carlsberg would not comment on whether Danish sales are falling.

Carlsberg is reviewing its contracts with local buyers after authorities have deemed them to be illegal, according to press reports. Danish newspaper Borsen claims today that Carlsberg has stepped back from countering that its deals with Danish restaurant owners do not thwart competition. Authorities in Denmark had said that the exclusive contracts between Carlsberg and local buyers had quashed the possibility of competitors vying for trade. The company had subsequently contended that the deals were legal.

But in an article this morning in Borsen, Carlsberg has toned down its language. Carlsberg’s sales director for Denmark, Claus Bo Jacobsen, told Borsen: “It may be that we have made a misstep, but I need to see the law clarified in writing.” Borsen says in the article that Jacobsen is due to meet with Danish authorities next week in an attempt to seek clarification.

Earlier this week Boersen reported that Carlsberg is to lay off 130 staff in its Danish operation as part of a restructuring strategy. The newspaper said that the brewer plans to merge its sales and marketing operations of its various beer and soft drink brands, resulting in the loss of 130 jobs.

16 January, 2004