On August 20, Oyj Hartwall announced that it had appointed the Swedish brewery AB Abro Bryggeri as the new distributor of Hartwall’s Lapin Kulta beer in Sweden. AB Abro Bryggeri will manage the importation, distribution, sales and operational marketing of Lapin Kulta beer in Sweden, the leading import-beer in the country.

"Hartwall changed its (Swedish) importer at the behest of the Finnish and Swedish competition authorities when the Carlsberg Breweries brewing company was formed. Among the requirements set by the competition authorities was that the distribution agreement for Lapin Kulta beer in Sweden had to be separated out from the operations of Hartwall's main competitor, Carlsberg Breweries," Hartwall said in a statement.

23 August, 2002