Despite the challenging times facing most businesses, Carlsberg Group remains upbeat about its prospects in Asia. It is noteworthy that Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd (Carlsberg Malaysia) is the first brewery built outside of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with StarBizWeek, Carlsberg Group chief executive officer Cees ‘t Hart enthuses the fact that Asia remains a key focus. Hart’s visit to Malaysia coincided with Carlsberg Group’s 175th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the first Carlsberg Danish Pilsner manufactured locally in the Shah Alam brewery.
He says Asia will continue to provide growth opportunities for the Carlsberg Group especially its premium beer segment and alcohol free brews plans that fall within the group's five-year corporate SAIL’27 strategy.
"It's very important for us that we grow further in Asia, which is our growth region. And we have been pretty successful over the last couple of years and we want to continue that. In Malaysia, we've gained market share. We grew significantly in India and in China. We are going to invest in Vietnam. We have a stable but very healthy business in Laos. We will focus further on Cambodia. So we have significant investment plans in Asia," he says.
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