The German brewer, Karlsberg Brauerei GmbH, has reported sales of €647.1m (US$741.5m) for the year to the end of March, up 9.9% on the previous year. Karlsberg said its profit for the year had gone down but no figures were disclosed.

Karlsberg said its sales of beer and beer-based drinks had risen by 3.4% but its soft drinks sales were up by 19.7%.

In February, 2003, the Dutch brewing group, Heineken, acquired a 4.5% stake in Karlsberg through its BrauHolding joint venture.