Ahead of the release on Wednesday of Carlsberg’s results for the second quarter and first six months of 2017, here’s a look at the events that shaped the three months to the end of June for the brewer.
- Carlsberg’s UK arm launched a marketing activation in the country in April for its Carlsberg Export variant, fronted by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. The centrepiece, a 60-second TV ad, will also appear in a shorter form across Carlsberg Exports social media presence in the UK
- A curious NPD move followed later in the month, when the company unveiled Tuborg Classic with Scotch Malts. The expression, designed specifically for the Indian market, comprises Tuborg lager blended with Scotch. The beer is available in 65cl bottles and 50cl cans, with the liquid carrying an abv of no more than 8%
- Much as Tuborg has performed well for the group in markets such as India, the brand is doing less well in more mature markets. Indeed, towards the end of April, the company replaced Tuborg with brand Carlsberg as the flagship beer for its UK festival partnership deal with Live Nation
- Following the release of the Q1 trading update in early-May, CEO Cees ‘t Hart said the group is ready to go, should the Vietnamese Government decide to offload its holding in Hanoi Beer Alcohol & Beverage Corp (Habeco). Carlsberg has a 17% holding in the state-controlled company, with recent speculation suggesting an auction is due soon
- At the start of June, the group’s UK unit issued further details behind its plan to close its in-house distribution presence. The closures of seven facilities will complete by the end of February, the division said, with logistics moving to DHL Tradeteam
- The biggest news of the quarter came in mid-June, when the company announced its intention to eliminate all carbon emissions and halve the water usage from all of its breweries by 2030. The ‘Together Towards Zero’ programme includes moving to renewable electricity within five years