Poland: Carlsberg Polska, a subsidiary of Danish beer giant Carlsberg A/S, increased its revenues in 2004 by 5.2% up to PLN 1.14 billion in 2004, compared to PLN 1.09 billion in 2003. The rise was attributed to an 8% increase of beer sales measured in volume, to 420 million litres, Interfax cited Carlsberg Polska President, Marcin Pirog on March 3. The company recorded a PLN 10.5 million net profit in 2004, a significant improvement versus the PLN 2.5 million net loss in 2003.

"The industry had a mediocre year, and posted a 1.4% increase year on year mainly due to a cold summer. Despite that we have managed to grow by 8% in terms of volume size," Pirog said. "The sales structure of brewers is undergoing changes as the lower-margin, cheaper beers grow faster than their premium counterparts."

Carlsberg’s market share grew to 14.9%, as the Polish beer market grew by only 1.4% in 2004, but it still trails the two market leaders, Heineken’s Zywiec with 37.2% and SAB Miller's Kompania Piwowarska with 37.1%, Interfax said. Carlsberg’s growth in Poland was fueled by a significant increase in the sales of its cheap brand Harnas, which increased sales three and half times to 49.2 million liters, while the Carlsberg brand itself grew 44% to 31.3 million liters.

The brewer wants to increase its sales in 2005, although the pace of growth will likely be determined by the weather and summer season. The company is aiming to get a 20% market share in the mid-term, a significant increase from the current 14.9%. Net profits are expected to grow at a similar speed as revenues.

Carlsberg Polska, formerly known as Carlsberg Okocim, is 94.6% owned by Danish brewing group Carlsberg.