Germany: Danish beer giant, Carlsberg A/S, announced on March 30 that its wholly owned subsidiary, Carlsberg Deutschland GmbH, has acquired 100% of the beverage wholesale company, Göttsche Getränke Group, with effect from 1 January 2005. Göttsche Getränke Group was majority-owned by Charly Willems. The joint distribution platform of Carlsberg Deutschland and Göttsche Getränke Group will strengthen Carlsberg's ambition of being the leading beer and beverage supplier in Northern Germany and Saxony. There will be no change in the management team of Göttsche Getränke Group.

In accordance with the agreement for the acquisition of the Göttsche Getränke Group, the purchase price will not be made public. The acquisition is subject to merger clearance by the German Federal Cartel Office, Carlsberg A/S said in its press release.

Göttsche Getränke Group is a leading beverage wholesale company in Northern Germany and Saxony with consolidated net sales of about EUR 100 million. The company has approximately 300 employees and supplies beer, water, soft drinks and wine to more than 1,000 customers.

In order to be well-equipped strategically to face the future challenges of a market which is becoming increasingly international and also to enable it to further expand its already strong position, Göttsche has decided to forge an alliance with this national and international brewery group and is selling 100% of its shares to the Carlsberg Group with effect from 1 January 2005 - subject to Cartel Office approval. The Göttsche Group includes the subsidiaries and affiliated companies Gelos, DreHa, Dresden, Esling-Getränke, Grömitz, Schmidt-Getränke, Prisdorf, NGV Norddeutsche Getränke Vertriebsgesellschaft, Hamburg, HaGeCo Hamburger Getränke Contor and HGM Hamburger Getränke Marketing. Göttsche-Getränke will in future operate as an independent unit within the Carlsberg Group in its dealings with the other group companies.

This union of the two groups creates a strong alliance benefiting both Göttsche and Carlsberg, because the territory in which Göttsche operates is more or less congruent with two of Carlsberg’s core sales regions - Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony.

It is the declared objective of Göttsche and Carlsberg to consolidate and expand the traditionally good business relationships with their existing customers and, at the same time, to intensify Göttsche-Getränke’s established business connections with other breweries and manufacturers of mineral waters and soft drinks, as well as with other beverage wholesalers.

Charly Willems, the former owner of Göttsche-Getränke, will be personally involved in the future strategic development of Göttsche-Getränke and its subsidiaries and affiliates within the Carlsberg Group. He will contribute his profound knowledge of the beverages sector not only through continued management of the Göttsche Group companies, but also by taking over other important functions within the Carlsberg Group involving strategic input and assistance with the integration process. This arrangement will ensure continuity of management and help to promote good relations between the industry and its customers.

The 300+ employees of the Göttsche Group now have a strong, new shareholder who is both nationally and internationally active. Carlsberg can offer the sort of solid progress to which they are accustomed. It will also open up new prospects for them. The Göttsche management will ensure continuity and will work to achieve the group’s future growth.

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