Carlsberg’s Rasmussen Says Confident of Russia Growth

Carlsberg AS, the maker of Baltika beer, is confident of growing market share in Russia as it bets on a recovery in 2011 whilst preparing to raise beer prices in the face of rising costs and a tax increase.

“I’m still confident we can continue on this track to grow share,” Chief Executive Officer Joergen Buhl Rasmussen said today in an interview with Bloomberg News in London. “A place like Russia is out of the crisis faster than most of the western European markets. We’re extremely optimistic about what we are likely to see in eastern Europe, which is a big area for us. If anything, it’s going to get slightly better again in 2011.”