Growth In Revenue And Earnings

SHAH ALAM, August 25th, 2011 – Carlsberg Malaysia announced Group half year Profit after tax of RM80.6 million, for the period ended 30th June 2011, a growth of 16.5 percent compared to the same six month period a year ago with revenue of RM752.7 million an increase of 5.6 percent. Earnings per share for the half year increased to 26.15 sen, compared to 22.46 sen a year ago.

Notwithstanding a significant investment to execute the new positioning of the Carlsberg Brand which included the Carlsberg new packaging in the 2nd quarter 2011, the Group’s profit after tax increased by 0.5 percent to RM31.2 million.

In view of the positive 1st half year performance, the company announced an interim dividend of 5 sen per ordinary share of 50 sen each for the half year ended 30th June 2011.

Soren Ravn, Managing Director commented: "We are pleased with our half year 2011 Group performance, with profit after tax rising by 16.5 per cent. The Group benefitted from the creative 2011 Chinese New Year festive campaign and the successful execution of Carlsberg’s new global positioning with the tag line, "That Calls for a Carlsberg". Our flagship Carlsberg brand remains the No 1 beer brand in Malaysia and we continue to focus and grow our premium portfolio through our subsidiary Luen Heng F & B Sdn Bhd. Our position in the premium beer category was further strengthened with the recent launch of Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc. Our associate company, Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC also delivered strong profit growth."

On the outlook for the rest of the year, Carlsberg Malaysia expects to continue to benefit from the investment in Carlsberg’s new global campaign, "That Calls for a Carlsberg", which is now aligned in over 140 countries around the world. The new Carlsberg large bottle format, introduced in the 2nd quarter has been extremely well received by trade customers, consumers and other stakeholders.