Global Big Beer: Carlsberg-Britvic. Not here for the beer
Since January 2025 Carlsberg the global brewer, third behind Heineken and ABInBev has added Britvic to its name. It bought the soft drinks outfit because it sees profit in low alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks, and of course more profit than it makes from alcohol.
Its name is associated with lager but since Marstons decided to become a pub company not a brewer, it is also a major brewer of cask ale.
Carlsberg reported its annual results to December 2024 in early February. It reported a 6% growth in profits with an 0.4% growth in volume of drink sold attributed to ‘premium and alcohol free beers and soft drinks.
The acquisition of Britvic cost £3.3 billion and reflects Carlsberg’s strategy of going ‘beyond beer’.
As for cask beer, what’s that?
For my thoughts on Global Big Beer see this piece in Culture Matters
The fight against Global Big Beer in 2025: Part One – Knowing the enemy – Culture Matters
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