The Danish brewing conglomerate, Carlsberg, has stated that it is not interested in acquiring the German brewer, Brau und Brunnen (B&B), according to a report in Germany. The newspaper, Handelsblatt, said: “Carlsberg had ruled out the move because the brewer was not profitable enough.” According to the same source, Nils Smedegaard Andersen, Carlsberg's CEO, had reported: “Brau und Brunnen did not meet the company's profit criteria of an operating margin of 8% and a return on equity of 12% to 15%.”

According to the report, “Michael Hollmann, Brau und Brunnen chairman, expects the company to move back into the black in 2004 and that SABMiller and S&N would be its preferred options as international partners.”

25 June, 2003