Carlsberg takes over Russian brewer Baltika

Danish company Carlsberg has fully acquired Russian brewing company Baltika. Carlsberg now owns 100 percent of shares of the Russian brewer.

The purchase of shares of the St. Petersburg-based company started in late May of this year, when Baltika received a proposal from Baltic Beverages Holding Aktiebolag, a subsidiary of Carlsberg, about the voluntary acquisition of ordinary shares at the price of 1,550 rubles per share, according to RBC.

Carlsberg's share in the share capital of Baltika has thus increased to 96.88 percent. Afterwards, the Danish company notified Baltika about the compulsory acquisition of remaining securities, Prime reports.

Carlsberg is one of the largest brewers in the world. It owns such national brands such as Tuborg, Holsten and Baltika. JSC Brewing Company Baltika  (Russia) was founded in 1992. Its principal owner is Scandinavian brewery concern Baltic Beverages Holding.

Baltika has 10 breweries in Russia and a factory in Azerbaijan. The portfolio of the group includes more than 30 beer brands and 11 types of other beverages.  The products of Baltika are represented in more than 75 countries of the world, bfm.ru reports.

The net profit of Baltika decreased by 7.6 percent in 2011 to about 17 billion rubles. The revenues increased by 13.2 percent - up to 89 billion rubles. In total, Baltika issued 151.715 million ordinary shares and 12.327 million preference shares, type 'A.'