European brewer Carlsberg to close 14 of its 29 breweries

Carlsberg A/S, the world's fifth-largest brewer, will close 14 of its 29 breweries in Europe as part of a plan to streamline its production on the continent, a spokesman for the Copenhagen-based group said Tuesday.

The brewery, which produces the Carlsberg and Tuborg beer brands, has not decided yet which breweries would be closed, and when, and how many jobs would be affected.

"As a group our breweries also must become more efficient across the borders," group spokesman Jens Peter Skaarup said. "It will mean that some breweries will be closed."

In an interview with the Boersen financial newspaper published Tuesday, Carlsberg chief executive Nils Smedegaard Andersen singled out the production facility in Copenhagen, saying "it likely would not exist" in six years.

"We cannot say when it is going to happen for the other breweries," Skaarup said. The other breweries are located in nine European countries.

Founded in 1847, Carlsberg employs more than 31,000 people globally at 91 production sites. The company produces 74 million bottles of beer daily worldwide. Carlsberg's main markets are in Europe and Asia.