Beer sales help S&N increase profits

10/08/05 Russia’s growing thirst for beer has helped Scottish & Newcastle, Britain’s biggest brewer, to overcome tough conditions in Western Europe and book an 8.7 per cent rise in interim pre-tax profits to £163 million.

Strong growth in sales of Baltika, Europe’s second-largest beer brand behind Heineken, resulted in a sharp rise in profits at Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH), S&N’s Russian joint venture with Carlsberg of Denmark. Operating profits for the first half of the year at BBH increased by 32 per cent to £49 million as sales jumped by 24 per cent to £280 million.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,172-1728882,00.html