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Carlsberg raises stake to 47 percent in Minsk-based Alivaryya

Danish giant Carlsberg has raised its stake in Minsk-based Alivaryya from 30 to 47 percent, Tatyana Antonchik, Carlsberg Group’s communication director for Eastern Europe, told BelaPAN on Friday.

“The company doesn’t yet plan to buy a controlling stake, 51 percent,” she said.

Earlier reports had it that the management of the Belarusian brewery planned to expand the production area. Ms. Antonchik said, "We have no specific plans to increase the production area in Minsk." "The current facilities are sufficient for the company," she said.

According to a statement that appeared on the website of the Belarusian Currency and Stock Exchange (BCSE) on July 5, Alivaryya had sold 9,551 shares for 66,807,239 Russian rubles and $3,196,690, or 9,551 shares for 6,994.79 Russian rubles per share and 3,500 shares for $913.34 per share. The new owner now owns 49.762 shares of Alivaryya, the report said without eleborating.

The press office of the Minsk-based brewery would not comment on the report

Founded in 1864, Alivaryya is the country’s oldest brewery. It was converted into a stock company in 1992. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested in the brewery in 2005 and held 21 percent in the company at the end of 2007.

Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH), a 50/50 joint venture involving Carlsberg and Scottish & Newcastle plc., acquired a 30-percent stake in the brewery in late 2006. Carlsberg bought the BBH’s stake in the brewery in May 2008.