Denmark-based brewer Carlsberg turned profitable in the Indian market for the December quarter due to sales of its strong beer brands. The company also claimed it has become India's second-largest beer company.
The company's Indian unit has focused on strong beer brands such as Tuborg Strong, Carlsberg Elephant and Tuborg Booster Strong, which accounts for 80 percent of the total sales volume.
Until 2015, a major chunk of market the share was owned by United Breweries (51 percent) and SABMiller (23 percent), The Economic Times reports.
"Our India business grew 42 percent in a slightly growing market. The business also delivered significant earnings improvement, and for the first time turned profitable. This was driven by a combination of volume growth and tight cost control," Carlsberg CEO Cees 't Hart said during an investors' call on Thursday.
The beer company claims Tuborg had higher volume than Carlsberg. In terms of value, the difference between Carlsberg and Tuborg was "relatively modest," Hart said.
"As the positive result of the strong Tuborg growth, we are now the number two player in the country both as a company and for the Tuborg brand," the CEO said.
The company launched its India unit in 2006 as South Asia Breweries. In 2009, the company changed its name to Carlsberg India Pvt and launched the Tuborg green brand. It has taken the company almost a decade to turn profitable. With 100 percent ownership, it has six breweries located across India, according to the company's website.
