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BUSINESS

Carlsberg expects ‘challenging 2023’ following Russia exit

Danish brewer Carlsberg warned Tuesday that 2023 would be another "challenging year" as it reported increased revenues but swung to a net loss owing to its exit from Russia.

Carlsberg expects 'challenging 2023' following Russia exit
Danish brewery Carlsberg says it expects 2023 to be challenging despite increased revenues overall last year. File photo: Erik Refner/Ritzau Scanpix

“The development of the war in Ukraine and the impact on our business remain highly uncertain, as is the Covid-19 recovery in China, including consumer off-take during the Chinese New Year celebrations,” the company said in its earnings report.

Revenue for the global beer maker came in at 70.26 billion Danish kroner ($10.1 billion) for 2022, up 16.9 percent from the year before.

The revenue growth was just short of analysts expectations, who had pencilled in 70.43 billion kroner according to a Bloomberg survey and 70.44 billion kroner according to one by Factset.

Carlsberg reported a net loss of 1.06 billion kroner for the year, which was impacted by writedowns of 10.74 billion kroner.

The company earned a net profit of 6.85 billion kroner in 2021.

Russia accounted for nine percent of Carlsberg’s profits in 2021, but the group decided to sell its operations there, joining an exodus of foreign businesses following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions against the country.

Meanwhile the company reported an adjusted net profit of 9.69 billion kroner, beating analyst expectations which were 7.73 billion kroner or 7.65 billion kroner, according surveys by Bloomberg and Factset respectively.

The company also warned that rough seas were ahead and said that “2023 will be another challenging year.”

“Due to our and our suppliers’ rolling hedging, last year’s commodity and energy price increases will have a significant impact on our 2023 cost of sales and logistics costs,” Carlsberg said.

The Danish brewery employs around 40,000 people globally and 1,500 in Denmark, according to its website.

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BUSINESS

Maersk profits plummet as Yemeni attacks close off Red Sea route

Danish shipping giant Maersk posted a huge drop in net profit for the first quarter on Thursday as Yemeni rebel attacks are forcing it to avoid the vital Red Sea route.

Maersk profits plummet as Yemeni attacks close off Red Sea route

Maersk reported a net profit of $177 million in the first three months of the year, a 13-fold drop from the same period last year. Turnover fell 13 percent to $12.4 billion, slightly lower than forecast by analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet.

The company, however, raised its outlook for the full year, citing higher demand and increased rates and costs due to the supply chain disruptions in the Red Sea.

It now expects an underlying core profit ranging between $4 billion and $6 billion, up from $1 billion-$6 billion previously.

“We had a positive start to the year with a first quarter developing precisely as we expected,” Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc said in a statement.

“Demand is trending towards the higher end of our market growth guidance and conditions in the Red Sea remain entrenched,” he said.

“This not only supported a recovery in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter, but also provide an improved outlook for the coming quarters, as we now expect these conditions to stay with us for most of the year.”

Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and much of the country’s Red Sea coast, have launched dozens of attacks on ships since November, claiming solidarity with Palestinians caught up in the Israel-Hamas war.

The United States in December announced a maritime security initiative to protect Red Sea shipping from the attacks, which have forced commercial vessels to divert from the route that normally carries 12 percent of global trade.

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