Danish brewer Carlsberg reported a 39 per cent increase in pre-tax profit in the 15 months to December 31st 2000 - beating market expectations by 2 per cent.
Carlsberg said profits in 2001 were expected to be even higher as Carlsberg Breweries is now the world's fifth-largest brewer.
Carlsberg's sales grew 7 per cent reaching euro 6.3 billion.
Due to a change in accounting practices to span the calendar year Carlsberg's results cover 15 months and the comparable figures are unaudited.
Reuters
