man breweries have announced their interest in a joint initiative to acquire wholesalers. 

Hannen Brauerei GmbH has undergone a stra- tegy review under the new management, which, among other things, has resulted in a streamlined organisation with increased focus on core brands in key sales areas. Furthermore, the building of the Carlsberg brand is becoming increasingly impor- tant and 2001 saw the launch of two new Carls- berg packagings. 

The German market is characterised by a num- ber of speciality beers, but the lager segment is by far the most important. Tuborg Pilsner has main- tained its position as GermanyGLYPH<213>s leading internatio- nal brand. Hannen Brauerei is also well repre- sented in the Altbier segment with its two brands Hannen and Gatzweiler - the leading brands in MGLYPH<154>nchengladbach and DGLYPH<159>sseldorf, respectively. 

Total sales of Hannen Brauerei GmbH showed a considerable increase, but the sales of branded products were not satisfactory and results are below expectations. 

## Switzerland 

## — FeldschlGLYPH<154>sschen-GetrGLYPH<138>nkegruppe 

Despite growth in premium beer, canned and im- ported beer, the Swiss beer market again showed a generally declining trend of about 1.3% with to- tal sales amounting to about 4.1m hl. Per capita consumption declined by 1.1 litres to 57 litres. 

With the relaunch of Cardinal, the number two brand in Switzerland, and the introduction of Carlsberg in the summer of 2001, FeldschlGLYPH<154>ss- chen was able to curb the downward trend in market share for Swiss beer products. The overall market share is now 44%. Since October 2001, the Carlsberg brand has been brewed locally, and in a short time it has gained a good footing in the market, particularly in the important on-trade and in the western, French-speaking part of Switzer- land. 

The strategic co-operation with Coca-Cola Be- verages Switzerland, Unilever Bestfoods (LiptonGLYPH<213>s Ice Tea) and Schweppes has proved to be a big success, and developments for these brands are markedly above the general market trend for non- alcoholic beverages. 

During 2001, FeldschlGLYPH<154>sschen has imple- 

mented a major reorganisation by streamlining sale, logistics and administrative functions. Further, significant investments to improve effi- ciency in production were initiated during the year. The assortment of own products as well as third party trading products has been substantially re- duced. These initiatives allowed FeldschlGLYPH<154>sschen to improve results above expectations. 

## Italy — Carlsberg Italia SpA 

The italian beer market showed a modest increase with an upward trend in the premium segment. Per capita beer sales remain the lowest in Europe due to ItalyGLYPH<213>s traditions as a wine-drinking country. 

Despite its position as number three in the mar- ket, Carlsberg Italia maintained its market share with growth for the premium brands Carlsberg and Tuborg in the on and off-trade in line with the companyGLYPH<213>s strategy. 

Carlsberg ItaliaGLYPH<213>s distribution group now inclu- des 45 majority-owned or associated companies. Carlsberg Italia still plans further acquisitions of wholesalers in order to create a strong network of beverage distribution companies at national level in the on-trade segment. The financial results of the company are above expectations. 

In January 2002, Carlsberg Italia became a 100%-owned subsidiary of Carlsberg Breweries following Carlsberg BreweriesGLYPH<213> acquisition of the remaining 25%-stake. 

## Portugal — Unicer Bebidas de Portugal S.A. 

The total Portuguese beer market declined by 4% in 2001, mainly due to very bad weather con- ditions. However, Unicer Bebidas de Portugal, in which Carlsberg Breweries holds 44%, maintained and consolidated its leading position with a share of 59% of the Portuguese beer market. 

The positioning and development of the Carls- berg brand has been satisfactory since the re- launch in 1999, and Carlsberg remains the largest international brand with a market share of 63% of the premium segment. The Tuborg Royal Danish brand is also brewed and distributed by Unicer and experienced a decline due to its heavy de- pendency on the on-trade segment, which saw a decline. The financial results of the company are slightly above the level of last year. 

