Carlsberg has increased its ownership in the Cambodian brewer Cambrew by 25%, as a result of which the Carlsberg Group now owns 75% of Cambrew.
Cambrew is among the largest brewers in Cambodia. Its largest beer brand – the iconic Angkor Premium Beer with its well-known tagline ‟Our Country, Our Beer″ – is a popular brand among Cambodian consumers. In addition, Cambrew produces and bottles Pepsi for the Cambodian market.
Carlsberg is not the only brewer to closely monitor the beer market in Cambodia. In March 2017, Cambodia Brewery, a fully owned subsidiary of Heineken Asia-Pacific, more than tripled the company’s existing capacity to 3 million hectoliters. (inside.beer, 11.3.2017) The capacity is enough to satisfy the need of nearly half of the population in the fast-growing Asian country. Cambodia produced last year about 6.5 million hectoliters of beer.
Over the past 26 years, the Carlsberg Group’s partner in Cambrew has been instrumental in building up Cambrew and the Angkor Premium Beer brand to their current positions. The partner will retain a 25% ownership stake.
Carlsberg's CEO Cees ’t Hart says: “The increased ownership of Cambrew is in line with our strategic priority of growing our business in Asia. The transaction gives us management control of the business in a beer market that offers appealing long-term growth opportunities. By driving the iconic Angkor Premium Beer brand, together with our international premium portfolio and a successful soft drinks business, we’re well positioned to capture the growth opportunities in Cambodia.”
