February 17 2003, 14:50 Interfax-Ukraine

Baltic Beverages Holding increased sales of bear in Ukraine 30 pc in January

Ukrainian brewing plants, belonging to Scandinavian "Baltic Beverages Holding" (BBH), in January this year increased their output 30 percent compared with January 2002 - up to 1.66 million dekalitres, spokesman for Ukrainian office of the company has said.

In 2002 BBH increased its sales in Ukraine 27 percent compared with the year before.

The holding was established in 1991 to work in the markets of bear of CIS countries by Finnish brewing group Hartwall PLC and a Swedish-Norwegian company Pripps-Ringnes. The share of the latter was subsequently acquired by Danish Carlsberg Breweries AS.

BBH currently controls 15 breweries in ex-Soviet countries. In Ukraine these are "Lvivvska Pyvovarnya" (Lviv Brewery) - 99.18 percent share, "Slavutych" (Zaparozhye) - 81 percent share and Slavuta Malting Plant (Khmelnitsky region) - 86 percent share.