By IANS,
Kolkata : Copenhagen-based brewery group Carlsberg, with a global turnover of $10 billion, will make India its global sourcing hub, a top company official said here Tuesday.
“India has been one of our strategic investment locations across the world. And once we identify some country as a strategic investment destination, we certainly have long-term plans,” Pradeep Gidwani, managing director, Carlsberg and South Asia Breweries India, a joint venture between Carlsberg and Sri Lanka-based Lion Breweries said.
“Once all our four breweries in India are up and running and once we successfully ramp up capacities in those breweries, we will certainly look at India as a global sourcing hub,” he added.
At present, Carlsberg runs 75 breweries across the world and sells its products in 150 countries.
The company has put up three breweries in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra and is building its fourth unit at Singur in West Bengal, close to Tata Motors’ abandoned site for the Nano plant.
The units will be fully operational in two months, Gidwani said.
The company has brought in Rs 2.5 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) in its Indian operation.
“We have started test marketing since June. And our current focus is on setting the house in order and putting in place the distribution network. Once that is done, our primary target will be to establish at least 10 percent market share in India in the mild breweries segment,” he said.