EUROPE: Heineken, Carlsberg predict growth in 2016 | Progresiv
Heineken and Carlsberg have forecast an increase in profits and revenues for 2016, despite warning of volatility in the global markets. Heineken, the world’s third-largest brewer, said it expects underlying net profit and sales to increase in 2016, despite an “increasingly challenging external environment”, while operating profit margin will grow in line with its medium-term target of a 40bps increase. The group also said it will propose a dividend of 1.30 euros per share, above the 1.10 euros it paid last year. 
The forecast came after Heineken report that underlying net profit for 2015 jumped up 16% to 2.05 billion, despite a drop in Africa and the Middle East. Profit growth was the highest in the Americas. Carlsberg, the world’s fourth-largest brewer, forecast operating profit to grow by a low single-digit percentage in 2016 on an organic basis. The group reported a smaller-than-expected net loss for 2015, helped by an unexpected net profit in the fourth quarter. The group’s results were marked by a “challenging” year in Western and Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia.
Carlsberg noted that its Asian operations continue to do well, adding that it will announce a new strategy for growth on 16 March. (www.kamcity.com)
