Global drinks manufacturer Carlsberg reported a strong first quarter with organic revenue increasing by 3.6 per cent to approximately £2.3bn.

The brand’s reported revenue growth was 3 per cent to around £2.4bn, with a positive Britvic acquisition impact of 2.7 per cent and a currency conversion impact of negative 3.3 per cent.

There was a standout performance within the Carlsberg brand, which experienced a 10 per cent growth which was driven by a successful performance in premium markets, including China and India.

The overall premium beer volumes increased organically by 3 per cent due to solid growth from Carlsberg and Tuborg.

Carlsberg Group CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen said: “We delivered a good start to 2026 with organic volume and revenue growth in all three regions, strong results for our strategic category growth drivers – premium beer, soft drinks and alcohol-free brews – and a return to solid growth in our Asia region.

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“We’re excited about last week’s announcement regarding our expanded strategic partnership with PepsiCo in the Nordics and Baltics. The growth prospects and value creation opportunities from a business model that combines the Carlsberg and PepsiCo beverage portfolios are truly significant.”

The company’s premium portfolio experienced growth across all regions, with a particular strong performance in the Nordics, the UK and India.

Carlsberg posted an organic growth of 10 per cent within the soft drinks portfolio, and the alcohol-free brews went up by 7 per cent, which was driven by a double-digit volume increase in Western Europe.

Moving forward, Carlsberg has reaffirmed its full-year guidance despite the ongoing global uncertainty and changing geopolitical environment.

The business expects to achieve an organic growth of between 2 and 6 per cent year-on-year of approximately £1.6bn.