Carlsberg was out of the country after a serious disagreement with a former partner, whiskey king and billionaire, Khun Charoen in 2003. The two parties settled in arbitration in London in 2005. Since then, Carlsberg either dared not or simply missed the chance to get back on the Thai market.
Custom barriers disappear
“It is true that something happens with customs duties from next year. But Carlsberg has no plans regarding entering Thailand. The prerequisite for entering is a business model that looks promising. We will be sure that we succeed, before we enter. Thailand is a big country and therefore we must be convinced that it will generate a surplus,” the International Press Officer Jens Peter Skaarup of Carlsberg says to epn.dk.
Before the dispute with Charoen, which began in 2003 Carlsberg was a conspicuous part of the streets in most places in the country.
Despite the fact that there has been six years since the brewery really were present, one can still find old advertisements in the Bangkok cityscape and draft beer taps with Carlsberg’s name. But there is no Carlsberg beer to buy.
Key to success
“One of the things that should be in place before a possible comeback is the distribution. A sound business model should be based on a good opportunity to carry beer from the boilers to the places where the consumers are located. And in an economically sensible way, ” Jens Peter Skaarup says.
Carlsberg beer sporadically appears in Thailand. But they are often smuggled in from Malaysia and the durability is questionable.
In addition, you can buy the Carlsberg-owned Beer Lao, which is the national beer of Laos at several locations in Thailand. In this way, Carlsberg is still indirect present in Thailand in some areas – especially on the border with Laos.
As a curiosity it can be noted that until recently Carlsberg beer has been brewed in Thailand as toll manufacturing at the San Miguel brewery outside of Bangkok. That is to say pure outsourcing and not licensed and supervised by the Danish brew masters.
