Food and Beverage Beverages

HELSINKI— Danish brewer Carlsberg says its profits rose in the first six months of the year, despite a decline in consumption in the key eastern European market, particularly Russia. The Copenhagen- based maker of Tuborg beer said Wednesday that revenue, when excluding currency shifts and one-off effects, rose 2 percent from a year earlier to 31.8 billion kroner.

COPENHAGEN, Aug 16- Carlsberg beat first-half profit forecasts on Wednesday as drinkers opted for pricier beers, with the Danish brewer on track with cost cuts and balancing falling volumes and higher margins. The group's price mix, which indicates that the company sold more of its expensive beers, improved by 4 percent, driven by Asia and Eastern Europe in the...

But beer consumption has been tanking for five years straight in Japan, as the younger generation shies away from the obligatory after-work drinking that was a trademark of the dark-suited heroes of Japan Inc.. Brews also are losing out in Japan to a wide variety of other liquors, from wines to "kanchuhai" fruity cocktails, whiskies and cheaper beer-like drinks,...

MORIYA, Japan— Thousands upon thousands of cans are filled with beer, capped and washed, wrapped into six-packs, and boxed at dizzying speeds— 1,500 a minute, to be exact— on humming conveyor belts that zip and wind in a sprawling factory near Tokyo. Japan, which forged a big push toward robotics starting in the 1990 s, leads the world in robots per 10,000 workers in the...

SAO PAULO, Aug 15- JBS SA will proceed with plans to list a U.S.-based unit when market conditions allow, as the world's No. 1 meatpacker wrestles with a shareholder revolt over the role of the controlling Batista family in a massive graft scandal. In a Tuesday conference call to discuss second-quarter results, Chief Executive Officer Wesley Batista said JBS...

SAO PAULO, Aug 15- JBS SA said it will proceed with plans to list a U.S.-based unit when market conditions allow, as the world's biggest meatpacker wrestles with a shareholder revolt over the role of the controlling Batista family in a massive graft scandal. In a Tuesday conference call to discuss second-quarter results, Chief Executive Officer Wesley Batista...

CHICAGO, Aug 14- Target Corp said on Monday it has hired two former executives from Wal-Mart Inc and General Mills Inc to join its food and beverage business, as the retailer seeks to revamp its grocery aisles. Mark Kenny, former senior director of private brands, deli and bakery at Wal-Mart, has been appointed as Target's vice president of meat and fresh prepared...

To boost its grocery business, the company said it hired executives from rival Walmart and from Cheerios maker General Mills. Target's grocery section hasn't been as big a draw for shoppers as the department has been for Walmart. Mark Kenny, who will join Target from Walmart later this month, will oversee Target's meat, seafood and deli sections.

MOSCOW— Pint by frothy pint, a hoppy revolution is brewing in Russia. From juicy IPAs to velvety stouts and lip-smacking sours, beers served at breweries that opened in recent years in cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg offer visitors and locals alike the styles popularized in the last two decades by the craft beer boom in the U.S. and Europe.

TEL AVIV, Israel— Israel has been known as the land of milk and honey since Biblical times— but the land of single malt whiskey? One appropriately named distillery is trying to turn Israel into a whiskey powerhouse. However, at the Milk and Honey Distillery, rows of casks proudly stamped "Tel Aviv" hold liters of the stuff.

LONDON, Aug 10- European shares dropped to their lowest level since late March on Thursday as cyclicals fell and some big stocks went ex-dividend, overshadowing a number of upbeat earnings reports. In London, the FTSE 100 lost 1.4 percent as large caps Anglo American, BT Group, Rio Tinto and Lloyds fell after going ex-dividend, while Germany's DAX retreated 1.2...

LONDON, Aug 10- European shares slipped on Thursday as cyclicals fell and some big stocks went ex-dividend, while earnings from firms including Aegon and Coca Cola HBC sparked significant moves. Britain's FTSE 100 dropped 0.8 percent as large caps Anglo American, BT Group, Rio Tinto and Lloyds fell after going ex-dividend, while Germany's DAX retreated 0.3...

Newsday reports that Long Island- based Blue Point Brewery is launching the new brew Monday afternoon at Shake Shack in Penn Station. Andrew Cuomo said construction at Penn Station could result in a "summer of hell" for commuters. The can's design resembles Penn Station's departure board, with Long Island destinations followed by the word "delayed."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Coca-Cola Bottling Co. on Tuesday reported second-quarter earnings of $6.3 million. The Charlotte, North Carolina- based company said it had net income of 68 cents per share. The Coca-Cola bottler posted revenue of $1.17 billion in the period.

CORONA, Calif. _ Monster Beverage Corp. on Tuesday reported second-quarter earnings of $222.6 million. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 40 cents per share. Monster Beverage shares have climbed 19 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard& Poor's 500 index has risen 11 percent.