LONDON, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - British brewer Scottish and Newcastle on Wednesday reacted angrily to news of a potential joint takeover offer from Danish beer group and business partner Carlsberg, and Dutch peer Heineken.

Scottish and Newcastle, whose top-selling beverages include Foster's, Kronenbourg 1664, John Smiths and Strongbow, said that a possible break-up bid was 'unsolicited and unwelcome.'

However, the company's share price jumped by almost a fifth as analysts praised the strategic benefits of a deal.

LONDON, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - Danish beer group Carlsberg and Dutch peer Heineken on Wednesday revealed that they are holding talks about a possible takeover of British brewer Scottish and Newcastle.

The news sent S and N's share price jumping by almost a fifth in value, as analysts praised the strategic benefits of a deal.

The company's top-selling beverages include Foster's, Kronenbourg 1664, John Smiths and Strongbow.

LONDON, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - Danish beer group Carlsberg and Dutch peer Heineken on Wednesday revealed that they are holding talks about a consortium takeover of British brewer Scottish and Newcastle.

'Carlsberg and Heineken confirm that they are in discussions regarding the formation of a consortium to make an offer for the entire issued share capital of Scottish and Newcastle,' the two groups said in a statement issued in response to recent share price movements.

COPENHAGEN, Sept 18, 2007 (AFP) - Danish brewing company Carlsberg said on Tuesday it was creating a joint venture with Vietnamese state brewing company Hanoi Beer & Beverage Corporation (Habeco) to build a new brewery in the south of the country.

Carlsberg and Habeco will each hold 29 percent of the joint venture, while other unnamed external investors will hold the rest, Carlsberg said in a statement.

The brewery will be called the Hanoi Vung Tau Joint Stock Company and will have 500,000 hectolitre capacity, it said.

COPENHAGEN, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - Danish beer group Carlsberg, the fifth-biggest brewer in the world, named a 52-year-old existing board member as its new chief executive on Monday.

Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen, who joined the company in April 2006 with responsibility for eastern Europe, is to replace Nils Smedegaard Andersen, who left in December to manage Danish industrial giant A.P Moeller-Maersk.

Shares in Carlsberg rose on the Copenhagen stock exchange in reaction to the news.

COPENHAGEN, Aug 8, 2007 (AFP) - Danish brewer Carlsberg on Wednesday reported contrasting second quarter results, announcing a gain in sales but a slide in net earnings due to rising costs.

Carlsberg said net profit in the April-June period fell 17.4 percent to 1.12 kroner (151 million euros, 207 million dollars) from second quarter 2006.

Sales grew 10.44 percent in the period to 12.63 billion kroner, thanks to strong performances in eastern Europe and the Baltic states.

Operating profit rose 13 percent to 1.85 billion kroner.