Carlsberg, the Danish brewer, is planning further expansion in Asia to help reduce its substantial exposure to the volatile Russian beer market.

“We do see Asia as being a place to expand and invest in,” Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen, chief executive, told the Financial Times in an interview. He said that a stronger business in Asia – which today accounts for only 10 per cent of Carlsberg’s sales volumes and 6 per cent of operating profits – would “balance” the company’s exposure to Russia, which contributes about half of group profits.