Russian’s new thirst for beer is starting to challenge vodka, the country’s traditional drink.
The beer market has grown at an annual rate of 20% in the past six years.
One of the winners of this trend is the nation’s biggest brewer, Baltika, valued on the Moscow stock exchange at $1.9bn (£1.1bn). Its market share has grown from 8% to nearly 21% since 1996.
The Sunday Times (Business) 16/05/04 page 1, page 7