A roundup of the news on Wednesday

Carlsberg revenue rises but San Miguel loss weighs

Danish brewer Carlsberg has reported higher first-quarter revenue after the acquisition of UK soft drink company Britvic, but beer volumes fell following its loss of San Miguel distribution rights in Britain, news agency AFP reports.

Carlsberg said sales reached 20.1 billion kroner in the first three months of the year, a 17.4 percent jump from the same period in 2024.

Volumes, however, fell 1.6 percent as it lost the contract to produce San Miguel in Britain.

“It was a soft start to the year, impacted by the loss of the San Miguel brand and continued subdued consumer spending in an environment with increased macroeconomic volatility,” said Carlsberg chief executive Jacob Aarup-Andersen.

Despite the disappointing earnings, Carlsberg maintained its outlook for the full year, with organic operating profit growth of between one and five percent.

80th anniversary of WW2 liberation to be marked this weekend

Visitors to Kastellet in Copenhagen on Sunday will be able to see F-35 fighter jets in the sky as the government marks Liberation Day, the 80th anniversary of the end of Denmark’s occupation by Germany in the Second World War.

There will be performances by Danish musician Peter Sommer and the Sankt Annæ Girls’ Choir at the ceremony at Kastellet, the Ministry of Culture announced in a press release.

The programme for the day runs from 1pm to 3:30pm.

The day will also include a wreath-laying ceremony, singing in chorus and speeches by several ministers including Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.

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As part of the event, guests will be able to watch Denmark’s new F-35 fighter jets fly over Kastellet.

Denmark was under occupation during the Second World War until May 4th 1945, with Baltic Sea island Bornholm remaining occupied until April 1946.

After the German surrender was announced, Danes tore down their hated blackout curtains. Many now place candles in their windows on the anniversary as a symbol of remembrance.

Fake webshops and second-hand trading platforms drive rise in online scams

The number of victims of digital fraud in Denmark was up by 85,000 in 2024 compared to the year before, according to a new survey by the Danish Crime Prevention Council (Det Kriminalpræventive Råd).

The survey found 274,000 people were targeted by cybercrime last year, a 45 percent increase compared to 2023. The figures are based on respondents’ own reports of being exposed to IT-related crime and do not consider whether the incidents were reported to police.

A large share of the increase was linked to purchases made through fake webshops and private sales on platforms including Facebook Marketplace, DBA, and GulogGratis.

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Some 131,000 Danish consumers were scammed through either fake webshops or second-hand platforms in 2024, up from 85,000 the year before.

To avoid falling victim to scams on fake online shops, consumers should check whether a company claiming to be Danish displays a valid Danish CVR (business registration) number and whether the website appears legitimate, Tania Schimmel, head of prevention at the Danish Crime Prevention Council, said in comments to news agency Ritzau.

When trading with private individuals the buyer or seller is more reliable if they are registered with MitID on the platform, she also said.

Hundreds gather for King Frederik’s coffee break in Greenland

King Frederik took part in a traditional kaffemik at the Katuaq cultural centre in Nuuk on Tuesday evening as he commenced his weather-disrupted visit to Greenland.

The King and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen had kaffemik, a traditional Greenlandic gathering where coffee and pastries are served.

The crowd spontaneously burst into cheers and applause several times according to Ritzau’s report.

The news wire spoke to local resident Kaj Sandgreen, who said the recent attention on Greenland resulting from US president Donald Trump’s pursuit of the territory had caused “a sense of disharmony”.

“You start to fear the worst, even the possibility of being invaded. The King coming brings me a bit of reassurance,” he said.

“I hope he can also see things from our point of view, that we don’t want to be Americans, and not Danes either, but simply ourselves,” he added.