Carlsberg CEO says 2009 a good year -report

COPENHAGEN Jan 15 (Reuters) - Danish brewer Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) had a good year in 2009 by focusing on costs, Chief Executive Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen said in a magazine interview published on Friday.

"We have had a really good year, but with a somewhat different agenda that has been more focused on costs than on bringing a lot of new products to the market," Rasmussen told Berlingske Nyhedsmagasin.

His remarks preceded the company's full-year results due on Feb. 23.

A 200 percent increase in beer excise taxes in the important Russian market from Jan. 1 poses a new challenge for Carlsberg, the world's fourth biggest brewer and market leader in Russia.

"In the short term, this will be negative," Rasmussen said. "The market will be negatively affected when this big tax is imposed regardless of our price strategy."

"The total (Russian) market will fall in terms of volume in 2010 -- by more than it would otherwise," he said, according to the magazine.

He declined to spell out how Carlsberg would deal with the Russian tax hike, but indicated that price increases could not be avoided, the magazine said.

"But with the operations we have, the brands we have and the strengths that we have, I think we can take market share also in tough times so we can strengthen our position," Rasmussen said. "So in the medium term, we will be stronger as a company, and the market will grow over time." (Reporting by John Acher; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)