FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE — Danish brewer Carlsberg on Tuesday reported a decline in Coca-Cola sales in Denmark, citing a local boycott of U.S. brands linked to political tensions over Greenland.
“Our Coca-Cola volumes are slightly down in Denmark,” Carlsberg CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen said during an earnings call.
“There is a level of consumer boycott around the U.S. brands, and it’s the only market where we see that to a large extent.”
The boycott follows outrage over U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated comments about acquiring Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. Trump’s remarks, including a statement to Congress in March that America would “get it one way or the other,” spurred widespread backlash in Denmark and bolstered a Danish-language Facebook group advocating a boycott of U.S. goods, which has grown to 95,000 members.
Amid the boycott, sales of Danish soda brand Jolly Cola have surged. Supermarket chain Rema 1000 reported a 13-fold increase in March sales compared to the same period last year, Danish broadcaster DR reported.
Despite declining Coca-Cola sales, Aarup-Andersen said the overall impact on Carlsberg’s performance was minimal. The company holds the license to sell Coca-Cola products in Denmark and also distributes Pepsi in several other European countries, where no similar boycott has been observed.
The tension-driven boycott appears to be a unique Danish phenomenon, highlighting the intersection of political actions and consumer behavior.