Russia is planning further tough restrictions on the sale and consumption of beer.
A proposed lower parliament bill would ban all beer sales at outdoor kiosks, public transport stations, airports and petrol stations, which account for around one-third of national sales.
The bill, which would become law from January 2013 if approved, would also prohibit shops from selling beer between 11pm and 8am.
Part of the government's long-running campaign to curb alcoholism, the move comes less than two years after an unexpected trebling of beer excise duties caused an outcry among brewers.
Beer sales are yet to recover to pre-financial crisis levels due to the tax rise, which was passed on to drinkers.
Shares in Danish brewer Carlsberg slid over 4.2 per cent today on concerns that Russia, its largest single market, would pass the law. Carlsberg owns the best-selling Baltika brand and has an overall 40 percent share of the Russian market.
Carlsberg chief executive Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen said last month he hoped Russians switching to beer from vodka would aid market growth.
A beer industry source said the lower parliament, the Duma, may pass the bill this week, before the summer recess.
The bill would then have to be endorsed by the Federation Council upper parliament chamber and signed into law by president Dmitry Medvedev.
Other major brewers operating in Russia are Anheuser-Busch InBev , SABMiller and Heineken .
"We support the ban of beer sales at night, especially as we have been granted a grace period," said Kirill Bolmatov, director for the government relations of SABMiller Russia,. "The volume sold through kiosks will be redistributed and sold in supermarkets, restaurants, bars and cafes."
He said the ban on beer consumption in public places may hit sales volume significantly in the short term, but added the company understood the logic behind the decision.
"I believe it will have a short-lasting effect. We understand how drinking beer in the streets irritates people, therefore we do not complain," he said.
Russia last introduced restrictions in 2005, banning beer consumption on public transport and in various public places.
Reuters