BEIJING Yanjing Brewery Co, China's second-biggest beer producer by value, said first-quarter profit rose 12 percent as economic growth spurred beverage consumption.

Net income rose to 15.9 million yuan (US$2 million), or 0.0145 yuan a share, from 14.2 million yuan, or 0.0155 yuan, a year earlier, the Beijing-based company said in a statement to Shenzhen's stock exchange yesterday. Sales rose to 1.47 billion yuan from 1.2 billion yuan. China's retail sales grew 15 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, as the economy expanded at a faster-than-expected 11.1 percent pace. Per capita beer consumption in China is 25 liters a year, and will double within a decade, according to Anheuser-Busch Cos.

Source:佚名