Carlsberg has raised its earnings forecast after delivering strong results in the first half of the year. The brewer said pre-tax profits rose from 3.8 billion Danish krone (£456 million) to 4 billion Danish krone (£480 million) in the six months to June 30. That was despite a 0.7% decline in net revenues to just under 30 billion Danish krona (£3.6 billion). However, second-quarter sales beat forecasts, thanks in part to a pick-up in volumes around the World Cup football tournament. Carlsberg said it now expects high-single-digit percentage organic growth in operating profits for full-year 2018.