Anheuser-Busch Inbev Agrees Sale of Former SABMiller Central and Eastern European Business to Asahi for €7.3bn

Anheuser-Busch InBev, based in Belgium, is selling its central and eastern European business which includes Czech brewer Plze?ský Prazdroj, the maker of Pilsner Urquell, and Polish beer brands such as Tyskie and Lech.

The sale by AB Inbev should work to alleviate concerns raised by European competition regulators following the companies $100bn merger with SABmiller. This is not the only deal made by AB Inbev to assuage these concerns – last year the group divested their 59% stake in MillerCoors. SABMiller’s brands Peroni and Grolsch were also acquired by Asahi earlier this year for $2.9bn.

The buyer Asahi is an increasingly global Japanese brewery and soft drinks provider. Established in the 19th century, the enterprise is best known for its flagship brand – Asahi Super Dry. With sales in Japan dwindling, this deal, alongside the earlier acquisition of SABMiller brands, will cement Asahi’s place in the global market. The deal is understood to be the largest purchase of a foreign beer operation by a Japanese brewer.

B.H.F.