Asahi readies £2bn bid for SABMiller brands Grolsch and Peroni

By Ben Winstanley

- Last updated on GMT

Asahi readies £2bn bid for SABMiller brands Grolsch and Peroni

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The next chapter of the AB InBev-SABMiller “megabrew” saga looks set to begin as national reports suggest Japanese drinks company Asahi Group Holdings Ltd will enter the bidding for Grolsch and Peroni beer brands later this week. 

According to Tokyo-based newspaper Yomiuri Shimbu, Asahi are keen to grow their European portfolio and have readied a £2.4bn bid for the two brands.

If successful, the deal could be the biggest overseas beverage acquisition by a Japanese company, potentially topping Kirin’s £2.3bn takeover of Australia’s Lion Nathan in 2009.

With Asahi appearing to blink first, offers from other suitors will follow shortly and are expected to include private equity firms KKR and Cinven and Spanish beermarker Mahou-San Miguel.

Fears of potential brand disposals were confirmed in December when AB InBev announced they were exploring the sale of a number of SABMiller’s premium brands to help their £71bn acquisition of the company get past regulators in Brussels.

At the time, the group explained its commitment to ‘promptly and proactively address potential regulatory considerations’ and it is now believed AB InBev will push to clinch deals for Peroni and Grolsch, along with British craft brewer Meantime, by early March.

Combined, AB InBev and SABMiller account for one in every three beers sold globally, including many of the most popular brands around the world.

Peroni and Grolsch currently represent two of SABMiller’s four global brands, the others being Miller Genuine Draft and Pilsner Urquell. 

Image by Pittaya Sroilong (Flickr)

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