BUCHAREST (Romania), November 27 (SeeNews) – The European Commission said on Friday it has has give the gree light to investment fund CVC Capital Partners to buy Belgian brewery Anheuser-Busch InBev's breweries in nine countries in central and eastern Europe.
Last month, Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) signed a definitive agreement with CVC regarding the sale of its breweries in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia for $2.23 billion (1.5 billion euro).
You can subscribe to our M&A newsletter here
"The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of sole control of certain companies active in the beer sector […] currently part of the Anheuser-Busch InBev group by CVC Capital Partners SICAV-FIS S.A. and its affiliates (CVC) of Luxembourg, part of the UK CVC group," the Commission said in a statement.
"The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure."
Under the deal, CVC has also agreed to brew and/or distribute Stella Artois, Beck’s, Lowenbrau, Hoegaarden, Spaten and Leffe in the above countries under licence from ABI. ABI will retain rights to brew and distribute Staropramen in several countries including Ukraine, Russia, the US, Germany and the UK.
Inbev produces beer under more than 200 brands, including global brands Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck's.
($=0.6718 euro)