Peroni, Grolsch, and Meantime are all up for sale as part of the £71 billion beer deal of the decade
AB InBev, which makes Budweiser among many others, agreed to buy brewer SABMiller for £71 billion in October. As part of the deal, SAB is putting some assets up for sale to lessen competition fears. The combined brewing giant will produce a third of the world's beer.
Both companies announced on Thursday that SABMiller will sell off "premium" brands Peroni, Grolsch, and Meantime. SABMiller has already announced that it will sell its stake in US joint venture Miller to MillerCoors.
SABMiller has owned Italian beer Peroni since 2003 and Dutch brewery Grolsch in 2007, but the brewing conglomerate has only owned UK craft beer maker Meantime since May. Meantime CEO Nick Miller told BI at the time of that deal that SABMiller "believe in the longevity of modern craft beer in the UK" and would invest in growing the business.
SABMiller CEO Alan Clark says in a statement on Thursday:
Under SABMiller's stewardship, Peroni and Grolsch have become world-renowned premium beer brands. Meantime has been a welcome addition to SABMiller and has a growing and loyal fan base. These beers are loved by consumers and we are very proud of them. Until the change of control we will continue to invest in growing these great beers and supporting our talented people who brew, sell and manage them.