Are There More Deals Ahead For AB InBev?
Once Anheuser-Busch InBev seals its 79 billion pound takeover of rival brewer SABMiller, it could find itself party to other smaller deals, involving Castel Group, Coca-Cola and Anadolu Efes. AB InBev, maker of Budweiser and Corona, already forged agreements to sell SAB's brands in Western Europe and its joint venture stakes in the United States and China to speed approval for one of the biggest deals in history. It also plans to offload SAB's assets in Eastern Europe, worth up to 7 billion euros ($7.9 billion), but has not agreed a buyer.
Besides those, SAB has a cross-shareholding with France's Castel Group that, three sources say, includes the first right to buy out the wine, beer and soft drink maker should it ever seek new owners outside the billionaire Castel family, helmed by Pierre Castel, who is nearly 90.It is unclear whether Castel, whose business has been hurt by the recent economic crisis in Angola, will ever sell out. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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