Heineken fully acquires Brixton Brewery

Brixton Brewery
Dutch giant purchases remaining 51% of London microbrewer Brixton Brewery announced today that Heineken has purchased the remaining stake in its business. Heineken acquired 49% of the south London microbrewery back in late 2017. In a statement, Brixton cited a number of advantages gained from their tie-up with Heineken over the last three years, including the company's "market reach". This reach has extended considerably since the original deal, with Heineken's Star Pubs & Bars owning ...
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Carlsberg takes control of brewing at Marston’s

New venture to brew beer while Marston's retains pub estate Marston's has become the latest brewer of traditional English ales to offload its brewing operations in favour of a focus on its substantial pub estate. In doing so it follows Fuller's, Wells & Young and Greene King, all of whom have sold all or part of their businesses in recent years. The divestment is not total, as Marston's retains a 40% share in the new venture, Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company, with Carlsberg paying...
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Brand chaos at AB InBev Germany

Incoming Country Director faces trademark drama Munich-based news outlet Inside Beer reports of confusion over the launch of AB InBev's flagship beer Budweiser on the notoriously tough German market. Quite why the world's biggest brewer believes that an American light lager is what Germany needs is a separate issue, but we will have to wait to find out as the roll-out has been postponed at the last minute. The reason given is a trademark conflict with two existing European beers. The stan...
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Dramatic drop in AB InBev share price

Over 11% wiped off company value in one day Financial news sources have reported that AB InBev's share price took a steep dip on Friday 25th October, plummeting by 11.1% of its total value. The collapse comes after the release of third-quarter earnings figures, beset by difficulties in the Asian beer market, and China in particular. From €82.84 per share at close of trading on Thursday 25th, the price tumbled to €74.26 just after trading opened on Friday morning. The value has contin...
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AB InBev acquires CREW Republic

Minority stake in Bavarian craft brewer The craft beer scene is Germany is a nascent one, largely confined to the big cities and making very little impact on the day-to-day drinking lives of most Germans. But it's there, and the attractions of breaking free of Germany's price-conscious mainstream beer market has lured in a number of players. Large local producers like Dr Oetker and Weihenstephaner have sought a piece of this action via sub-brands and collaborations, while a small number ...
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AB InBev expands UK wholesale

Acquires assets of failed distribution business and bar Earlier this year, beer specialist wholesaler and retailer The Bottle Shop went out of business. The short-term causes were said to be the loss of distribution contracts for popular beer brands Beavertown (now part-owned by Heineken) and Mikkeller. Today, in an article on the Beer Insider website, it has been announced that the remnants of The Bottle Shop, including around £400,000 worth of stock, have been purchased by AB InBev....
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Molson Coors buys majority of Pivovar Pernštejn

Historic Czech porter brewer to remain separate company under parental supervision The Czech arm of Molson Coors, Staropramen, has purchased an 89% stake in Pivovar Pernštejn, a brewery in the town of Pardubice, to the east of Prague. It is best known for its Pardubický Porter, a dark bottom-fermented beer brewed since 1891 and highly prized by Czech beer enthusiasts. Prague-based Staropramen had passed through a number of hands in the years running up to 2012 when it was acquired by...
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Heineken buys stake in Oedipus

Amsterdam microbrewery the latest in a line of recent partial acquisitions. Beer drinkers of the Netherlands can't help but notice the use Heineken has made of its stakes in formerly independent breweries. Heineken properties and joint ventures like Lagunitas and Beavertown have become more commonplace on bars where craft beer is part of the offer. The Dutch giant has now turned its eye closer to home, snapping up a "minority stake" in the Oedipus brewery. This phrasing tends to mean ...
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EU fines AB InBev €200m for antitrust breach

Brewer admits infringing competition rules. The European Commission has fined AB InBev €200m for abusing its dominant market position in Belgium. The investigation began in June 2016 when it was discovered that the company had changed the text on Jupiler beer sold in the Netherlands and France, where it's sold relatively cheaply, to Dutch or French alone. This restricted the extent to which those beers could be imported to bilingual Belgium where competition is less intense and price...
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Magic Rock is latest UK brewery to sell out

Japanese multinational Kirin acquires Yorkshire micro via Australian subsidiary Independent British breweries continue to attract attention from acquisitive foreign brewers, and Magic Rock of Huddersfield is the latest target. Kirin's subsidiary Lion announced today that they have acquired 100% of the brewery for an undisclosed sum. Less than a year ago, Kirin purchased London brewery FourPure. Reports indicate that the moves to add Magic Rock to its portfolio began immediately after thi...
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