Ab InBev cede alla giapponese Asahi il business nell’Europa centro-orientale (ENG)

Brussels – The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of sole control over the business currently owned by AB InBev in Central and Eastern Europe (“AB InBev CEE Business”) by the Asahi Group of Japan. The AB InBev CEE Business comprises certain beer brands and assets formerly owned by SABMiller and currently belonging to AB InBev in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. These brands and assets had to be divested as a condition for the approval of the AB InBev/SABMiller transaction. The Asahi Group is a beverages and food company with its core business on beer. The Commission concluded that the acquisition would raise no competition concerns because of the very limited increment brought by the transaction and the presence of several beer competitors in the markets in question. The transaction was examined under the normal merger review procedure.