Australia: AB InBev completes sale of Carlton & United Breweries to Asahi Group

Anheuser-Busch InBev has completed the sale of Australian subsidiary Carlton & United Breweries to Asahi Group Holdings, BeverageDaily.com reported on June 1.

Carlton & United Breweries’ portfolio include Foster’s, Victoria Bitter and Carlton, alongside craft brands 4 Pines, and Pirate Life. It also includes AB InBev global brands such as Corona, Leffe and Stella Artois.

Headquartered in Melbourne, Carlton & United Breweries employs nearly 1,600 people across five breweries and various offices around Australia. It joined AB InBev in 2016 as part of AB InBev’s takeover of SABMiller.

Carlton & United is one of the two big players in Australia's beer industry, alongside Kirin-owned Lion. Along with Coopers, these three account for nearly 80% of sales volume in the country.

AB InBev says the divestiture will allow it to accelerate its expansion into other fast-growing markets.

“Despite the challenging environment, our colleagues working on this transaction showed great dedication and remained focused on delivering to its completion. I would like to thank them and also the CUB team for their continued commitment and resilience,” said Carlos Brito, CEO, AB InBev.

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