Russia: InBev announced on January 31 the closings of the amended transaction with SUN Trade (International) Ltd, whereby InBev purchased all of SUN Trade’s holding of voting and non-voting shares in SUN Interbrew Ltd., announced on Jan 10th, and of the transaction with Alfa-Eco, whereby InBev acquired all of Alfa-Eco’s holding of voting and non-voting shares in SUN Interbrew, announced on Jan 3rd.

InBev now owns 97.3% of the voting shares and 98.8% of the non-voting shares in SUN Interbrew, which, in total, gives it a 98.5% economic interest in SUN Interbrew.

As previously announced, InBev intends as soon as it is practicable to make an offer to the remaining minority shareholders in SUN Interbrew and to de-list the company in due course.

Commenting on the successful completion of both transactions, John F. Brock, InBev’s CEO, said: “Our Russian and Ukrainian operations are highly successful, and we are very pleased to have increased our ownership of this important business to 98.5%.We look forward to continuing to build SUN Interbrew’s business in the coming years.”

The special reports required by Belgian Company Law in connection with the increase of the share capital by way of the issuance (through the authorized capital) of 12,500,001 new ordinary shares of InBev, to SUN Trade, are available on the company’s website.

InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: INB) based in Leuven, Belgium. The company's origins date back to 1366, and today it is the leading global brewer by volume. InBev’s strategy is to strengthen its local platforms by building significant positions in the world's major beer markets through organic growth, world-class efficiency, targeted acquisitions, and by putting consumers first. InBev has a portfolio of more than 200 brands, including Stella Artois®, Brahma®, Beck’s®, Leffe®, Hoegaarden®, Staropramen® and Bass®. InBev employs some 77,000 people, running operations in over 30 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2003, InBev realized a net turnover of approximately 9.3 billion euro (2003 pro forma).

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