Chile, Santiago: Compañía Cervecerías Unidas S.A. (CCU) announced on March 4 that the board of Directors approved on March 2 to propose at the regular stockholders meeting, to be held on April 21, the distribution, with charge to year 2004s net income, of the Definitive Dividend Nº229, which amounts to Ch$62.80403 per share (Ch$314.02015 per ADR), totaling Ch$20,003,263,928. The Dividend will be paid among its 318,502,872 shares.
CCU is a diversified beverage company operating principally in Chile and Argentina. CCU is the largest Chilean brewer, the second-largest Argentine brewer, the third-largest Chilean soft drink producer, the second-largest Chilean wine producer, the largest Chilean mineral water producer and the third player in the pisco business and participates in the confectionary industry. The Company has licensing and/or joint venture arrangements with Heineken Brouwerijen B.V., Anheuser-Busch Incorporated, PepsiCo Inc., Paulaner Brauerei AG, Schweppes Holdings Limited, Guinness Brewing Worldwide Limited and Watt's Alimentos S.A.