Anheuser to offer £70bn for SABMiller

Anheuser Busch InBev is reportedly offering an initial £70 billion takeover bid for SABMiller.

The bid could be offered this week and has been expected ever since SABMiller confirmed on 16 September that AB InBev was going to make an acquisition proposal.

Rumours that the US-Belgian-Brazilian beer giant has had its eye on the UK-based SABMiller have been common currency for some time now.

If AB InBev, currently the world’s biggest brewer, is successful in its takeover of the second biggest big beer producer, it will have control over one-third of global beer volumes.

The union would see brands such as Budweiser, Corona, Becks, Leffe and Stella Artois joined by Peroni, Grolsch, Fosters, Peroni, Miller and Castle.

However, a merger of this size would naturally run into regulatory hurdles with Bloomberg reporting that SABMiller might have to exit joint ventures with Molson Coors in the US and AB InBev may also be forced to bow out of joint ventures or even sell off some brands to accommodate the union. This would no doubt be of interest to other big brewers such as Heineken, Molson Coors and

On the other hand, buying SAB Miller would give it an expanded presence in Latin America and give it its first foothold in Africa.