Anheuser-Busch InBev may sell Peroni and Grolsch brands

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the beermaker in talks to buy SABMiller for $107bn (€101bn), may sell the Peroni and Grolsch brands as it works to gain regulatory clearance to combine the world’s biggest brewers, people familiar with the matter said.

The deliberations for the beer companies, which belong to SAB Miller, are at a preliminary stage.

No final decision on the sale has been made and a formal sale process has not started, one of the people said.

Representatives for SABMiller and AB InBev declined to comment.

SABMiller agreed to sell its 58% stake in MillerCoors to partner Molson Coors Brewing in a $12bn deal earlier this month to win regulators’ approval.

The deal to merge SAB-Miller and AB InBev, called “Megabrew” by analysts, will create a behemoth controlling about half of the industry’s profits.

The combined company will have the No 1 or No 2 positions in 24 of the world’s 30 biggest beer markets, and provide AB InBev its first toehold in Africa, where about 65m people are due to reach the legal drinking age by 2023.

The combined companies’ dominance has raised concerns from the industry.

The deal could lead to less competition among beer distributors and undue influence over the commodities used in brewing all over the world, said Bob Pease, chief executive officer of the Brewers Association trade group, earlier this month.