Anheuser-Busch InBev flags sell-off to EU

Anheuser-Busch InBev has formally informed EU anti-trust regulators of its plan to sell SABMiller’s premium European brands to try to secure approval for its $100bn-plus (€876m) takeover of the London-based brewer.

The world’s top brewer has already struck an agreement to sell the assets to Japan’s Asahi Group Holdings, a tactic aimed at staving off a possible lengthy investigation of the biggest ever deal in the consumer goods industry.

“This proposal concerns the European premium brand families of Peroni, Grolsch, and Meantime, and their associated businesses in Italy, the Netherlands, UK, and internationally, excluding certain US rights,” an AB Inbev spokeswoman said.