Anheuser-Busch InBev to sell brands in Europe to ease beer merger

LONDON — Anheuser-Busch InBev said Thursday that it plans to sell several of SABMiller’s premium brands in Europe, including Peroni and Grolsch, in the hope of easing regulatory concerns about the brewers’ proposed $105 billion merger.

The move is the second major asset sale that the companies have announced as they look to create an industry giant with annual revenue of about $64 billion that would account for nearly 30 percent of beer sales globally.

In November, SABMiller said it would sell its 59 percent stake in MillerCoors in the United States to Molson Coors Brewing, a joint venture partner, for about $12 billion.

“These beers are loved by consumers, and we are very proud of them,” SABMiller CEO Alan Clark said in a news release.

[...] the change of control, we will continue to invest in growing these great beers and supporting our talented people who brew, sell and manage them.

Analysts have indicated that the companies may have to sell assets to win regulatory approval, including SABMiller’s 49 percent stake in a joint venture that owns Snow, China’s best-selling beer brand.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is the third-largest brewer in China, behind CR Snow, SABMiller’s joint venture, and Tsingtao Brewery, but it would become the country’s largest brewer by market share if it was allowed to keep the stake.