Belgium beer maker InBev acquires Mexico Grupo Modelo in $20.1BN deal

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, the maker of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Becks, has just added Mexican brands Corona, Modelo and Pacifico to its list of world famous beers.

InBev, the world’s biggest brewer, has agreed to pay $20.1 billion in cash for the 50 percent of Mexico’s Grupo Modelo SAB that it doesn’t already own, the Wall Street Journal said today.

According to the Associated Press, the combined company will have annual sales of $47 billion.

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The deal gives the Belgium company greater access to fast-growing emerging markets as the economic downturn in the United States and Europe dampens demand for beer, Bloomberg reported.

“There is tremendous opportunity from combining two leading brand portfolios and further expanding Grupo Modelo’s brands worldwide,” AB InBev chief executive Carlos Brito said in the statement.

European companies now control most of Mexico’s beer market after Heineken purchased the brewing business of Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB in 2010.

Modelo controls nearly 56 percent of the Mexican beer market while Heineken, whose local brands including Dos Equis and Tecate, has around 41 percent.

Constellation Brands Inc, meanwhile, has agreed to buy Modelo’s stake in their US distribution joint venture Crown Imports for $1.85 billion, Reuters reported. 

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