Last week, we bade farewell to Foster’s Group as SABMiller closed its acquisition of the Australian brewer. Although the beer sector’s thirst for consolidation has been relentless, Foster’s also contributed strongly to its own downfall. Here, just-drinks identifies five key factors that led to the brewer’s sale to SABMiller.

  1. In April 2006, Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) acquired the rights to Foster’s lager in Europe, including Russia, for GBP309m (US539m). S&N’s then CEO, Tony Froggatt, professed to be “delighted” that the company had gained full control over a “core” brand in “key markets”. 

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