BBAG, Austria’s top brewer, has denied reports in the press yesterday that it was close to sealing a deal which would see Heineken take a stake in the company.
The news had driven the company’s share price to an all time high yesterday. However, BBAG spokesman Michael Dickstein said: “I cannot confirm it because simply it’s not true. You have to ask them (if they are going to put in a bid), but I can say there is no bid from Heineken or anyone else currently on the table.”
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However he did say there had been a lot of interest and some preliminary talks from Europe’s top brewers since the Austrian beer maker announced it was seeking a strategic partner to make it the largest brewer in Eastern and Central Europe.
Dickstein went on to say that a partnership could take one of a number of forms including a joint platform for procurement and distribution or it could take the form of a minority stake, and it is also possible there could be a change of ownership, he said.
