CANADA: Sleeman sells Beck’s rights to Oland

The Canadian beer company, Sleeman Breweries, has sold its agreement for the sales, marketing and distribution rights for Beck's in Canada to the Oland Specialty Beer Company. The sale stems from the acquisition of Beck's by Interbrew and will take effect from June 1. Sleeman is now looking for an international brand to replace Beck's in its portfolio. "We will now start pursuing additional premium import brands to replace Beck's," said chairman and CEO, John Sleeman. "As the third-largest brewer in Canada, we are uniquely positioned to provide marketing, distribution and production to foreign brewing partners, and pursuing these strategic partnerships will continue to be a key ingredient of our growth strategy."