India & Belgium: InBev announces long-term joint venture agreement with the RKJ group

InBev announced that it has entered into a long-term joint venture agreement with the RKJ group, a leading beverage group operating in India, according to InBev’s press release, May 16. This will be InBev's exclusive vehicle to invest in the promising Indian beer market.

While the business will not have a material impact on InBev’s global business in the short to medium term, InBev is confident that the combination of its expertise in beer with the financial and operational discipline of the RKJ group will allow the company to deliver its business plan in the country and build a meaningful presence over time.

InBev will take an initial 49% stake in the venture with the option to increase its participation at a later time. It is anticipated that the joint venture will have access to the strong distribution network developed by RKJ and InBev's attractive portfolio of beer brands.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About InBev

InBev is a publicly traded company based in Leuven, Belgium. The company's origins date back to 1366, and today it is the leading global brewer. InBev’s strategy is to strengthen its local platforms by building significant positions in the world's major beer markets through organic growth, world-class efficiency, targeted external growth, and by putting consumers first. InBev has a portfolio of more than 200 brands, including Stella Artois®, Brahma®, Beck’s®, Leffe® and Skol® - the third-largest selling beer brand in the world. InBev employs some 86 000 people, running operations in over 30 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2006, InBev realized 13.3 billion euro of revenue.