India: Molson Coors agrees to sell Indian unit

US brewer Molson Coors has agreed to sell its Indian unit to Singapore-headquartered Inbrew Holdings. While the companies did not disclose the deal size, industry insiders estimated it at about ₹1,000 crore, the Economic Times reported on February 26.

As part of the deal, Inbrew will acquire Molson Coors’ Indian beer brand Thunderbolt along with selling and distribution rights of its global brands such as Miller, Blue Moon, Carling, and Cobra in India.

The acquisition will include three manufacturing facilities with total installed capacity of 16 million unit cases.

“Thunderbolt has a very robust presence in north India, and in several states, it is even the market leader," Ravi Deol, chairman of Inbrew Holdings, told ET. “We now have a good brand and a large distribution platform to take it nationally. We will open nearly 15 breweries in the next three to four years.”

The company could even look at exporting Thunderbolt to China, Thailand and South Asia in the next few years, Deol said.

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