China: Heineken Asia Pacific Breweries China (HAPBC) plans to increase the capacity at its Hainan Asia Pacific brewery in the southern Chinese Hainan province. According to a spokeswoman for HAPBC, the joint venture between Heineken and Asian consumer group Fraser & Neave will up capacity at the brewery to 1.1 m hectolitres. No financial information on the investment was revealed.

Heineken has an indirect stake of 41% in Heineken APBC, while Fraser & Neave holds a 43.9% indirect stake in the joint venture.

Hong Kong stock exchange-listed Chinese Guangdong Brewery, in which Heineken APBC bought a 21.5% stake in January 2004, will also increase its production capacity as of 2006. Guangdong currently operates two breweries and plans to construct a third one.

21 July, 2004