Efes Breweries International NV, the Netherlands-based unit of Turkey's Anadolu Efes has hired Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) to lead its initial public offering (IPO), an Efes spokesman said on February 17, according to Reuters. The spokesman said the IPO is likely to happen this year but declined to offer any further details on the float. Last year the company announced it would float in London in the first half of 2004.

The Netherlands-based international unit has breweries in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and other eastern European countries. Anadolu Efes holds 86.96 % of Efes Breweries International. CSFB have enjoyed a healthy start to the year. Biotechnology company Ark Therapeutics recently confirmed it had hired CSFB to lead its IPO.

Anadolu is also a shareholder in a Coca-Cola Co's Turkish unit, which is planning an initial public offering of 20 to 25 percent of its shares in May. Citigroup will be on the books of this deal. These deals will be the first in Turkey since the football clubs Galatasaray Sportif and Besiktas Futbol floated in February 2002, according to Dealogic.

The bank has a number of other mandates in its pipeline, including Cambridge Silicon Radio, which will list at the end of this month, and Auto-Teile-Unger, which supplies car parts. According to Dealogic CSFB did not complete a single IPO as bookrunner last year in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

20 February, 2004