UK, London: Brewer SABMiller shares dropped 2.7% at 808 pence in London at 0945 GMT, January 20, as the company emerged as the leading potential buyer for Columbia's Grupo Empresarial Bavaria, the Financial Times Newspaper reported Thursday, January 20. That was the biggest fall on the FTSE-100 index of blue-chip UK companies. There was concern the brewer of Miller Lite, Castle and Pilsner Urquell beers might overpay.

"It is true that they (SABMiller) are involved. But it is also true that probably almost every other big international brewer is involved as well," the source told Reuters. The FT.com Web site said earlier on Thursday that Colombian-based Bavaria could fetch about $9 billion.

22 January, 2005