E-Malt.com News article: 4557

Belgium, Brussels: InBev announced on March 30 the preliminary results of the mandatory tender offer launched on AmBev common shares in Brazil (“MTO”). The MTO started on February 14, 2005 and ended on March 29, 2005, on which date the “auction” was held in Brazil. InBev announced that the preliminary results of the MTO are the following: 1,612,915,545 common AmBev shares have been tendered to the cash option; 1,347,155,632 common AmBev shares have been tendered to the stock-for-stock option.

The AmBev common shares tendered to the cash option and to the stock-for-stock option represent, on an aggregate basis, 81,23 % of the total number of outstanding AmBev common shares concerned by the MTO and will bring the total participation held, directly or indirectly, by InBev in AmBev to a 80,99 % voting interest and a 54,16 % economic interest.

InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: INB) based in Leuven, Belgium. The company's origins date back to 1366, and today it is the leading global brewer by volume. 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 acquisitions, and by putting consumers first. InBev has a portfolio of more than 200 brands, including Stella Artois®, BRAHMA®, Beck’s®, Skol®—the third-largest selling beer brand in the world—Leffe®, Hoegaarden®, Staropramen® and Bass®. InBev employs some 77,000 people, running operations in over 30 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2004, InBev realized a net turnover of 8.57 billion euro (including four months of AmBev).


30 March, 2005