HEINEKEN BUYING INTO ETHIOPIAN BEER MARKET

TABJ – March 30 – Heineken N.V. has offered US$163 million for a pair of Ethiopian breweries in a bid to work its way into the East African beer market, Reuters is reporting.

“With its large, growing population, political stability, improving economy and rapidly growing beer market, Ethiopia is a promising, long-term growth market for Heineken in Africa,” the world's third-largest brewer wrote in a statement, according to Reuters.

The bids for the state-owned Bedele and Harar breweries will be reviewed by the Ethiopian government, with a decision not expected for up to four months, Heineken said.

The two breweries have a total market share of 20 per cent, which would position Heineken as the No. 2 brewer in Ethiopia, according to a Wall Street Journal report. A subsidiary of France's Groupe Castel is the current market leader.

The Ethiopian play is just the latest move by Heineken into Africa. The Amsterdam-based brewer has made recent purchases in Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa.

This article was copied from tabj.co.za