Business

SABMiller shareholders approve 'megabrew' takeover deal by Budweiser brewer

SABMiller beer brands include Miller, Peroni, Tyskie, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch and Coors Light
SABMiller beer brands include Miller, Peroni, Tyskie, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch and Coors Light SABMiller beer brands include Miller, Peroni, Tyskie, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch and Coors Light

SHAREHOLDERS of beer giant SABMiller have given the green light to the firm's £79 billion takeover by Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev, paving the way for the biggest deal in UK corporate history.

SABMiller said investors backed AB InBev's £45-a-share offer, which was upped from £44-a-share in July following the collapse in the value of the pound after the Brexit vote.

The record-breaking deal - dubbed "megabrew" - is now set to complete on October 10, creating a brewing giant with a raft of some of the world's biggest beer brands.

SABMiller said 95.5 per cent of minority investors approved the deal.

AB InBev needed at least 75 per cent to clinch the takeover.

The two largest shareholders in SABMiller - cigarette maker Altria Group and the wealthy Santo Domingo family of Colombia, which together control around 40 per cent of shares - were excluded from the vote, but had already pledged their support for the deal.

Investors in Belgium-based AB InBev also approved the takeover at a meeting in Brussels earlier on Wednesday.

AB InBev said it welcomed the shareholder backing.

Carlos Brito, chief executive of AB InBev, who will also lead the merged group, said the deal will combine the two firms' "teams, strong heritage and passion for brewing".

"We are committed to driving long-term growth and creating value for all our stakeholders," he added.

AB InBev also confirmed the combined group will be called AB InBev after the merger.

The SABMiller vote comes despite opposition from a number of investors, while the vote had also been complicated by the decision last month to separate SAB's shareholders into two groups.

A UK court last month ordered a split of SABMiller's shareholder base, separating Altria and the Santo Domingo family from the wider investors.

There have also been concerns raised by a string of investors, such as Aberdeen Asset Management, while investment firm Ash Park Capital also reportedly wrote to other SAB investors in August urging them to join it in voting against the deal.

But most hedge funds were unable to have their say on the deal due to how they hold SABMiller shares, with only 72 per cent of minority investors eligible to vote.

AB InBev is already the world's largest brewer, but will sell one in four beers after the SABMiller takeover.

It has lined up $16.5 billion (£12.7 billion) worth of sales to secure regulatory approval worldwide, including offloading SABMiller's Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands to Japanese firm Asahi.

SAB employs around 69,000 people in more than 80 countries and has global annual sales of more than $26 billion (£20 billion).

But around 5,500 jobs are expected to be axed as a result of the merger.

According to documents released last month, the combined group will slash around 3 per cent of its global workforce.