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Image by The Whisky Ardvark
On April 26th, 2023, Dutch brewing company Heineken successfully acquired a 65% stake in Namibia Breweries Limited and Distell Group Holdings Limited (and its subsidiary Burn Stewart). This resulted in the formation of a new parent company, Heineken Beverages, with headquarters in Africa called Newco.
The primary objective of the acquisition was to gain a strong foothold in the South African market. The plans were initially revealed in November 2021, but the takeover, which was valued at £2.4 billion, required approval from the Competition Tribunal, a process that took approximately 18 months to complete.
Heineken’s CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board Dolf van den Brink said in an interview: 'We are delighted to welcome over 5,400 talented employees of Distell and Namibia Breweries into Heineken and look forward to adding more than €1 billion in net revenue and €150 million operating profit to our African footprint. By combining the strengths of all three entities, we can leverage our expertise and resources to foster growth, create jobs, and contribute to the overall economic development of the region.'
Scotch whisky enthusiasts will be interested to know that three Scottish single malt distilleries, Bunnahabhain, Deanston and Tobermory, as well as blends Scottish Leader and Black Bottle, are now under new ownership by the parent company. Even though some of these distilleries are still listed as part of Distell Group Limited, a new company, Capevin Holdings AKA CVH Spirits, has been created to oversee the management of the facilities, brand management and marketing.
Rumours regarding the potential sale of the Scottish whisky division have already surfaced, even though the transaction is recent. According to a leading South African financial journalist Marc Hasenfuss: 'There’s speculative buzz that a number of suitors are keen on these whisky assets.'
We will have to wait and see what the future holds for these distilleries and brands.
Visit the CVH Spirits company website at https://cvhspirits.com/
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