Heineken on the verge of having a 40% market share

The third largest beer producer in the world, Heineken, will buy its Austrian competitor BBAG for EUR 1.9 billion. Thanks to the transaction the company will substantially increase its stake in the Polish and Central European market. Heineken controls Żywiec, El Brewery, Warka and Leżajsk beer producers. Brau Union, which is the Central Europe subsidiary of BBAG, owns Browary Warszawskie, Van Pur and a local brewer in Bydgoszcz. After the transaction Heineken will control roughly 40% of the market, as its Żywiec brand holds over 32% of it, while Brau Union about 5%. In this way, the company would be well ahead of its largest competitor SABMiller, which owns Kompania Piwowarska holding 32% of the market. (Parkiet, p. 1) M.M.