South African Breweries increases its stake in Kompania Piwowarska to 64%

Pawel Sudol, the president of Kompania Piwowarska S.A., the second largest group of breweries in Poland, disclosed yesterday that South African Breweries (SAB) has raised its stake in the group to 64%. Sudol however, failed to describe how SAB bought the stakes, by capitalization or through procurement of minority stakes from affiliates of tycoon Jan Kulczyk who is SAB 's partner in the group. The group had a joint output of 3.3 million hectoliters of beer or 28% of the domestic beer market in the first half of this year. The group will sell off its brewery in Ostrow Wielkopolski for reasons, described by Sudol, as economical. That brewery has an annual output of 200,000 hectoliters, at a time when other breweries in the group can each produce up to 3.5 million hectoliters per annum. (Gazeta Wyborcza, page 17). S.M.