One of the longest-running takeover sagas moved close to a conclusion yesterday after SABMiller told the stock market that it had received an approach from Anheuser-Busch InBev for a possible deal to create an estimated $330 billion brewing giant.
After years of speculation, the Budweiser and Stella Artois maker finally broke cover amid fevered speculation, sending shares of SABMiller nearly 20 per cent higher to £36.14, valuing the group at £58.5 billion, excluding debt of $10.5 billion.
The mooted deal comes as investor appetite for large deals is rising and would create a brewing giant more than twice the size of Heineken and Carlsberg and responsible for nearly one in every three beers produced around the world.
AB InBev confirmed that it had made an