Brussels, 13/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - On 12 July, the European Commission authorised a operation by which the Dutch firm Heineken will acquire joint control of the brewing and distribution activities of the German Bayerische BrauHolding through a joint-venture named Brau Holding International.
Bayerische BrauHolding is a beer brewer primarily active in Germany. Heineken is a brewery, active worldwide in the production, commercialisation and distribution of beer and other beverages and which operates in most EU Member States. The joint-venture will group Bayerische BrauHolding's beer activities, with Heineken taking a financial participation but not contributing any of its business assets. The Commission's review revealed that the activities of the parties show no or only minimal overlaps in some EU Member States. In Italy, there is a limited overlap in the market for beer distributed through the Horeca (hotels, restaurants and cafes) channel. However, given the competitive situation on the market, the European executive considered that the creation of the joint-venture would raise no problems.