The Belgian brewery INTERBREW has taken over Brazilian AMBEV (turnover EUR 2.5 billion in 2003 with 1700 employees and 63% of market shares in Brazil), an operation that creates the world's biggest brewer with a production of 190 million hectolitres. After an operation evaluated at EUR 9.2 billion, INTERBREW will acquire 57.5% of the Brazilian group renamed INTERBREWAMBEV for the occasion. The new undertaking will have a pro forma turnover of nearly EUR 10 billion.