Carlsberg Seeks to Acquire 30% Stake in Vietnam Habeco Brewer
Danish brewer Carlsberg A/S is seeking an approval from the government of Vietnam to raise its stake in Hanoi Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation (Habeco), a second largest brewer in Vietnam, to 30% from current 16.07%.
Carlsberg and Habeco signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to make the proposal on September 17.
The two sides also agreed on speeding up cooperation plans in key business fields.
"The strategic partnership with Habeco and our commitment to reinforce cooperation has marked a breakthrough for our presence in Vietnam,” said Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen, chief executive officer of Carlsberg.
Habeco is now the biggest beer maker in northern Vietnam while Carlsberg takes the lead in the central beer market. They have also penetrated into the southern market by setting up Hanoi-Vung Tau plant with a capacity of 50 million liters/year
Carlsberg entered Vietnam’s market in 1993 by acquiring a 60% stake in beer joint venture with Viet Ha Beer Co.
Habeco launched its initial public offering in March last year and raised VND219 billion from the share sale.
The brewer now has a registered capital of VND2.3 trillion (US$129 million), with a 81.7% stake owned by the state. (Vneconomy)
Vietnamese
