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Australia: Heineken acquires Strongbow

Heineken is acquiring cider brand Strongbow from Asahi in Australia, along with two other cider brands, Little Green and Bonamy’s. The company will also gain the perpetual licenses on beer brands Stella Artois and Beck’s in Australia. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and comes after a successful bid for these brands when Asahi put them up for sale as a condition from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for their acquisition of Carlton & United Breweries (CUB).

Strongbow was first produced by H.P Bulmer, which was founded in 1887 by Percy Bulmer, the 20-year old son of a local clergyman. Ownership of the brand went to Scottish & Newcastle when they acquired H.P Bulmer in 2003. In Australia and New Zealand, Scottish & Newcastle’s interests were sold to Foster’s, CUB’s predecessor, which inherited the Strongbow brand in these two countries. In 2008, as part of a consortium, Heineken acquired Scottish & Newcastle along with the Strongbow brand outside of Australia and New Zealand. Trough the acquisition, the Strongbow brand in Australia reunites with the global Strongbow portfolio after 17 years.

The five brands being acquired will be distributed in Australia by Drinkworks, a wholly owned subsidiary of Heineken. Financial terms are not disclosed.