Thursday, January 25, 2007

Hanoi Beer brewery plans to equitize

The Vietnamese government has approved a plan to equitize and list the Hanoi Beer Company, the country's second largest brewer, to raise money to increase production, a government report said Wednesday.

Less than 10% of the compnay known as Habeco would be sold to a foreign investor and shares would be listed on one of the country's two stock exchanges, said the report published on the government Web site.

"The state will retain 76% of the company at the time of the initial public offering, but this stake will be reduced to no less than 51% later," it said.
Industry sources said Denmark's Carlsberg was interested in buying a stake in Habeco, whose best-selling brand is Bia Hanoi.
Habeco, which has a registered capital of 2 trillion VND (124mio US$), signed a cooperation agreement with Carlsberg in 2005.

Vietnam's beer market, averaging 8% growth per year, has attracted the interest of a string of foreign brewers, including Anheuser-Busch, the owner of the Budweiser brand, and Belgium's Inbev.

State-run Saigon Beer, or Sabeco, the country's largest brewer, has also announced plans to partly equitize.

Source: Thanh Nien

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