95.5% of SABMiller shareholders voted today in favor of the $100 billion takeover by rival AB InBev thus giving green light for the third-largest merger in corporate history. Despite several disposals, which were required by antitrust agencies mainly in the U.S., China and Europe, AB InBev strengthens its position in Africa, South America and Australia and lessens its dependence on the U.S. market. The deal will combine the two largest brewing groups in the world and will form a new leader with a combined worldwide market share of 27% in sales volume and 46% in profit.
Next comes Heineken with a global volume market share of 11% followed by Danish Carlsberg Group. Both companies could not take profit from the deal as many others, who were able to pick up crumbs which fell from the table. AB InBev has listed $16.5 billion in disposals of SAB assets to secure approval from antitrust regulators in more than 20 countries.
In a $12 billion acquisition Molson Coors Brewing Co. was able to buy the remaining 58% interest in the joint venture MillerCoors LLC which makes it the second-largest brewer in the US with a 25% market share compared with AB InBevs 44%.
Asahi Group Holdings from Japan agreed to buy the breweries Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime buy in Western Europe for $2.9 billion and China Resources Beer (Holdings) Co. will buy the remaining 49% interest in China’s leading brewing group China Resources Snow Breweries for $1.6 billion.
Still open is the race for SABMillers Eastern European brands such as Czech beer Pilsner Urquell , Polish beers Tyskie and Lech, Hungarian beer Dreher, and Romanian beer Ursus, which could fetch another $5 billion.
Trading of the new combined AB InBev, which will drop entirely SABMiller’s name, will start Oct. 11.
