With AB InBev’s acquisition of SABMiller, much of the latter’s European business is being sold to address competition concerns.
Asahi is already buying SABMiller brands Peroni (Italy), Grolsch (The Netherlands) and Meantime (London), with the offer accepted by AB InBev in April.
In May, Akiyoshi Koji, Asahi Group Holdings president, told Reuters that Asahi would not follow this with a bid for the Eastern European brands.
However, a report in today’s Nikkei Asian Review says that the company will offer more than 500bn yen ($4.87bn) for SABMiller’s beer operations in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.
SABMiller’s beer brands in Eastern Europe include Pilsner Urquell.
BeverageDaily has contacted Asahi for comment.