CARLOS Brito, CEO of the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) makes no secret of his goal of global beer market domination. It makes SABMiller, AB InBev’s closest rival, a prime target for Brito, who has masterminded acquisitions totalling US$91bn in his 10 years as CEO.A move by AB InBev on SABMiller is inevitable but probably three to five years away, says Christopher Gilmour of Absa Asset Management. Others believe it could come far sooner."There is a 50% chance of it happening before the end of 2015," Robert Ottenstein, senior MD and head of global beverage research at Boston, US, securities firm International Strategy & Investment, told Investors Monthly in a written response. "More than at any point in the past 10 years, SABMiller appears ripe for a combination with AB InBev," Ottenstein said.Since 2010 market speculation has ebbed and flowed on an imminent bid for SABMiller by AB InBev. In June it sent SABMiller’s share price spiking to almost $59 (R627). "...
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