/ 4 January 2001

SAB TAKES CLOSER LOOK AT BASS

SOUTH African Breweries says it would be interested in acquiring the brewing units of Britain’s Bass after Britain blocked Belgian Interbrew’s 2.3 billion pound Bass takeover. But an SAB spokesman in London said the South African brewer would only consider such a move, which follows the decision of the British competition authority to block the deal on competition grounds, if it made economic sense. SAB has been tipped as a bidder for the Bass units, but is likely to face fierce competition from the likes of Dutch Heineken and Danish Carlsberg, both of which have expressed interest in Bass in the past. – Reuters