Punch Taverns are planning to
sell nearly 2,000 of their pubs to Heineken. If approved, the deal means that the
Dutch Brewer, which already owns the Caledonian brewery and the John Smith
brands, will be the UK’s third biggest pub company after Greene King and
Enterprise Inns; owning around 3,000 pubs across the country. The £305 million deal
is now being examined by the Competition and Markets Authority to assess whether
it would reduce choice for customers and restrict competition by only allowing
these pubs to sell Heineken-branded products. A decision is expected by the end
of April.
Heineken entered the UK pub
market in 2008 with its takeover of Scottish and Newcastle, and currently
operates over 1,000 tenanted and leased pubs through its Star division. In a
statement to CAMRA, Heineken’s Director of Star Pubs & Bars Lawson
Mountstevens said that they sold over 200 brands of cask ale in their pubs last
year. He also promised further discussions with CAMRA members once the deal had
been completed.
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