Nigerian Breweries acquires Distell Nigeria
By Abimbola Mohammed
Ostensibly to retain its market leadership position in the brewery market, as well as extend offerings to the Wine and Spirit Segment, the Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc has acquired 80% majority stake in Distell Wines and Spirit Nigeria Limited (Distell Nigeria).
According to NB, completion of the transaction was approved by South Africa Reserve Bank (SARB) for the acquisition by Nigerian Breweries Plc, of the shares of the South African entity, Distell International Limited (now known as Heineken Beverages Holdings Limited) in Distell Nigeria, as well as the import business of Distell International Limited in Nigeria.
The announcement was made by the leading brewer on its website and other online platforms, where it mentioned some of the rich portfolio of brands that include an array of wines, spirit and flavoured drinks.
The post read: “We are delighted to share that our acquisition of a majority stake (80%) in Distell Wines and Spirits Nigeria Limited (Distell Nigeria) is completed.
“This giant stride will further solidify our leadership position in the Nigerian brewing sector as we expand our rich portfolio of high-quality brands to include an exciting array of wines, spirits, and flavored alcoholic beverages such as Savannah Dry, Nederburg, Amarula Crèam Liquor, Drostdy Haf, and 4th Street.”
Speaking on the giant stride, Hans Essaadi, Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said the acquisition and subsequent commencement of business operations align with the strategic objective of the brewery firm to expand its current product offerings beyond beer to include wines, spirits, and flavored alcoholic beverages.Essaadi added that the company remains unwavering in its commitment to cater to the diverse needs of consumers.
“This acquisition is part of efforts to provide access to a complementary multi-category portfolio of fast-growing brands of wines and spirits market segment and capture significant growth opportunities in the wines and spirits segment of the brewing industry. We are excited to have the process completed and can’t wait to see how this transforms our business.”
In the same vein, Mr. Steve Ighorimoto, Managing Director, Distell Nigeria, stated that the acquisition is an exciting new chapter for the company as it would help increase the capacity necessary to achieve improved business performance.
His words: “We are excited to be a part of Nigerian Breweries, as we share in the solid track record of growth, including a highly engaged, dynamic, experienced, and diverse team. These changes will strengthen the organization’s manufacturing, marketing, and distribution capabilities while ensuring sustainable growth and maximum value creation for all stakeholders.”
Distell Nigeria is involved in the local production of wines and ciders under license from Heineken Beverages. With the acquisition, Nigerian Breweries will have access to both the local production and the importation of wines, spirits, and flavoured alcoholic beverages brands from South Africa, including Amarula Crèam Liquor, Nederburg, Drostdy-Hof, 4th Street, Bain’s Whiskey, Knight Whiskey, Scottish Leader Whiskey, Chamdor wine ranges, Hunters, and Savanna.
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