AL Ahram Beverages Company

Al Ahram Beverages Company owned by Heineken International Group: Drinking to Dominance

Al Ahram Beverages Company(ABC) dominates the Egyptian market for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits. Privatized in 1997, ABC has transformed itself from a government-run monopoly brewer into a consumer-driven full-fledged beverages company and one of the world's leading producers of non-alcoholic malt beverages.

From nine stock-keeping units(SKUs) at the time of privatisation, ABC today produces more than 60 SKUs including alcoholic beer, non-alcoholic malt beverages, carbonated soft drinks, wine and spirits. ABCs proprietary brands include Stella(the beer of Egypt since 1897) and Fayrouz(the top-selling flavoured non-alcoholic malt beverage). In addition to its own brands, ABC also brews global brands such as Carlsberg, Lowenbrau, Kaliber and Royal Crown under license and has a joint venture with Unilever(one of only three in the world) to produce Lipton Ice Tea.

In 2002, recognizing the strength of ABCs business and the global potential of its non-alcoholic malt beverages, Heineken International acquired ABC for $287 million in the largest private-sector M&A transaction in Egypt. This price plus debt assigned ABC a total enterprise value of $360 million. The tender price of $14 per share represented a premium of around 100% to the pre-deal trading range at a time of global uncertainty. The acquisition, dubbed the deal of the decade, also raised Egypt's profile for foreign direct investment at a sensitive time for the region. Management and employees, all of whom were shareholders, will remain in place to lead the next phase of corporate development--the introduction of the non-alcoholic malt beverage Fayrouz to the global market.

ABC has the brands, production skills and corporate culture to become the leading beverages company in the Middle East and North Africa.