An AB-InBev spokesperson said the brewer was struggling with the "structural decline of the beer market." Germany and Belgium seem to be affected most by the decline in consumption, which is why job losses in these two markets are expected to be highest.

As we enter 2010, the brewers’ grapevine is abuzz with predictions that this year will be rough for many yet rewarding for a few. Bankers are already rubbing their hands anticipating a resurgence in deal activity after a disappointing year in which mergers and acquisitions activity plummeted by almost half. The total value of deals in Europe fell to USD 682.5 billion in 2009 and a return to the heady, debt-fuelled days of 2007 is not expected for some time, if ever. During that year, Europe’s dealmakers worked themselves into a frenzy, registering USD 1,857 billion-worth of mergers and acquisitions, the best year on record since 1995, it was reported.

The German AB-InBev spokesperson did not want to comment on reports made by Inside publication that since November 2009 AB-InBev has tried to tempt wholesalers into stocking up on beer through too-good-to-be-true discounts on its major brands.

The deal will make Heineken the number two brewer world-wide by revenue (EUR 16.7 billion) and number three brewer by volume (203 million hl). Moreover, it will reduce its profit dependency on Western Europe to 35 percent (EBIT beia) from 41 percent and give it a more balanced portfolio of developed (60 percent EBIT) and emerging markets (40 percent EBIT).

Andri Thor Gudmundsson, CEO of Ölgerdin, complained that the tax had been badly crafted. Mr Gudmundsson reportedly said that it was unfair that a so-called sugar tax was levied on unsweetened fruit juices and sparkling water while chocolate milk, cocoa puffs and chocolate cereal were exempt from it.

This sale will go down in history and not just Heineken’s. It will go down in history because analysts and media pundits got it all wrong. For months they had placed all their bets on SABMiller clinching this deal, although taking over FEMSA Cerveza would have posed several problems to SABMiller.

Orlando, which has a portfolio of best-selling labels including the mainstream brand Jacob’s Creek, as well as Wyndham Estate, Poet’s Corner and Richmond Grove, has also made a AUD 29 million provision for restructuring as it tweaks its operation to cope with the downturn, media reports claim.

They have proven that they can and they tell us so: AB-InBev announced on 15 December 2009 that they have made an early payment of USD 3.7 billion to pay off acquisition-related debt, using proceeds from the recent sale of their central European breweries and theme parks.

With AB-InBev having seen volumes decline in western Europe to the order of 5.6 percent (January – September 2009), CEO Carlos Brito will have told his marshals to bring out the next cost reduction plan.

With the so-called “fighter brands” (like Adelskrone, Schlosspils, Silberkrone, van Raven) having been sold to the Oettinger Group as part of the Braunschweig brewery sale, market observers in Germany think that Carlsberg will next sell its regional brands such as Feldschlösschen, Moravia, Grenzquell and Lüneburger Pilsener in order to focus on its major brands Carlsberg, Holsten Pilsener, Astra, Duckstein and Lübz.