Thielmann Container Systems has acquired the assets of WEW on 2nd of May 2016 and will continue operations under WEW Container Systems GmbH.

The European Union is the first major regulator to approve of AB-InBev’s USD 100 billion plus acquisition of rival SABMiller, on the condition that the brewer shed nearly all of SABMiller’s European assets.

The ongoing USD 100 billion plus takeover of SABMiller by rival AB-InBev has so far cost the London-listed beer giant GBP 111 million (USD 160 million) in banking and legal fees, as well as pay-outs to retain important members of staff. This was disclosed on 18 May 2016, when SABMiller reported full year results.

Will hipsters be taking their Audis to Aldi to buy craft beer? As of 30 May 2016, the discount chain Aldi has been selling a range of 18 UK-brewed craft beers in its stores. Aldi said it was tapping into the booming craft beer market, which is currently worth an estimated GBP 420 million USD 607 million).

Brussels’ hotels and restaurants had barely recovered from the November 2015 attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people, and made Belgian authorities put the entire city on a lockdown for weeks, when Brussels itself saw two bomb attacks on 22 March 2016, killing 31 people and injuring 270.

Germany’s trust busters are cracking down on vertical cartels too. After issuing hefty penalties to several of the country’s big brewers, the regulatory agency on 9 May 2016 fined a number of retailers, including EDEKA, Metro, Netto, Kaufland and a regional drinks retailer.

Megabrewers AB-InBev and SABMiller did some asset-swapping with Brazilian brewer AmBev, in which AB-InBev holds a majority stake, ahead of the proposed combination of the British and Belgian companies.

Despite several rebirths over the past two decades – from Brouwerij Palm to Palm Breweries to Palm Belgian Craft Brewers in 2014 – the Belgian brewing group Palm has seen its beer volumes decline and has finally sought rescue under the wings of the Dutch brewing group Bavaria.

Those who wondered if AB-InBev were to keep SABMiller’s Pilsner Urquell brand after the takeover can now rest assured: they won’t. On 29 April 2016 AB-InBev announced it has offered to sell all of SABMiller’s assets in Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, including the rights to Pilsner Urquell outside the United States. Within the U.S. AB-InBev has already agreed to sell Pilsner Urquell to Molson Coors as part of a larger deal divesting its stake in MillerCoors. The job lot also includes brands such as Polish beers Tyskie and Lech, Hungarian beer Dreher, and the Romanian beer brand Ursus. The assets could fetch between USD 5 billion and USD 8 billion, according to analysts’ estimates.

Krones AG, Neutraubling/Germany, has purchased 60 % of the shares in System Logistics S.p.A. The company, an international supplier of innovative solutions for intralogistics, material flow technology, and warehousing, is based in Fiorano, in Northern Italy. A majority of the customers come from the food and beverage industries. In 2015, the company achieved a turnover of around 100 million euros, with a workforce of more than 250 employees.