Chinese beer producer China Resources Beer Holdings Co ponders taking over SABMiller’s operations in Central and Eastern Europe, which are valued at around USD 6 billion, according to Bloomberg.

SABMiller, which owns Ursus Breweries - the biggest beer producer in Romania, has to sell its operations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Romania as part of the merger deal with Belgian group AB InBev. The merger will get the approval of the European Commission only if the two companies give up parts of their portfolios.

Ursus Breweries owns the local Ursus, Timisoreana, Ciucas, and Azuga brands and also sells SabMiller’s international brands Grolsch, Peroni, Redd’s, and Pilsner Urquell in Romania. The company has three beer factories in Buzau, Timisoara, and Brasov, and a micro-brewery in Cluj-Napoca, on the plot of the original Ursus beer factory.

The company posted a turnover of EUR 355 million last year, a profit of about EUR 10 million, and over 1,400 employees, according to official data from the Finance Ministry.

Its main local competitors are Heineken Romania, Bergenbier, and URBB (Tuborg).

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editor@romania-insider.com