Acquisition of SABMiller brewing departs from roots in Africa

The acquisition of SABMiller Plc for larger competitor Anheuser-Busch InBev NV strayed so far the London-based company from its roots, which date back to the 19 century, when it was the South African supplier of beer to the thirsty miners called gold reef, in Johannesburg.
The local products such as Castle Lite started his history with the name of South African Breweries, in 1895, and became the first industrial company to list shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange two years later.
In the middle of the last century, the brewery controlled 98 percent of its domestic market before expanding internationally after the end of the white minority Government, in 1994. "Sales of beer from SAB are way ahead in relation to that of other beers that we sell any night," said Kate Bennett, 33, a member of the Colony Arms pub in the suburb of Craighall, Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
"Certainly there is a sense of national pride".
The first significant Division of the company in relation to South Africa came with the decision to move its primary listing to London in 1999.
Three years later, the company bought Miller Brewing Company, the second largest manufacturer of brews, and added the Grolsch and Peroni to its portfolio.
SABMiller now has 70,000 employees in more than 80 countries and is swallowed by AB InBev, based in Leuven, in Belgium, the company owner of the brewery brands Budweiser and Stella Artois conclude the multibillion-dollar business.
"Customers are already very accustomed to taking, so I doubt that a change in ownership of the company to change it significantly," said Bennett.
"It will be interesting to see if any change in advertising will change the perception of the people".