After completing its acquisition of Namibia Breweries Limited and South Africa’s Distell Group, Dutch brewer Heineken plans to launch new liquor and beer brands in Kenya from the Southern Africa market (NBL).

Upon closing the acquisition, the new Heineken subsidiary will be able to market beer brands from the NBL stable. This includes Windhoek, Tafel, King lagers, Camelthorn, Hansa Draught beer, and Strongbow Cider, in Kenya and the larger East African region.
The local product selection of Distell, which includes spirits, wines, cider, whiskey, and gin, is also set to be increased. Heineken is an expert in high-end brews and ciders.
The merger, which has now been given final clearance by South Africa’s competition commission, will result in the creation of a new company called Sunside Acquisitions Limited (Newco), which Heineken (65 per cent) and Distell will own jointly (35 per cent).

Distell will transfer its interests in its subsidiaries, notably Kenya Wine Agencies Ltd (Kwal), to Sunside as part of the deals, while Heineken will also transfer its distribution operations in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and South Sudan to the subsidiary.

Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates Purchases a 3.76 percent interest in Heineken
“With respect to Newco’s business in Africa, the combination of the three Heineken, Distell and NBL export businesses, together with Distell’s on-the-ground capabilities in key markets, will result in an expanded and enhanced footprint in the region,” said Heineken in a prospectus for the deal.
Last week, Heineken announced that its new subsidiary would be focused on expanding its operations in a number of important markets outside of South Africa and Namibia, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan, while continuing to provide services to Lesotho and Eswatini.