ThaiBev makes Chang Beer and is also involved in food and non-alcoholic drinks.
According to Forbes business magazine, Charoen is the third richest person in Thailand with an estimated fortune of $6.2 billion as of August, with the bulk of his money coming from his beverage business.
By agreeing to vote in favour of selling F&N’s stake in APB, the Thais will gain a payout that will help finance their takeover of F&N, which is also involved in property, soft drinks and publishing, another analyst said.
“Price inflation may have been so rapid that it may be better to sell the (APB) stake and grab the non-beer business of F&N,” said Xavier Jean, associate director of corporate ratings with credit ratings firm Standard and Poor’s.
“It’s not as profitable as beer and the growth potential is not as high, but it sits very nicely in terms of product diversification into non-alcoholic beverages and geographic diversification outside of Thailand.”
APB, which has breweries in 14 countries including China, reported in August that its revenues for the third quarter to June rose almost 10 percent to Sg$781.33 million from a year ago.
A Heineken takeover of APB would give it an edge over other rivals in Southeast Asia as well as China.
Beer consumption in nine of the 10 Southeast Asian countries totalled 6.84 billion litres in 2011, up more than six percent from 2010, with Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines leading the market, data from research firm Euromonitor showed.
