logo-loader

SABMiller profits lose fizz as merger costs weigh

Published: 04:00 18 May 2016 EDT

SABMIller30030_original
Group beverage volumes rose 2%, with lager volumes up 1% and soft drink volumes up 6%

Profits at SABMiller plc (LON:SAB) fell as costs rose ahead of its tie-up with rival Stella Artois maker Anheuser-Busch InBev SA (EBR:ABI).

The Peroni Nastro Azzurro brewer said pre-tax profit in the year to the end of March dropped 16% to US$4.1bn.

It took a US$572 million charge for reducing operations in Angola and war-torn South Sudan and a US$160mln hit from the AB InBev deal.

But group beverage volumes rose 2%, with lager volumes up 1% and soft drink volumes up 6%.

Reported pre-tax earnings before interest and amortisation fell 9% to US$5.8bn.

It said growth accelerated in the year, driven by improving momentum in Latin America, continued strong and well-balanced momentum in Africa and improvements in Australia and Europe in the second half.

Chief executive Alan Clark said: “We are expanding our exposure to growing markets and building the optimum portfolio of lager, soft drinks and other alcoholic beverages to capture growth.”

Shares rose 19.5p to 4229.5p in early London trading.

BenevolentAI advances novel ulcerative colitis treatment through Phase 1a trial

BenevolentAI (OTC:BAIVF) chief scientific officer Dr Anne Phelan joins Proactive's Stephen Gunnion with positive safety data from the Phase 1a, first-in-human, clinical study of BEN-8744 in healthy volunteers. Phelan explained that BEN-8744 is a potent, selective PD10 inhibitor, uniquely...

35 minutes ago