Proactive Investors - FTSE 250-listed Pepsi producer Britvic PLC (LON:BVIC) has agreed to be taken over by Carlsberg (CSE:CARLa), the Danish brewery that makes ‘probably the best lager in the world’.
Carlsberg’s cash offer places a £3.1 billion valuation on Britvic, or £4.1 billion when including debt.
At 1,315p per share, the offer represents an 8% increase to Friday’s closing price, or a 36% premium to the closing price on 19 June, when speculation of a takeover first emerged.
Carlsberg has also agreed to buy out brewer and pub chain Marston's plc’s stake in the Carlsberg Marston's joint venue business.
Carlsberg intends to create “a single integrated beverage company” in the UK, to be named Carlsberg Britvic, comprising senior members of Carlsberg, Carlsberg Marstons and Britvic.
The Danish brewer believes the combined brewing and soft drink powerhouse will deliver up to £100 million in cost savings over the five post-merger years.
“The proposed transaction creates an enlarged international group that is well-placed to capture the growth opportunities in multiple drinks sectors,” said Ian Durant, non-executive chair of Britvic.
“Crucially, to remain competitive at a time when the market is being shaped by the trend of increasing consolidation among bottling partners, Carlsberg's agreement with PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) provides the combined group with a strong platform for continued success.”
Jacob Aarup-Andersen, chief executive of Carlsberg, added: “The proposed transaction is attractive for shareholders of Carlsberg, supporting our growth ambitions and being immediately earnings accretive and value accretive in year three.
“We are excited about expanding our global partnership with PepsiCo and believe that the longer-term opportunities will be very beneficial for both companies.”