With Chinese buyers snapping up Bordeaux châteaux at a rate of knots, continued consolidation among former rivals and big brewers eying up their craft counterparts, the drinks world is ever-changing. Recently, rumours were rife that AB InBev could be preparing a takeover bid for Diageo, a deal that would bring together the world’s biggest producers. The rumour mill went into overdrive after a prominent columnist in Brazil claimed that the country’s richest man, billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann, might be thinking about putting together a takeover bid for the world’s largest premium alcoholic drinks company. While the claims have not been confirmed, and neither Diageo nor Lemann has commented on it, shares in Diageo jumped by 8% as the news broke to an 18-month high of £19. As rumour of a Diageo takeover continue to swirl, we round up some of the drinks industry’s biggest mergers and acquisitions. To read more on the top ten acquisitions, please visit: www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2015/06/top-10-biggest-drinks-industry-acquisi...
