Interbrew, the parent company of Labatt Brewing Company, has ended its production and distribution agreement with Sleeman Breweries for its Stella Artois brand in Canada.
Effective Jan. 1, 1998, Stella Artois will be imported directly from Belgium to be marketed and distributed by the Oland Specialty Beer Company, a division of Labatt.
In other Interbrew news, the multinational company has furthered its expansion plans in the Americas with the formation of a brewing partnership with the Cisneros Group of Companies in Caracas, Venezuela.
The goal of the joint venture is to capture a 10-15% share of the South American market which currently produces 140 million hectolitres of beer each year but is expected to grow by 5% annually over the next five years.
Cisneros Group owns the Caracas-based Regional Brewing Company and has a large stake in Panamerican Beverages. The company also has holdings in several media, entertainment and telecommunications companies around the world.
Belgium-based Interbrew has operations in 12 countries, in addition to a number of joint ventures, and exports to over 80 territories worldwide.
