Oetker drops out of race for ABInbev Germany -report

FRANKFURT | Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:03pm EST

FRANKFURT Jan 27 (Reuters) - ABInBev INTB.BR, the world's biggest brewer, is still looking for a buyer for its German business, which includes Beck's beer, after Germany's Oetker group dropped out of the race, a radio report said on Tuesday.

Talks collapsed weeks ago because the Oetker group offered too little for ABInBev's German operations, which also brew the Hasseroeder and Franziskaner brands of beer, a report by Radio Bremen said, citing industry sources.

ABInBev, formed when Belgium's Inbev bought Anheuser-Busch of the United States for $52 billion, has earmarked five non-core assets for possible sale to ease worries about paying for the largest-ever cash takeover.

"We will not comment on what businesses we would be considering as part of our divestitures process - or any speculations related to that," an ABInBev spokesman said.

Oetker declined to comment on the report.

ABInBev would now also talk to other interested parties, the report added, without giving specific names.

The family-owned Oetker group, known for its Dr. Oetker products, holds more than 400 firms that operate in various fields such as food, beverages, shipping, banking, chemicals and publishing.

(Reporting by Eva Kuehnen and Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels and Matthias Inverardi in Duesseldorf; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

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