AB InBev to divest central Europe operations: report

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The world's largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR) is considering divesting its central European operations involving 11 breweries in seven countries, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported on Saturday.

AB InBev sold its South Korean subsidiary Oriental Brewery to private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. last month for $1.8 billion, as part of a move to repay debt incurred in the $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch.

The paper said 11 breweries producing a total of 15 million hectoliters of beer a year in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, Serbia and Montenegro, were part of a "packaged" deal to be sold as a whole.

A spokesman for AB InBev declined to comment.

Le Soir said the brewer of Budweiser, Stella and Beck's beer was divesting its central European operations considered as fragmented and non-strategic, to focus on its north and south American operations.

Barclays is advising the company on the deal and at least one private equity firm CVC Partners, is mentioned as interested in the deal, Le Soir reported in its weekend edition.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; editing by Chris Pizzey)