After 400 years, Grolsch is leaving the Netherlands.

The Dutch beer brand Grolsch, first brewed in 1615, is being acquired by the Japanese beverage group Asahi, along with the trademarks Peroni and Meantime. This is stated by De Klok Dranken and Grolsch in a letter to hospitality entrepreneurs.

Brewing giant AB InBev has received a binding offer from Asahi Group Holdings to acquire the brands Grolsch, Peroni, and Meantime and related organizations for an amount exceeding €2.5 billion.

The brands and organizations of Koninklijke Grolsch NV (including De Klok Dranken), Birra Peroni, Miller Brands UK, the Meantime Brewing Company and the French sales and marketing office of SABMiller are included in this binding offer.

By means of this letter, De Klok Dranken and Grolsch announce that the quality of the products, the services, and the manner of cooperation will remain unchanged. Nothing will change until after the completion of the acquisition, which is expected to take place in the second half of this year.

Asahi's binding offer, if accepted by AB InBev following the required consultation with employee representatives, is conditional upon the completion of the acquisition of SABMiller by AB InBev.

South African SABMiller
Since 2008, Grolsch has been owned by SABMiller, originally a South African brewery and now one of the largest breweries in the world. The group employs approximately 69,000 people across more than 80 countries.

Japanese Asahi Group Holdings
The former Asahi Breweries has continued under the trade name Asahi Group Holdings since 2011. Beer and other alcoholic beverages are now housed within Asahi Breweries. This is the oldest and largest part of the holding. The beverage group had a market share of 38% in Japan in 2014.