Industry Developments

BMI believes SABMiller is unlikely to acquire Foster's beer business in 2011. The feeling that SABMiller in particular may bid for Foster's beer business as the group demerges its beer... 2011-01-25

The plans of South Africa's second biggest food retailer, Pick 'n' Pay, to increase its exposure to Zimbabwe appear to have run into trouble. The Zimbabwean government has reportedly... 2011-01-24

South African consumers seem to be a lot more confident than they were a year ago. Although not completely out of the woods just yet, the value message is not resonating quite as strongly... 2011-01-21

Almarai is one of the Gulf region's most ambitious food and drink companies. It has been pursuing growth aggressively recently, even boldly by regional standards, having bought outside... 2011-01-19

Strong exposure to Africa and Asia has been a big deal for SABMiller recently. The two regions are more or less driving growth as most of the developed world, where SABMiller has relatively... 2011-01-19

Like much of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Jordan is highly under-retailed, with consumers still far more likely to shop at independent stores than organised food... 2011-01-17

Potentially one of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)'s most dynamic consumer economies given its sheer size (young and growing population in excess of 70mn), Iran is struggling... 2011-01-14

SABMiller is likely to make a major acquisition in 2011, with Guinness being the latest major beer company to be linked with it. Although there has been no official comment yet, BMI... 2011-01-13

Heineken has grown its capacity in Nigeria by nearly a third after buying up five breweries as it continues to make big inroads in one of its most important growth markets. There are... 2011-01-12

The French food retailer Auchan has quit Dubai after just two years in a move that suggests that from the point of view of some of the world's leading Western retailers, the Gulf region... 2011-01-07