"Talks between both companies (UB Group and Heineken) are in the advance stages and soon both will announce the deal," a source familiar with the development said.
The two firms are looking at floating either a special purpose vehicle or a joint venture and bring together their distribution businesses under a single entity, the sources said.
The two firms had been locked in conflict of interest battle after Heineken, in collaboration with Danish brewing major Carlsberg, acquired UK-based Scottish & Newcastle (S&N), which had around a 37 per cent stake in United Breweries.
Heineken's interest in APB-Pearl -- a joint venture between its Singapore-based subsidiary Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) and Jaipuria Beverages & Food Industries -- had proved to be a roadblock with UB objecting on the ground of conflict of business interest.
UNITED BREWERIES, HEINEKEN MAY FORM INDIA-BASED JOINT VENTURE $all $in $eur $fod $jtv With ABP acquiring the entire 33 per cent stake of Jai