EXCLUSIVE: AB InBev gets at least six bids for Pilsner Urquell, other brands

By Pamela Barbaglia and Martinne Geller

LONDON (Reuters) - At least six indicative offers have been submitted by industry players and buyout funds for a group of beer brands being sold by Anheuser-Busch InBev, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Japanese brewer Asahi Holdings and financial firm PPF Group have submitted rival bids, while Hungarian energy group Mol has teamed up with Polish juice maker Maspex Wadowice Group and Polish insurer PZU group to table a joint offer, the sources said.

U.S. buyout fund Bain Capital has joined forces with European private equity firm Advent, while U.S. buyout fund KKR has made a joint offer with mid-market focused private equity house Mid Europa Partners, the sources said.

Another consortium includes Swiss investment firm Jacobs Holdings and Canadian pension fund PSP Investments, the sources said.

European private equity firm BC Partners, which initially looked at the business, has walked away from the process, they added.

PPF, MOL and BC Partners declined to comment, while AB InBev, Asahi, Maspex, PZU and the other private equity funds were not immediately available for comment.

(Additional reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko in Warsaw, Jan Lopatka in Prague, Sophie Sassard in London and Krisztina Than in Budapest; Editing by Mark Potter)