EU fines brewer £173m

BRUSSELS has fined Anheuser- Busch Inbev £173m for keeping the price of Belgium’s favourite beer artificially high.

After a three-year investigation, european competition regulators ruled the brewer had abused its dominant position in the country’s beer market between 2009 and 2016. AB Inbev restricted the ability of wholesalers and retailers in the netherlands to sell Jupiler beer in Belgium, where it is more expensive.

‘Consumers in Belgium have been paying more for their favourite beer because of AB Inbev’s deliberate strategy to restrict crossborder sales,’ said eC competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager.

AB Inbev said it had put aside around £180m to deal with a possible fine.