Scottish & Newcastle will recommend an 800p-a-share takeover bid, which values the brewer at £7.8bn, from Carlsberg and Heineken on Thursday. It is then expected to take six weeks for everything to be completed through a fast-track takeover mechanism.
But as part of the deal, details of the financial prospects of the joint BBH Russian venture will become public for the first time, allowing a proper valuation to be made by shareholders and other potential rival bidders.
It is believed that chief executive John Dunsmore has continued to talk to American giant Anheuser-Busch about BBH and also a possible counter-bid for the whole company.
The Sunday Telegraph says that in the meantime S&N intends to "vigorously pursue" its legal claim against Carlsberg over BBH.
The Mail on Sunday 20/01//08 page 64 (Financial Mail)
The Sunday Telegraph 20/01//08 (Business) page 3
The Sunday Express 20/01//08 (Financial) page 3
