KH News Desk
The Beer Cafe management team, led by founder and CEO Rahul Singh will continue to lead its operations, and will oversee Bira 91’s restaurant division.
Homegrown beer-maker Bira 91 has reportedly bought India’s largest alcobev chain The Beer Cafe in an all-stock deal. The pub chain will, after the deal, become a fully owned subsidiary of Bira 91.
The deal is expected to benefit both the parties as Bira 91 will get a retail presence in the pub chain’s 33 outlets, while The Beer Cafe will get the company’s support in innovations and supply chain. The acquisition comes at a time when dining is seeing a significant double-digit growth, after the pandemic forced restaurants and bars to shut down intermittently. The beer market has also recovered to pre-COVID numbers.
Bira 91 CEO Ankur Jain said that the deal will strengthen the beer-maker’s play in pubs as well as build a direct-to-consumer platform with a focus on beer. The Beer Cafe management team, helmed by founder and CEO Rahul Singh will continue to lead its operations, and will oversee Bira 91’s restaurant division. The large-format, craft beer-focused stores will be run under the name of Bira 91 Taproom, the report added.
Bira 91 has investors including Sequoia Capital, Belgium’s Sofina, and Japan’s Kirin Holding. The company is present in over 500 towns across 15 countries.
