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Our Bureau

New Delhi , Sept. 8

THE Rs 1,500-crore RK Jaipuria Group seems to be emerging as the likely Indian partner for Belgian beer major InBev.

According to sources, Mr Ravi Jaipuria is in talks with InBev to bring the latter's beer brand Beck's into the country. Mr Jaipuria has already partnered with InBev to roll out the Beck's brand in Mauritius. The RK Jaipuria Group has recently set up a brewery in Mauritius at an investment of Rs 50 crore, through which the company would be selling its own beer brand Black Eagle and will also sell Beck's.

Mr Ravi Jaipuria said that he was open to partnering InBev in India though he declined to confirm whether he was in negotiations for the same.

Interestingly, Mr CK Jaipuria (one of the three Jaipuria brothers) is learnt to have struck a tie-up with German beer firm Heineken NV to launch the latter's Tiger and Anchor beer brands in the country. Despite being in similar segments, the operations of the two brothers will, however, run separately from one another.

Meanwhile, the RK Jaipuria Group, which is the largest Pepsi bottler in the country, is also in talks to acquire overseas bottling rights for the company. Mr Ravi Jaipuria pointed out that the company was "looking at" acquiring bottling rights in Maldives, Sri Lanka and West Asia.

When asked whether the company was interested in acquiring North India based fast food chain Nirulas, Mr Jaipuria said that he was not in negotiations with the company though adding that if the valuation is "right" then the possibility could not be ruled out.

Apart from being the Pepsi bottler, the RK Jaipuria Group is a franchisee for Pizza Hut, the local partner for French dairy major Candia and has interests in the hotel industry as well.

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