Cobra bought by owner and rival
Cobra Beer has been bought by a joint venture between Moslon Coors and founder Laran Bilimoria for an undisclosed fee.
The brand has been struggling in recent times with what administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers called “financial difficulties” and announced last November that it was looking for a bidder for the business.
The Indian beer brand was placed into administration Friday (May 29) before being bought by Molson, which will have a 50.1% stake in the entity, and Bilimoria, whose investment vehicle will own 49.9%.
The beer brand had stepped up its marketing activity in the last year to push its move into the on-trade and to broaden awareness of the brand.
An outdoor, press, cinema and online campaign launched last year while Cobra also signed to sponsor programming on the male lifestyle TV channel Dave.
Despite difficulties, the campaign appears to have been a success with sales up 20% year on year in a falling UK beer market.
