SABMiller would be culmination of years of deals for AB Inbev

(Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch InBev has approached rival SABMiller about a takeover that would form a brewing group producing a third of the world's beer.

AB InBev has already grown into the world's biggest brewer through a string of deals and is the owner of brands such as Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Beck's, Leffe and Hoegaarden.

Following is a summary of key events in AB Inbev's growth:

1987

The largest breweries in Belgium, Artois and Piedboeuf, merge to form Interbrew.

1989

Investment firm 3G Capital, founded by billionaires Jorge Paulo Lemann, Carlos Alberto Sicupira and Marcel Telles, buys Companhia Cervejaria Brahma for $50 million (32 million pounds).

 

1995

Interbrew acquires Labatt, largest brewer in Canada.

1999

Brahma takes over Antarctica, Brazil's biggest brewery, to create Ambev.

2004

Interbrew and AmBev combine to form InBev.

2008

InBev merges with Anheuser-Busch.

2013

Anheuser-Busch Inbev buys remaining 50 percent of Modelo for $20.1 billion.

September 2015

Anheuser-Busch InBev approaches SABMiller with proposal that would create merged group with a market value of around $275 billion and would combine AB InBev's dominance of Latin America with SABMiller's dominance in Africa.

(Reporting by Aashika Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by David Holmes)