East African Breweries Limited has officially changed its name to East African Breweries PLC. This name change took effect from 1st October 2021. The company was issued with a certificate of change of name by Registrar of Companies.
The name change was approved by the company’s shareholders at an Annual General Meeting on 14th September. The name change will however not affect the EABL trading name that the company has been using. The company has also assured its customers, partners and other stakeholders that the name change will not affect any contractual relationships that existed before the name change.
The change was necessitated by the requirements of the Companies Act, 2015 which required public companies to be known as Public Limited Companies (PLCs) and to be registered as such. It follows in the footsteps of Safaricom which changed its name from Safaricom Limited to Safaricom PLC.
The company has issued a Ksh. 11 billion corporate bond to provide working capital for the business across East Africa and to refinance short term loans. The bond will be for a period of 5 years and the first tranche is available from 6th October 2021 and will close on 21st October 2021.
EABL is a Kenyan manufacturer of beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages. The group’s headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya, with subsidiaries in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan. The company has distribution partners in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. It’s products include Tusker Lager, WhiteCap Lager, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Senator Lager, Serengeti Lager, Johnny Walker, Tusker Malt Lager, Uganda Waragi, Pilsner Lager among others.