LQU Quilmes Ind Quinsa

LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Quilmes Industrial (Quinsa) S.A. (NYSE:LQU) ("Quinsa" or the "Company") announced today that its Board of Directors has authorized the purchase of the Company's own shares, including its American Depositary Shares ("ADS"), each of which represent two Class B shares. Specifically, the board authorized the expenditure of up to US$ 50 million to make market purchases of its own shares, as, when and if market conditions are appropriate. Assuming that 20 Class A shares are equivalent to one ADS, and based on the market price of Quinsa's ADSs on October 11, 2005, the new program authorized by the board would allow Quinsa to purchase up to approximately 3.0% of Quinsa's outstanding shares (calculated net of treasury stock). The actual number of shares purchased by Quinsa will depend on the prices at which the purchases are made. Quinsa's capital stock (net of treasury stock) currently consists of 48,094,292 Class B Shares and 624,453,850 Class A Shares. Quinsa's management stated that the additional repurchase program is a result of the board's intention to acquire shares at prices that represent an attractive investment for the company and its shareholders. ABOUT QUINSA Quinsa is a Luxembourg-based holding company that controls 92.95 percent of Quilmes International (Bermuda) ("QIB"). The remaining 7.05 percent stake is held by Companhia de Bebidas das Americas -- AmBev ("AmBev"). Quinsa, through QIB, controls beverage and malting businesses in five Latin American countries. Its beer brands are strong market leaders in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay and have a presence in Chile. Further, pursuant to the Company's strategic alliance with AmBev, it has entered into license and distribution agreements to produce and sell the AmBev brands in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. Similarly, under the agreements, AmBev may produce and distribute Quinsa's brands in Brazil. The Company also has bottling and franchise agreements with PepsiCo, and thus accounts for 100% of PepsiCo beverage sales in Uruguay and more than 80% of PepsiCo beverage sales in Argentina. Quinsa's Class A and Class B shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (Reuters codes: QUIN.LU and QUINp.LU). Quinsa's American Depository Shares, representing the Company's Class B shares, are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:LQU). Quinsa's web address: http://www.quinsa.com/ CONTACT: Francis Cressall Quilmes Industrial (Quinsa) S.A. +011-5411-4349-1846 DATASOURCE: Quilmes Industrial (Quinsa) S.A. CONTACT: Francis Cressall, Quilmes Industrial (Quinsa) S.A., +011-+5411-4349-1846 Web site: http://www.quinsa.com/

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