A Pepsi With Your Imperial
Brewing giant SABMiller says it has completed the sale of its Pepsi franchise in Costa Rica.

SABMiller, which has a strong focus on emerging markets, had acquired the Pepsi bottling operations as part of its Latin American expansion back in October 2005, the group said in a company statement Monday.

The Pepsi bottling operations in Costa Rica have been sold to Cerveceria Costa Rica, a subsidiary of Florida Ice and Farm Company, SABMiller explained.

Cerveceria Costa Rica is the brewer of the Imperial beer brand, as well as Pilsen, Bavaria, Rock Ice and under license, the Heineken brand.

Earlier this month the brewing giant reported good revenue growth in all its geographical areas, including South America, which benefited from good economic conditions and improved market shares.

However the group did warn that profitability was hit by "significantly" higher raw material and packaging costs, said the group.