UK-listed brewer and pub operator, Cains Beer Company, has already received interest from more than a dozen potential bidders after having fallen into administration last week.
PricewaterhouseCoopers are acting as administrators for the company which is still operational. The Liverpool brewer went into administration after running into cash flow difficulties following the introduction of last year's smoking ban and rises in commodity costs.
It has been suggested that Marston's are very likely to make a bid. It currently runs four breweries - Ringwood brewery in Hampshire, Marston's Brewery at Burton on Trent, Jennings Brewery at Cockermouth in the Lake District and Banks' Brewery in Wolverhampton.
Cains has 100 pubs, which include 26 freehold and 76 leasehold sites, and a brewery which produces beers such as Asda's own-label Pilsner. The brewery has been running since the mid-19th century.
The Robert Cain & Co. brewery was acquired by the brothers Sudarghara and Ajmail Dusanj in a £37m reverse takeover in 2002, with the intention of returning it to its former glory after years of low investment.
Cains has won a number of awards for its ales, including the World's Best Fruit Beer in the World Beer Awards 2007.
