Dutch brewery Heineken has rejected a takeover offer from its larger rival SABMiller, with the founding family vowing to keep it “an independent company".

The Heineken family owns just over 50% of the brewer via the company Heineken Holding. SABMiller is the second-largest beer maker in the world, selling about 21 billion litres of lager worldwide.

Meanwhile, Heineken holds third place based on volume, with Anheuser-Busch InBev the world’s largest brewer.

SABMiller's beer brands include Miller Genuine Draft, Grolsch and Peroni Nastro Azzurro. The company also produces soft drinks, and it is one of the world's largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products.