Britain's Scottish & Newcastle PLC has accepted a takeover bid by brewing giants Carlsberg A/S and Heineken NV that will bring the Finnish beverage producer Hartwall under Heineken ownership. Carlsberg and Heineken on Friday offered a cash bid of 7.8 billion pounds (10.5 million euros) to buy and break up Scottish and Newcastle (S&N) to boost the Danish brewer's position in Russia and the Dutch group's presence in western Europe. If the deal goes through, Copenhagen-based Carlsberg would gain sole ownership of Baltic Beverages and S&N's French, Greek and Chinese operations, while Amsterdam-based Heineken would take control of its British, Irish, American, Indian and Finnish operations. This will mean the transfer of Hartwall ownership to Heineken. Hartwall employs around one thousand people and has production in Lahti and Tornio. The massive deal will still require approval by EU competition authorities. Reuters, AP, YLE