RSSIs it Possible … The King of Beers Budweiser … to be Owned by Belgian Brewer? $46B Bid by InBev
Stella, say it isn’t so … Budweiser, The King of Beers, the nation’s biggest 
brewery to be sold to a foreign brewer, InBev? It may not get any more un-American than that. A piece of Americana, Anheuser-Busch Cos, may be sold off to a Belgian brewer for $46 billion. Some times one cannot put a price tag on branding that is synonymous with American culture. Spuds MacKenzie just rolled over in his grave after reading these headlines.
ST. LOUIS — Anheuser-Busch Cos., the nation’s biggest brewery, received a $46 billion buyout offer Wednesday from a Belgian brewer that might be too good to refuse.
The maker of Budweiser beer disclosed late Wednesday that InBev SA, whose brands include Beck’s and Stella Artois, delivered an unsolicited all-cash bid of $65 a share. It’s unclear whether senior Anheuser-Busch executives think the deal makes sense, but shareholders may be drawn to the offer that represents a sizable premium over the company’s closing price of $58.35 Wednesday.
If the deal goes through, it would create the world’s largest beer company and mark just the latest phase of consolidation in a global brewing industry that is facing rising ingredient costs and stale demand in the United States.
Opposition to the takeover has already begun. Anheuser-Busch executives better take a real close look at this unsolicited offer as this is not your ordinary “captains of industry” board room deal. Budweiser has become an iconic brand in the United States because it in part is directly tied to the United States.
Opposition to a potential takeover has already been fierce in Anheuser-Busch’s hometown of St. Louis, and elsewhere in the U.S. The brewer employs 6,000 people in St. Louis, and many workers are worried InBev would cut jobs as the companies consolidate.
Web sites have sprung up opposing the deal on patriotic grounds, arguing that such an iconic U.S. firm shouldn’t be handed over to foreign ownership. Republican Gov. Matt Blunt said Wednesday he opposes the deal, and directed the Missouri Department of Economic Development to see if there was a way to stop it.
“I am strongly opposed to the sale of Anheuser-Busch, and today’s offer to purchase the company is deeply troubling to me,” Blunt said in a statement.
Massive cuts could be on tap if InBev buys Busch; Cost-slicing Belgian firm makes $46.3 billion offer
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4 Responses to “Is it Possible … The King of Beers Budweiser … to be Owned by Belgian Brewer? $46B Bid by InBev”
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Good riddance. Maybe they will convert the brand to Belgian ale. Beer is America’s national disgrace, and Budweiser is pure swill. How can Mexico turn out a dozen great labels, and we can only get a few decent brands out of the Pacific Northwest? If American beer was worth a damn, the microbrewery craze would never have gotten off the ground.
Something to think about … the media have been screaming about the fear that the fall of the dollar might induce the other countries, such as China, which have massive holdings of the greenback to dump them. This would devastate the Treasury bond market, among other problems.
But if these countries take the “long” view … might they take advantage of the dollar’s fall to buy up more stocks, which from the foreign perspective must be going for a song now?
Budweiser isn’t really a national security issue … but ownership of some companies could be. There are, as always, good and bad points, but the future looks rocky.
why don’t we just sell the united states to the highest bidder and be done with it ?
Well said le. Why even bother pretending. Soon nothing will be “Made in America” anymore!!!! So why call it America, why not call it, “Sold to the highest bidder, for the cheapest outcome”?