Anheuser-Busch to consider acquisition by InBev

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Oct 10, 2008 by Reinhardt, Eric

Shareholders of Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. (NYSE: BUD) will vote soon on InBev's (Euronext: INB) planned acquisition of the company.

Anheuser-Busch has scheduled a special meeting for the vote on Nov. 12 at the Crowne Plaza Meadowlands Hotel in Secaucus, N.J.

Anheuser-Busch operates a plant that employs 940 people at 2885 Belgium Road in the town of Lysander.

InBev shareholders approved the acquisition of the St. Louis, Mo.-based beer-maker for $70 per share on Sept. 29. The total value of the Anheuser-Busch deal is $9.8 billion.

"This vote demonstrates the confidence our shareholders have in the strategic and financial benefits of the combination with Anheuser-Busch. We are very pleased to complete this important milestone and we remain on track to close the transaction by the end of the year," Carlos Brito, CEO of InBev, said in a statement.

The companies plan to keep all U.S. breweries open, according to a statement they released after announcing the deal in July. InBev is based in Leuven, Belgium.

The joint statement said: "Given the limited geographical overlap between the two businesses and the efficiency of Anheuser-Busch's brewery footprint in the United States, all of Anheuser-Busch's breweries will remain open."

InBev will operate as Anheuser-Busch InBev once the deal closes. The two companies have created what they call the world's leading global brewer and one of the world's top-five consumer products companies.

The company will make St. Louis the headquarters for the North American region and the global home of the flagship Budweiser brand. The U.S. market will generate about 40 percent of the company's revenue.

The board also approved the appointment of Anheuser-Busch president and CEO August A. Busch IV as a director of the company, effective on closing.

Brito will also be CEO of the combined company. The board of directors of the combined company will include existing directors of the InBev board, along with August Busch IV and one other current or former director of the Anheuser-Busch board.

The deal is still subject to the approval of Anheuser-Busch shareholders and regulatory clearance in a number of jurisdictions, according to InBev. Anheuser-Busch will become a wholly owned subsidiary of InBev once the transaction is complete.

Budweiser and Bud Light are the biggest selling beers in the world, according to InBev. Budweiser, along with Stella Artois, Beck's, and Bass, will become the combined company's leading global brands.

The two companies already have a U.S. distribution partnership for InBev's European premium import brands, such as Stella Artois, Beck's, and Bass.

Anheuser-Busch gross sales in the second quarter totaled $5.3 billion, up from $5.2 billion a year earlier. The company earned $689 million in the period, up from $677 million in the second quarter of 2007.

Revenue at InBev was relatively flat in the second quarter at about 3.7 billion euros. Before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, the company earned 1.2 billion euros.