America, the only land where you can one week tell the country you will not under any circumstances sell, and then the next week, having held out for more money, DO IT! Who am I kidding this is just corporate economics at its finest! To the makers of Budweiser I say take down the commercials where you stake the reputation of your brand on heritage, tradition, and family ownership.
The AP reports:
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The maker of the King of Beers has agreed to go to work for the Belgian brewer InBev SA. Anheuser Busch Cos. said early Monday it had agreed to a sweetened $52 billion takeover bid from InBev, creating the world's largest brewer and heading off what was shaping up as an acrimonious fight for the maker of Budweiser and Bud Light beers. The deal, which would also create the third-largest consumer product company, will be called Anheuser-Busch InBev. The Anheuser-Busch board accepted the higher takeover offer Sunday night from Belgian-based brewer InBev SA, according to a joint press release. "I think we're going to bring the best of both companies into one company, our footprint with their amazing brands," InBev CEO Carlos Brito said in a video posted on InBev's Web site. For InBev, the maker of Stella Artois and Beck's, the deal gives an aggressive company an iconic beer brand _ Budweiser _ to sell into emerging markets such as China and Brazil where it has already established a firm footprint.
Read the full article here: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/14/business/EU-Belgium-Anheuser-Busch-InBev.php There you'll find more morsels of "American Economic Ethics" such as this promise from the new owners:
InBev said it plans to use St. Louis as its North American headquarters, and that it will keep open all 12 of Anheuser-Busch's North American breweries.
A corporation's sole concern is its bottom line. Never let them tell you differently.