Sunday, July 13, 2008
SOLD! Bye Bye Busch
It's a done deal. InBev is buying Anheuser-Busch.
Lotsa questions now. Whither the theme parks? What about A-B's corporate philanthropy on behalf of conservation and animal rescue? My guess: Since in Europe the government does the lion's share of philanthropy and looking after the social welfare, Busch's commitment to the environment will seem quaint and expendable to the new owners.
And what about A-B's patriotic efforts to salute and support our troops? Will InBev see this as fat just waiting to be cut out of the budget? God, I hope not.
UPDATE: The new company will be called Anheuser Busch InBev, so the Busch name will survive.
Lotsa questions now. Whither the theme parks? What about A-B's corporate philanthropy on behalf of conservation and animal rescue? My guess: Since in Europe the government does the lion's share of philanthropy and looking after the social welfare, Busch's commitment to the environment will seem quaint and expendable to the new owners.
And what about A-B's patriotic efforts to salute and support our troops? Will InBev see this as fat just waiting to be cut out of the budget? God, I hope not.
UPDATE: The new company will be called Anheuser Busch InBev, so the Busch name will survive.
Labels: anheuser busch seaworld orlando, inbev, philanthropy
Friday, June 20, 2008
Buffett Backing InBev Bid?
There's a report that Warren Buffett, Anheuser-Busch's biggest shareholder, is looking kindly on the InBev offer for the company.
Could be just a rumor, but the "business logic" of the deal is looking more and more inevitable to me.
Of course, there's nothing to say that InBev would "sell the theme parks for parts," as a friend of mine put it, but that seems to be the pattern in this sort of deal.
Warren Buffett, the world's richest man and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., plans to tell Anheuser-Busch Cos. chief August Busch IV that he supports Belgian brewer InBev's proposed $46.3 billion takeover offer of the Budweiser brewer, according to an article Belgian newspaper De Standard posted on its Web site Tuesday.
Could be just a rumor, but the "business logic" of the deal is looking more and more inevitable to me.
Of course, there's nothing to say that InBev would "sell the theme parks for parts," as a friend of mine put it, but that seems to be the pattern in this sort of deal.
Labels: anheuser bush, inbev
