Anheuser Busch Bought by InBev

Quote: "LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Anheuser-Busch Cos. recommended a $52 billion takeover bid by InBev, a deal that will create the world's largest beer maker and transfer ownership of the legendary U.S. company to the Belgian-Brazilian giant.

The new company, to be called Anheuser-Busch InBev, would have had net sales of about $36.4 billion in 2007. Anheuser-Busch and InBev sell about 300 brands, including Anheuser's Budweiser and Bud Light and InBev's Stella Artois and Beck's.

Both boards have approved the terms and InBev has arranged financing for the deal, they said.

St. Louis will be North American headquarters for the new company, while InBev Chief Executive Carlos Brito will take the top post at the combined company.

The new board will include InBev's current directors plus Anheuser-Busch President and CEO August Busch IV and one other current or former Anheuser-Busch director, they said.

The deal, announced by the companies in a statement late on Sunday, marks the probable end of what many expected to be a prolonged takeover drama.

The companies said they expect the deal to generate cost synergies of $1.5 billion a year annually by 2011. The move should be neutral to earnings in 2009 and add to profit in 2010.

But InBev and Anheuser don't overlap much across the globe, so cost cuts from combining staffing and brewing operations may be harder to achieve than in other major beer-industry deals.

Anheuser and its predecessor companies have been led by members of the Anheuser or Busch families for most of the past 156 years.

In Brussels trade, InBev shares climbed 3.4%, extending an advance made Friday when news of the improved offer leaked out.

In light trade in Frankfurt, Anheuser-Busch shares moved further toward the $70 mark, rising to $67.62. ..."

Isn't that amazing! Over the last week, I have been listening to the news, and the wonder was whether or not they were going to get aken over.

In fact, it was my understanding that AB, had issued a law suit to try to stop the take over...

I wonder how that is going to affect the image of Budweiser, afterall, they were made in the US and they built their brand on the made in America image.

Now that Bud is owned by a European Company, what about the clydesdales? and all the St louis stuff?

Seems like the global economy is really taking hold of things now... The question is, how is it going to change the US?

We are or were the worlds largest and most power ful country... but we are now in recession, our dollar is weak, our countries finances are poor, and our growth is slowed...

Is it time for another to take over as the Worlds most powerful...China? India?