Anheuser Busch Companies Company Info

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch InBev <ABI.BR> has walked away from a planned sale of its German beer brand Beck's to U.S. buyout firm Bain Capital, a German magazine reported. Contracts had been ready to sign and Bain had secured financing for the projected 1.7 billion Euro ($2.54 billion) deal, weekly Wirtschaftswoche said on Saturday in an excerpt of an article to be published on Monday, citing financial sources. Nobody at Anheuser-Busch InBev was immediately available for comment. The sale of 13 eastern European breweries for 2.2 billion euros in October eased Anheuser-Busch InBev's debt burden enough for the brewing giant to call off the ... Read Full Story

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's biggest brewer following a merger last year, reported 1.5 billion dollars (one billion euros) in third quarter net profit Thursday, but sales and volumes fell. The company's net profits were more than double the 690 million dollars reported for the same period last year by InBev alone. InBev's takeover of US-based Anheuser Busch last year created the new company. "Third quarter results came in largely as expected: consolidated volumes fell 3.2 percent versus the most difficult comparison of the year," chief financial officer Felipe Dutra said in a statement. "However, we gained or maintained market share in six of our ... Read Full Story

How low can beer makers go? Having conquered the beer-belly set, some of the nation's biggest brewers are trying to win over the six-pack-ab crowd with ultra-low-calorie suds. The question is: Are drinkers willing to sacrifice flavor and a bit of the buzz? And: How long before beer gets turned back into water? Most regular American beers, such as Budweiser, have about 150 calories and 5 percent alcohol, while most light beers contain around 100 calories and 4 percent alcohol. The new brews, MillerCoors' Miller Genuine Draft 64 and Anheuser-Busch InBev's Select 55, are well below that. Their calorie counts are in their names, ... Read Full Story

Anheuser-Busch is buying all the national ads on this week's edition of comedy mainstay "Saturday Night Live" to launch its new brew, Bud Light Golden Wheat. The brewer — part of Anheuser-Busch InBev — and NBC Universal announced the sponsorship deal Thursday. This Saturday's episode will mark the first time in the 35 seasons of "Saturday Night Live" that one advertiser has bought all of the national ads for the show. Both Anheuser-Busch and NBC declined to say what the sponsorship, which includes airing 11 commercials, will cost. The sponsorship will mean an additional 6 to 7 minutes of extra show time, NBC said. ... Read Full Story

Shamu, meet your new parents. Anheuser-Busch InBev said Wednesday it will sell its 10 theme parks across the country, including the three SeaWorlds and two Busch Gardens, to private equity firm Blackstone Group for at least $2.3 billion. The world's largest brewer, based in Belgium, has been shedding assets to help pay for the $52 billion takeover of St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch that formed the company last year. The two sides confirmed the deal Wednesday, saying Blackstone will pay $2.3 billion in cash for Busch Entertainment Corp. and give Anheuser-Busch InBev the right to up to $400 million of Blackstone's initial returns. New York-based Blackstone's ... Read Full Story

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - PepsiCo <PEP.N> and Anheuser-Busch have agreed to jointly purchase goods and services, from computers to travel, in the United States in a move one expert called a first for large companies. While co-ops and other purchasing associations are common among small companies, "this is the first time you've seen two giants do something like this," James Ellis, dean of the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, told Reuters. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, would apply to goods and services not directly related to making the beverages they sell, such as information technology hardware, office supplies, travel and facilities ... Read Full Story

A former executive with Anheuser-Busch who was the brewer's highest-ranking woman is suing the company, claiming it encourages a "frat party" atmosphere and pays women less than men for equal work. Francine Katz, former vice president of communications and consumer affairs for the maker of Budweiser, Bud Light and other beers, filed the lawsuit Monday in state court in St. Louis, Mo. Katz claims she earned far less in salary and bonuses than male executives in similar positions. The company says in a statement that Katz was compensated fairly and it prohibits any form of discrimination. The lawsuit names among others Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, ... Read Full Story