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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Will Budweiser commercials be in French with Bossa Nova background music?

2008-06-12

Will the Clydesdales be replaced by Belgian Draft Horses?
Belgian-Brazilian brewing giant InBev wooed Anheuser-Busch on Thursday, vowing to respect its St. Louis heritage and not close any US breweries if it accepts a 46-billion-dollar (30-billion-euro) takeover bid. InBev, which already owns leading brands such as Stella Artois, Beck's, Leffe and Brahma, offered 65 dollars a share for Anheuser-Busch on Wednesday, seeking to build an unrivalled global brewer.

Even though the St. Louis, Missouri-based company said it would "review the merits" of the takeover, InBev faces stiff opposition from local politicians and beer lovers, who were quick to attack the takeover.

Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC

#6 They'd have a hard time making it worse than it already is.

Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-06-12 20:08

#5 "We see the potential to take the Budweiser brand and develop it across our footprint"

Yeah, right. I don't drink beer, but I used to live in Western Europe. The EUros drinking Bud (as a beer, anyway) would be right up there alongside "cold day in hades."

"vowing to respect its St. Louis heritage and not close any US breweries for at least a month after the takeover"

There - fixed.

Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-06-12 19:45

#4 Oh great, another Muslim bombing target announced.

Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-06-12 19:23

#3 I'm afraid Belgian draft hoses and Clydesdales would be much too "masculine" for the new French masters of Budweiser.

I mean, big, powerful symbols of American male masculinity? C'mon, that soooo 20th Century. The new French Budweiser must have a modern, neo-21st Century, metrosexual mascot as it's new symbol.

Perhaps the French Foreign Minister Vische Schwaz or whatever his name was is available?

Posted by: FOTSGreg 2008-06-12 18:58

#2 link to quote
Yet another beer deal

SABMiller, the worldï¿½s largest brewing company (unless and until InBev manages to buy Anheuser-Busch), announced it would buy Russian brewer Vladpivo, located in Russiaï¿½s growing Far East in Vladivostok. Itï¿½s not much of a deal money-wise (the price is undisclosed, the assets of the company seem to be under $70 million). The deal will be SABMillerï¿½s third location in Russia, where SABMiller is the leader (with Russian brands like Zolotaya Bochka, Tri Bogatiria, and Moi Kaluga). After Carlsberg bought up control of the Russian Baltic brand, SABMiller management may have felt it had to get even bigger in Russia.

Meanwhile, the company is rolling out its Grolsch beer brand, purchased last year, in South Africa. It has also been spreading key brands like Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell, Miller Genuine Draft, and even Italyï¿½s Peroni Nostro Azzuro across the globe as "premium" brands. In a world where it would seem that beer was at a saturation point, SABMiller saw an 11% growth in profits over the last year.

Posted by: 3dc 2008-06-12 16:44

#1 Great! Forget his Bud-sponsored Dodge; now Kasey Kahne will be driving a Citoren at Michigan International Speedway.

Posted by: USN, Ret. 2008-06-12 15:25

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