June 12: InBev chief executive Carlos Brito yesterday wrote to August Busch IV, who heads up the US’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch, inviting him to urgent talks to discuss a takeover bid that would create a global brewer almost twice as big as its nearest competitor.
And as if to sweeten the offer, Brito said that Budweiser would be the group’s leading global brand and that the name of the new company would reflect the Anheuser-Busch traditions.
It followed secret but inconclusive talks last year and recent leaks that Inbev had been talking to banks to raise the necessary $46 billion for the deal.
The not-unexpected offer from InBev is for $65 (€41.77) per share in cash, which values Anheuser-Busch at about $46.9 billion (€30.39bn).
