Inbev mounts $46bn bid for Budweiser owner

By Marketing Week 12 Jun 2008 12:59 pm

Inbev, the brewer that owns Stella Artois, has made an unsolicited offer for rival Anheuser-Busch. The company, which owns Budweiser, says the deal is valued it at $46bn (£23bn).

Anheuser says that it is will “review the merits” of a potential deal and will pursue the best course of action for its shareholders. The new sent its share price up by 9% on Thursday.

If the deal went ahead, InBev, the Brazilian-Belgian brewer, says that it would make St Louis the headquarters for the merged company and would focus on Budweiser as its flagship brand.

The takeover is expected to face resistance in the US over job loss offers at Budweiser. In addition to core brands including Budweiser and Bud Light, the brewer also owns half of Mexican brewer Modelo and a 27% stake in China’s Tsingtao Brewery.