Anheuser-Busch sold
- Thread starter coolbeers
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The basic factor for this deal is the worthless value of the U.S. dollar. InBev, first and foremost, wants to remove a competitor from the marketplace. How they "merge" operations remains to be seen. I doubt Teamsters are going to be so gungho to strike given the overall miserable condition of the U.S. economy. As with what we're seeing with Big Auto and Big Airlines...Unions already are making concessions to "help keep costs inline" but the OVERALL market climate is so poor that basic cost cutting doesn't do much, like it did in a healthy economy.
The story that isn't getting any play is the Busch Family. They clearly don't see a U.S. recovery anytime soon...and are cashing out while they can, before the dollar sinks even further...:eek::dunno:
The story that isn't getting any play is the Busch Family. They clearly don't see a U.S. recovery anytime soon...and are cashing out while they can, before the dollar sinks even further...:eek::dunno:
Actually..given the state of their economies and the "happiness" of European people--given their superior culture and healthcare--we can only HOPE that we adopt more EU solutions to problems....starting with Healthcare!!
Why do so many Americans moan when an American company is bought by foreigners but they utter nary a peep when American companies buy foreign ones?
That's what I'm wondering. I think it could be a good thing. Maybe the beers will become better.
..... I think I can answer that for you.....It's called Pride. Americans are rooted in the firm recognition that we are the superiors in everything that is made , bought , sold , created , manufactured and fought for.....I am a proud American but we can see we are losing our foothold over several things that we adhere to .....If we ever become part of another country though, I'd hate to think it would the European Union but more like CHINA to which we are heavily in debt to.
Healthy companies BUY whereas weak companies get bought. When a company gets bought, it's basically a public admission of failure and weakness (even if it's great for the stakeholders of that company.) Buying companies are free to close operations, sell off assets and displace workers....those things usually ruin American towns..:dunno: Americans usually feel more sympathy for fellow Americans as opposed to when those things happen to "foreigners"...
What you should be asking is: Can we stomach "Globalization" if it could mean the end of the things that make America unique? A-B made shitty beer but the beer wasn't always "cheap and shitty" back in the early days. 120 years of American tradition has vanished, basically...
Beat me to it.
Bullfeathers. The weak dollar is the reason this happened.
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The funny things is, the deal was for $52b, but InBev really only payed $20b because the Euro is so strong.
Go figure!
Go figure!
Let me make one thing clear. The Busch family did not cash out or want this deal to go through. They tried everything they could to stop it. August the 4th is heartbroken and old Gussie is spinning in his grave. They couldn't stop it though. At $65 a share, they can argue that their own cost cutting measures would get the share to a price >$65. Their estimates would put the share price between $71-$72. When Inbev offered $70 a share, they could not turn it down. They have no plan in place to get the share price higher, their plan involves execution risk, and their theoretical stock price is in the future while Inbev's offer is now. If they had turned it down like they would have liked to, they would have been crucified by the money managers and financial markets and then been ousted from the board, putting Inbev in the same position.
As far as not liking their beer, well 1 out of every 2 beers drank in this country is a AB product so someone must like it. Not to mention they brew over 100 different labels, many of which you guys probably think are microbrews or foreign brews.
I do own shares and will still be voting against it when I get the proxy. Some things just aren't for sale. For me, AB stands for everything that is right with this country, so needless to say I don't want to see some wafflemakers come buy it. Its not going to be pretty.
As far as not liking their beer, well 1 out of every 2 beers drank in this country is a AB product so someone must like it. Not to mention they brew over 100 different labels, many of which you guys probably think are microbrews or foreign brews.
I do own shares and will still be voting against it when I get the proxy. Some things just aren't for sale. For me, AB stands for everything that is right with this country, so needless to say I don't want to see some wafflemakers come buy it. Its not going to be pretty.
Real microbrew's are not made by A-B...
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11707289
I am not happy about the sale, but if Chrysler can be bought and sold. I guess anyone can...
For a lot of people I don't think it's necessarily that they think the beer will change overnight as much at they don't like the fact that at the rate we are going America or it's people aren't going to even own anything within it.
For myself I think it's becomes a mute point once some corporation becomes a heartless, soulless organization that throws integrity out the window in the chase for not only making a decent profit but doing anything and everything to maximize it as much as possible no matter what, no matter if it's legal, ethical, or moral as long as they can get away with it. After they get so large 99.9% of them get that way. I'm used to it by now. I would be more bothered if some American institution that was decent and had integrity went down or got sold but they don't exist. :dunno:
Stella and Beck's are dreary nondescript mass produced swill both manufactured by InBev (although Beck's uses English ingredients) but as you say they are light years better that Bud and its like.
Perhaps as a result people will actually try drinking BEER instead of this travesty of the word and discover a new world of taste.
Never have, never will... Too many Americans like tasteless hop water...
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