InBev

InBev was created in 2004 from the merger of the Belgian company Interbrew and the Brazilian company AmBev.{{cite journal| url=http://www.beveragedaily.com/news/ng.asp?id=50355-interbrew-buys-ambev| title=Interbrew buys AmBev and becomes world number one| journal=Beverage Daily| date=March 3, 2004}} Before the merger with Ambev, Interbrew was the third largest brewing company in the world by volume; Anheuser-Busch was the largest, followed by SABMiller in second place. Heineken International was in fourth place and AmBev was the world's fifth largest brewer.

Interbrew's roots can be traced back to 1366 in Den Horen in Leuven when Brouwerij Artois was founded. Starting as early as the 1960s, the Artois brewery acquired several local breweries and hence consolidated its position in Belgium, until they expanded internationally by acquiring two Dutch breweries, Dommelsch in 1968 and Hengelo Bier in 1974. Finally in 1987, Artois and the Walloon-based brewer Piedboeuf, came together to form Interbrew.{{cite web| title=A Brief History of Anheuser-Busch InBev| url=http://www.ab-inbev.com/content/dam/universaltemplate/abinbev/pdf/media/press-kit/2014/AB%20InBev%20Company%20Profile%20-%202015.pdf| publisher=AB-InBev| access-date=2016-02-04}}

The move onto the global scene only happened when Interbrew acquired the Canadian beer brand Labatt. The transaction also included Labatt's sports-related assets, namely the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club, the Toronto Argonauts football club, and The Sports Network. At the time, Labatt was not much smaller than Interbrew, and since then the company has been considered a multinational with both Canadian and Belgian roots.

Some important Interbrew brands are Stella Artois, Boddingtons, Beck's, Staropramen, Jupiler, Leffe, Labatt, Hoegaarden and Bass.

In December 2001 Interbrew, Danone (former owner of Kronenbourg, and two other smaller brewers) were fined €91m for operating a cartel in Belgium while four Luxembourg companies were fined €448,000 the same month.{{cite news| first=David| last=Gow| title=Heineken and Grolsch fined for price-fixing| date=April 18, 2007| url=http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2059542,00.html| work=The Guardian| access-date=2007-08-01| location=London}}

AmBev is a Brazilian beer company formed by a merger in 1999 between the Brahma and Antarctica breweries. It has a dominant position in South America.{{cite web| url=http://www.ambev.com.br/| title=Ambev – Juntos por um mundo melhor| publisher=Ambev| language=pt| trans-title=Ambev - Together for a Better World| access-date=2016-02-04| archive-date=2010-04-22| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100422013048/http://www.ambev.com.br/| url-status=dead}}{{cite news| url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1999-07-03/business/9907030123_1_cervejaria-brahma-ambev-antarctica-president| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301152000/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1999-07-03/business/9907030123_1_cervejaria-brahma-ambev-antarctica-president| url-status=dead| archive-date=March 1, 2017| work=Sun-Sentinel| location=Orlando| title=Beer Makers' Merger Ends 100-year Battle| date=July 3, 1999| agency=Bloomberg News| access-date=2016-02-04}}

InBev announced in 2005 and confirmed in 2006 that it would move the brewing of Hoegaarden, whose brewery it determined was obsolete, to the Piedboeuf brewery in Jupille. This resulted in huge protests and great disappointment in the town of Hoegaarden. The beer, though, is made with a very special yeast that is difficult to cultivate and keep alive. The Jupille-based brewery proved incapable of attaining desired levels of quality and InBev's sole alternative was to bring production back to the original Hoegaarden-brewery, causing great sarcasm in the media that, by that time, had become openly hostile towards the beer-giant.{{cite web| url=http://www.beer-pages.com/protz/features/celis.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613163439/http://www.beer-pages.com/protz/features/celis.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=2006-06-13| title=Pierre Celis, Maestro of White Beer| work=beer-pages.com| first=Roger| last=Protz| date=June 2005}} In September 2007 however, the company announced that brewing would continue at the Hoegaarden Brewery in Hoegaarden.

On 12 June 2008 InBev announced that it made a US$46 billion offer for the brewing firm Anheuser-Busch.{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/business/worldbusiness/12beer.html| title=Brewer Bids $46 Billion for Anheuser-Busch| work=The New York Times| last1=Sorkin| first1=Andrew Ross| last2=de la Merced| first2=Michael| date=June 12, 2008| access-date=2016-02-04}} This merger joined two of the world's four largest brewing companies (based on revenue) and created a company that brews three of the top beers in the world – Bud Light, Budweiser and Skol. InBev also stated that the merger would not result in any U.S. brewery closures and it would also attempt to keep management and board members from both companies.{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/inbev-idUSL206921520080620| title=InBev: U.S. Anheuser Breweries to Stay After Merger| publisher=Reuters| date=June 20, 2008| access-date=2008-06-20}}

On Sunday 13 July 2008 Anheuser-Busch announced that it had agreed to an acquisition by InBev valued at about US$52 billion in cash, or $70 per share.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/business/worldbusiness/14beer.html| title=Anheuser-Busch Agrees to be Sold to InBev| first=Michael J.| last=de la Merced| work=The New York Times| date=July 13, 2008| access-date=2008-07-13}} As a condition, InBev will be renamed Anheuser-Busch InBev and Anheuser-Busch would retain two seats on the board of directors.{{cite news| last=Leonard| first=Christopher| url=http://www.philly.com/philly/business/jobs/industries/retail/20080714_Anheuser-Busch_agrees_to_sale.html| title=Anheuser-Busch agrees to sale| work=The Philadelphia Inquirer| date=July 14, 2008| agency=Associated Press| access-date=2016-02-04}}

On 10 October 2016 an over $100 billion merger between Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) and SABMiller closed. The new company is trading as NewbelcoSABMiller.{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/taranurin/2016/10/10/its-final-ab-inbev-closes-on-deal-to-buy-sabmiller/#2e5f846437d6 |title=It's Final: AB InBev Closes On Deal To Buy SABMiller |last=Nurin |first=Tara |date=October 10, 2016 |work=Forbes |access-date=January 28, 2017}}

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV is trading on the Brussels Stock Exchange as ABI.BR and as BUD on the New York stock exchange.{{cite web |url=http://uk.reuters.com/business/quotes/overview?symbol=ABI.BR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924170421/http://uk.reuters.com/business/quotes/overview?symbol=ABI.BR |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |title=Stocks – Anheuser Busch Inbev NV (ABI.BR) |author= |date=January 27, 2017 |website=Reuters Business |publisher=Thomson Reuters |access-date=February 1, 2017 |quote=ABI.BR on Brussels Stock Exchange}}{{cite news|title=AB InBev, SABMiller clink glasses for £69-b deal|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-news/ab-inbev-sabmiller-clink-glasses-for-69b-deal/article7758570.ece|work=Business Line}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/sabmiller-ab-inbev-shareholders-approve-100-billion-plus-merger-1475059015|title=SABMiller, AB InBev Shareholders Approve $100 Billion-Plus Merger|last=Mickle|first=Tripp|date=28 September 2016|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|issn=0099-9660|access-date=29 September 2016}}

Brazilian Carlos Brito is the current chief executive officer. Brito replaced John Brock at the end of 2005.{{cite news |url=http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_contoent_id=1001771320 |title=InBev Names Brazilian Brito as New CEO |access-date=2016-02-04 |work=Latin American Herald Tribune |date=December 28, 2005 |agency=Associated Press}} InBev's current Board of Directors include María Asunción Aramburuzabala, Martin J Barrington, Alex Behring, Michèle Burns, Paul Cornet de Ways Ruart, Stéfan Descheemaeker, Grégoire de Spoelberch, William F. Gifford, Olivier Goudet, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Elio Leoni Sceti, Alejandro Santo Domingo,

Carlos Alberto da Veiga Sicupira, Marcel Herrmann Telles (Chairman), Alexandre Vandamme.

InBev is a global company which divides operations into five zones – North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, and Asia Pacific. In addition there is a Global Exports/Licenses section which comes under the responsibility of the central international department.{{cite web| title=2010 Annual Report: Guide to Our Business| publisher=AB-Inbev| url=http://www.ab-inbev.com/content/dam/universaltemplate/abinbev/pdf/investors/faqs/AB_InBev_AR10_GuideToBusiness.pdf| access-date=2016-02-04}}

The Western Europe zone has 16 brewing plants producing 36.1 million hectolitres. The trading companies are InBev Belgium, InBev France, Brasserie de Luxembourg Mousel-Diekirch SA, InBev Nederland, InBev UK, InBev Germany and InBev Italia. InBev's operations in the UK began in 2000 when Interbrew acquired Tennent Caledonian Breweries and Whitbread PLC. The Western Europe Zone President is Alain Beyens. InBev UK holds the number-three market position in the UK with a 16.9% market share. In 2014, it produced 8.6 million hectolitres of beer at three breweries – Magor in Wales, Samlesbury in England, and Stag in Mortlake, London.{{cite web| url=http://www.ab-inbev.com/content/dam/universaltemplate/abinbev/pdf/about/country-information/UK_2015.pdf |title=Country Information: United Kingdom| publisher=AB Inbev| date=April 2015 |access-date=2016-02-04}} In August 2009, AB Inbev announced that Irish drinks company C&C had agreed to purchase Tennents for £180m, a deal which included the Wellpark brewery.{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/tennents-snapped-up-by-magners-owner-1777877.html| work=The Independent| location=London| title=Tennent's snapped up by Magners' owner| first=Graeme| last=Evans| date=August 27, 2009| agency=Press Association| access-date=2016-02-04}}

AB Inbev operates seven breweries in Canada {{cite web| title=Anheuser-Busch InBev in Canada key facts & figures| url=http://www.ab-inbev.com/content/dam/universaltemplate/abinbev/pdf/about/country-information/Canada_2015.pdf| publisher=AB Inbev| date=April 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723234837/http://www.ab-inbev.com/content/dam/universaltemplate/abinbev/pdf/about/country-information/Canada_2015.pdf| archive-date=2015-07-23}} [http://www.inbev.com/pdf/factsheets/USA2008.pdf Alt url] as well as 12 in the United States.{{cite web| title=Anheuser-Busch InBev United States breweries and tours| url=http://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/breweries-and-tours.html| publisher=AB Inbev| date=2016}}

Production was 131.1 million hectolitres in 2007.

{{Main|AB InBev brands}}

InBev has approx 400 beer brands produced and sold throughout the world. The flagship brands are Stella Artois, Brahma, Beck's, Corona, and Leffe.{{cite web| url=http://www.ab-inbev.com/media/annual-report.html| title=Annual Report 2014| publisher=AB-Inbev| date=February 26, 2015| access-date=September 2, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906171141/http://www.ab-inbev.com/media/annual-report.html| archive-date=September 6, 2015| url-status=dead}}

{{Portal|Companies}}

• Anheuser-Busch
• InBev-Baillet Latour Fund
• Paul De Keersmaeker
• Alexandre Vandamme

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|title=Interbrew SA and Bass PLC: A Report on the Acquisition by Interbrew SA of the Brewing Interests of Bass PLC|work= Competition Commission, Stationery Office Books (4 Jan 2001)|isbn= 0-10-150142-0|year= 2001|publisher= Stationery Office}}
• [https://www.justice.gov/atr/cases/inbev.htm justice.gov]

{{Anheuser–Busch InBev}}

{{Toronto Blue Jays owners}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inbev}}

*

Category:Companies based in Leuven

Category:AB InBev

Category:Toronto Blue Jays owners

Category:Food and drink companies established in 2004

Category:2004 establishments in Belgium