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St. Louis Business & Technology News
"When you think Saint Louis, think Saint Louis Front Page," a weekly publication covering the news and events in the greater St. Louis area. 
How To Reach Us:St. Louis Front Page P.O. Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com |
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BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (SLFP.com), June 11, 2008 - InBev (Euronext: INB) today announced that it has made a proposal to the Board of Directors of Anheuser-Busch, Inc. (NYSE: BUD) to combine the two companies, forming the world's leading global brewer. The proposal to acquire all outstanding common shares of Anheuser-Busch for $65 per-share in cash represents an immediate premium of 35% over Anheuser-Busch's 30-day average share price prior to recent market speculation, and an 18% premium over Anheuser-Busch's previous all-time high of $54.97 achieved in October 2002. The combination of Anheuser-Busch and InBev would create the global leader in the beer industry and one of the world's top five consumer products companies. On a pro-forma basis for 2007, the combined company would generate global beer volumes of 460 million hectoliters, net sales of $36.4 billion, and EBITDA of $10.7 billion. InBev believes that this transaction would be in the best interests of both companies' consumers, shareholders, employees, wholesalers, business partners and the communities they serve. The proposal was sent to Anheuser-Busch's Board of Directors on June 11, 2008 indicating that InBev would like to engage in a dialogue with the goal of consummating a friendly combination. As part of its proposal, InBev envisions making St. Louis, MO the headquarters for the North American region and the global home of the flagship Budweiser brand. In addition, InBev has proposed to name the combined company to evoke Anheuser-Busch's heritage, reflecting the strong history of Anheuser-Busch's key brands. InBev would invite a number of Anheuser-Busch's directors to join the board of the combined company and would seek to retain key members of Anheuser-Busch's management team across the organization. Given the limited geographical overlap between the two businesses and the efficiency of Anheuser-Busch's brewery footprint in the United States, InBev would maintain all of Anheuser-Busch's U.S. breweries. The combined company would be geographically diversified, with leading positions in key countries around the world and balanced exposure to developed and developing markets. A combination of Anheuser-Busch and InBev would result in significant growth opportunities from leveraging the companies' combined brand portfolio, including the global flagship Budweiser brand and international market leaders such as Stella Artois and Beck's, maximizing the combination's unparalleled global distribution network, and applying best practices across the new organization. Commenting on the offer in a press release, Carlos Brito, chief executive officer of InBev, said: "We have the highest respect for Anheuser-Busch, its employees and its leadership, who have built the leading brewer in the U.S. and grown the iconic Budweiser brand. Together, we would draw on the collective expertise of both companies' management and employees. We also recognize the great contribution of Anheuser-Busch's wholesalers to the company's success and would work closely with them, under the three-tier system, to create even greater excitement in the marketplace around the brands of both companies. The combination will create a stronger, more competitive, sustainable global company which will benefit all stakeholders." InBev sees significant opportunities to internationalize Anheuser-Busch's key brands and would position Budweiser as the combined company's flagship brand, leveraging InBev's expansive international footprint. InBev has a history of successfully building brands around the world, which would complement the strength of Anheuser-Busch's brand-building in the U.S. The two companies already have a successful U.S. distribution partnership for InBev's European premium import brands including Stella Artois, Beck's and Bass. Anheuser-Busch's world-class sales and distribution system would continue to support the expansion of these brands in the U.S. market. Mr. Brito added, "We view this combination as a natural next step for both companies, who already enjoy successful partnerships in the U.S., Canada and South Korea. In Canada, both InBev and Anheuser-Busch have seen significant benefits from our existing relationship which spans almost 30 years, during which InBev has helped to make Budweiser the number one beer in Canada with average annual volume growth of 7.2% since 1998. We also have great admiration for Anheuser-Busch's strategic partner, Grupo Modelo, and hope to work with them to find new opportunities to accelerate the development of the Grupo Modelo brands outside of North America." InBev has a proven track record of successfully completing and integrating business combinations and creating shareholder value. The company was formed in 2004 through the successful combination of Interbrew and AmBev. As a result of the company's strategy to focus on building brands, InBev has achieved average organic volume growth of 5.6%, average organic revenue growth of 7.8%, and average EBITDA growth of 16.2% over the past three years. Through strong organic revenue growth and operational excellence, InBev generated industry leading EBITDA margins of 34.6% in 2007. Given the highly complementary footprint of the two businesses, synergies would largely be driven by sharing best practices, economies of scale and rationalization of overlapping corporate functions. In light of the limited overlap between the InBev and Anheuser-Busch businesses, InBev believes that the proposed combination should not encounter any significant regulatory issues and expects that the proposed transaction could be completed promptly. InBev has retained Lazard as lead financial advisor, JPMorgan as financial advisor and Sullivan & Cromwell as legal advisor. InBev has received strong support from a group of leading financial institutions, including Banco Santander, Barclays Capital, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Fortis, ING Bank, JPMorgan and Royal Bank of Scotland, which together would be prepared to provide all of the financing required to complete this transaction. The transaction will be financed with at least $40 billion in debt, and a combination of divestitures of non-core assets and equity financing. The company is committed to retaining an investment-grade credit profile. St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. said that its board of directors will evaluate the proposal carefully and in the context of all relevant factors, including Anheuser-Busch's long-term strategic plan. The board will review the merits of the proposal consistent with its fiduciary duties and in consultation with its financial and legal advisers. The board will pursue the course of action that is in the best interests of Anheuser-Busch's stockholders. Anheuser-Busch's board expects to make its determination regarding InBev's proposal in due course.  
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