Corporate & Securities Law

Beer Merger

By David Fischer

Long time readers know that if there is one thing we at Antitrust Review like more than antitrust, it is beer.  Today, the two came together.  And yes, we will party like it is 1999 tonight.

The AP (via the Washington Post) reports:

The Justice Department approved a $52 billion beer buzz Friday, allowing Belgian-based InBev SA to buy out Anheuser-Busch and create the world’s largest brewer.

But InBev’s buzz comes with a slight hiccup: it must sell subsidiary Labatt USA before regulators let the merger go through.

That’s because Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. brews Budweiser and Bud Light compete directly with Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light in upstate New York. Without the sell-off condition, the Justice Department said beer prices would increase in metropolitan Buffalo, Rochester, N.Y., and Syracuse, N.Y.

DOJ has also issued a press release.

Full post as published by Antitrust Review on November 14, 2008 (boomark / email).