InBev threatens to get hostile
Stella Artois parent InBev is warning Anheuser-Busch that it could get hostile. Stephen Beard reports InBev is prepared to make an appeal directly to shareholders, some who are receptive to the company's bid.
A glass of Stella Artois (Mark Renders/Getty Image)
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TEXT OF STORY
Renita Jablonski: Here is the latest installment of beer wars. InBev, the giant Belgian brewer, has stepped up the rhetoric in its bid for giant U.S. brewer Anheuser-Busch. Stella's parent is telling Bud watch out, or it's going hostile. Stephen Beard has the latest.
Stephen Beard: InBev says it would prefer what it calls "a friendly combination." But if the St.Louis-based brewer continues to reject the bid, then InBev will pursue every avenue to win control. That means a direct appeal to Anheuser-Busch's shareholders.
Some of them are clearly receptive to InBev's $46.3 billion offer. Two shareholders groups have now filed lawsuits against the A-B board. One of them, filed last Friday, accuses the board of unfairly rejecting the bid. It claims the board is failing in its duty to look after the interest of its shareholders.
InBev's offer of $65 a share is 35 percent higher than the share price before the bid.
In London, this is Stephen Beard for Marketplace.
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