InBev and Anheuser-Busch Reach Agreement for European Import Brands in United States

InBev and Anheuser-Busch Reach Agreement for European Import Brands in United States

December 01, 2006

Anheuser-Busch to Import Beck's, Bass, Stella Artois, Other InBev European Brands

    ST. LOUIS and BRUSSELS, Belgium, Dec. 1
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) will
become the exclusive U.S. importer of a number of InBev's
(Euronext: INB) premium European import brands, including
Stella Artois(R), Beck's(R), Bass Pale Ale(R),
Hoegaarden(R), Leffe(R) and other select InBev brands, the
two brewers announced today.

    Effective February 1, 2007, Anheuser-Busch will import
these premium brands and be responsible for their sales,
promotion and distribution in the United States. These
InBev brands, which had sales volumes of about 1.9 million
hectoliters (or about 1.5 million barrels) in 2005, will be
available to Anheuser-Busch's U.S. wholesaler network where
possible. 

    InBev's Canadian brands, including Labatt Blue(R) and
Labatt Blue Light(R), as well as Brahma(R), are not
included in the agreement. Working closely with Labatt
Breweries of Canada, InBev USA will continue to market and
sell the Labatt and Brahma brands through a separate
distribution network.

    Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

    "This agreement gives us highly-valued brands that
appeal to beer drinkers looking for sophisticated imports in
their beer choices," said August A. Busch IV, president
and chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.
"We live in a world with diverse cultures and
lifestyles, and this provides additional variety for our
consumers. These well-known import brands complement our
company's leading portfolio of American premium beers and
enable our company to better compete. This is consistent
with our stated strategy of enhancing our participation in
the U.S. high-end beer segment."

    "By securing access to Anheuser-Busch's
world-class sales and distribution system, this agreement
will enhance opportunities for U.S. consumers to experience
the unique values of our premium European import brands, and
further accelerate their growth," said Carlos Brito,
CEO, InBev. "This is another step in InBev's mission
to create enduring bonds with our consumers throughout the
world."

    Doug Corbett, president of InBev USA, said: "InBev
USA remains fully committed to the Labatt Canadian brands
and to Brahma. These are great brands with a lot of
potential and this agreement will allow us to focus on
growing them in their markets."

    InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: INB)
based in Leuven, Belgium. The company's origins date back
to 1366, and today it is the leading global brewer by
volume. InBev's strategy is to strengthen its local
platforms by building significant positions in the world's
major beer markets through organic growth, world-class
efficiency, targeted external growth, and by putting
consumers first. InBev has a portfolio of more than 200
brands, including Stella Artois(R), Brahma(R), Beck's(R),
Leffe(R) and Skol(R) -- the third-largest selling beer
brand in the world. InBev employs some 85,000 people,
running operations in over 30 countries across the
Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2005, InBev realized
11.7 billion euro revenue. For further information visit
http://www.InBev.com .

    Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading
American brewer. The company brews the world's
largest-selling beers, Budweiser(R) and Bud Light(R).
Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo
Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in
Tsingtao, the No. 1 brewer in China. Anheuser-Busch ranked
No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine's Most
Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2006.
Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators
in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum
cans and is America's top recycler of aluminum cans. For
more information, visit http://www.anheuser-busch.com .

    For more information, please contact:

     Terri Vogt 
     Anheuser-Busch
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

     Brenda Williams 
     InBev USA
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Marianne Amssoms 
     InBev
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

SOURCE  Anheuser-Busch