Anheuser-Busch rejects InBev bid as 'inadequate'

[doeton]

I was showing that consumers on the warpath do, in fact, make an impact despite Toro's assumption that BW drinkers are zombies who will follow AB like a moth to light regardless of inbev's vampire business practices.

ok, cause it could also show that my fellow real beer snobs just like to drink good beer...

but then again i thought Gunny's original point that mericans will in fact buy crappy products simply to avoid jap or european stuff i.e. Ford over toyota is fairly accurate.

p.s. yeah, i'm planning a wheat for this weekend and plan to throw some coriander n bitter orange alla hoe style in the brew. i guess i owe ya some too...

 

[Toro]

Im not missing the point at all. You are trying to nitpick some validity for your greed by pointing out what you'd call an extravagance.


In its annual statement to shareholders in March, Anheuser disclosed it pays Ginnaire Rental, a company owned by August Busch III, August IV’s father, $407,611 in 2007 to lease aircraft.


Are you going to sit there and tell me that you are an expert on global economics while pretending that 400K is a reason for any particular stock price? Dude, nixing the fucking jets WONT INCREASE THE VALUE OF THE STOCK ONE RED CENT.

I am not an expert on global economics. I'm an expert on investments. And once again, you completely miss the point.

This is another example of self-serving management that is more interested in serving themselves than shareholders. The corporate planes are symbolic of this. If the board had priorities set towards shareholders, they wouldn't have appointed a sixth generation member of the Busch family to run the company! The executives want eight jets, hey no problem, rubber stamp 'em. What do we care? Its only shareholders money! Now, with the stock doing nothing while the market rose 70%, they are prey. Big surprise.

As is a company leasing jets from an owner whose family has run the company for generations. That is self-dealing. It is perfectly legal but the board is supposed to be independent and get the best deal for shareholders. Corporate governance experts almost always condemn such self-dealing. Certainly you cannot believe that the best possible deal the company could get was to lease planes from the family that just so happens to control the company with 4% of the stock!

Besides, I thought you were Mr. Defender of the Working Man. Suddenly, to save their skins, management is proposing to axe 1000 people. Yet, they keep more jets than companies need for themselves. Sacrifice is not for them. God forbid if they have only two planes on the tarmac at Lambert airport instead of four.

We're voting our shares for InBev, unless someone wants to pay us more.

 

[Toro]

I was showing that consumers on the warpath do, in fact, make an impact despite Toro's assumption that BW drinkers are zombies who will follow AB like a moth to light regardless of inbev's vampire business practices.

lol

InBev's "vampire business practices." Offering more than the shares have ever been worth is "vampire business practices." That's a good one.

Such xenophobia.

 

[Toro]

Union pension funds support InBev

Several pension funds that hold small stakes in Anheuser, including the General Retirement System of the City of Detroit and the Insulators and Asbestos Workers Local No. 14, have sued the company in recent days in an effort to the force the company to consider the bid.

Free Preview - WSJ.com

 

[Shogun]

I am not an expert on global economics. I'm an expert on investments. And once again, you completely miss the point.

This is another example of self-serving management that is more interested in serving themselves than shareholders. The corporate planes are symbolic of this. If the board had priorities set towards shareholders, they wouldn't have appointed a sixth generation member of the Busch family to run the company! The executives want eight jets, hey no problem, rubber stamp 'em. What do we care? Its only shareholders money! Now, with the stock doing nothing while the market rose 70%, they are prey. Big surprise.

As is a company leasing jets from an owner whose family has run the company for generations. That is self-dealing. It is perfectly legal but the board is supposed to be independent and get the best deal for shareholders. Corporate governance experts almost always condemn such self-dealing. Certainly you cannot believe that the best possible deal the company could get was to lease planes from the family that just so happens to control the company with 4% of the stock!

Besides, I thought you were Mr. Defender of the Working Man. Suddenly, to save their skins, management is proposing to axe 1000 people. Yet, they keep more jets than companies need for themselves. Sacrifice is not for them. God forbid if they have only two planes on the tarmac at Lambert airport instead of four.

We're voting our shares for InBev, unless someone wants to pay us more.

GENERATIONS? it's only called Anheuser BUSCH. Are you thins critical of Firestones and Hiltons too? For christs fucking sake IT IS HIS FAMILY FUCKING BUSINESS. So what. Surprise surprise, the Busch family is still around. SHAREHOLDERS money? Give me a fucking break. the world of business doesn't stop and start on the whim of a fucking stock holder.

And yes, in case you haven't figured it out yet it's the WORKING MAN who detests this inbev bullshit. Again, the local support DESPITE possible lay offs should tell you a thing or two about popular reaction. You know, opinions outside of your little focus group.

Your opinion of the lifestyles of Busch and co means two things: jack and shit. go ahead and make your vote. I hope you get the shit taxed out of your dividends.

 

[Shogun]

lol

InBev's "vampire business practices." Offering more than the shares have ever been worth is "vampire business practices." That's a good one.

Such xenophobia.

When you insist on selling out American at your yardsale price you are goddamn right we are xenophobic. Take your fangs off of the neck of America, vlad. You advocate sucking America dry and can't figure out the allusion? I guess it's hard to peel your brain off of money for half a second to make the connection.

 

[Toro]

GENERATIONS? it's only called Anheuser BUSCH. Are you thins critical of Firestones and Hiltons too? For christs fucking sake IT IS HIS FAMILY FUCKING BUSINESS. So what. Surprise surprise, the Busch family is still around. SHAREHOLDERS money? Give me a fucking break. the world of business doesn't stop and start on the whim of a fucking stock holder.

Wrong.

It is not a family business. It is a public company. The family owns 4% of the stock. The family does not own 96% of the stock. Warren Buffett owns more stock. Thus, it is most definitely not a family business.

Your opinion of the lifestyles of Busch and co means two things: jack and shit. go ahead and make your vote. I hope you get the shit taxed out of your dividends.

Actually, my opinion does matter. We expect to receive a phone call from management some time over the next week or two why we should not vote for the proposal. We will tell them why we will vote for InBev unless someone offers us more money. If the Busch family wants to buy us out for more money, we'll vote for them. I couldn't care less. But I doubt they will.

And I don't care about the Busch lifestyle. I do care about how they use our money to fund their lifestyles.

Taxed on our dividends? Sorry, tax rates are 15%, thanks to you Missourians who voted for Bush. lol@yr faustian bargain. But we are a tax-free institution anyways, so it doesn't matter.

 

[Toro]

When you insist on selling out American at your yardsale price you are goddamn right we are xenophobic. Take your fangs off of the neck of America, vlad. You advocate sucking America dry and can't figure out the allusion? I guess it's hard to peel your brain off of money for half a second to make the connection.

Oh, yeah, right.

This country needs $2 billion of foreign money each and every single day just to keep on running. $100 billion of foreign money has come into this country to recapitalize the banking system, and there will probably be at least another $100 billion more. The economy would collapse without it. The financial system would collapse with out. Sure is nice to live in xenophobic FantasyLand though.

 

[Shogun]

Wrong.

It is not a family business. It is a public company. The family owns 4% of the stock. The family does not own 96% of the stock. Warren Buffett owns more stock. Thus, it is most definitely not a family business.


oh yea, dude.. having a Busch in place for all but one tenure during it's entire fucking run as a company sure does make stocks more important than the FAMILY THAT CREATED THE SHIT.




Actually, my opinion does matter. We expect to receive a phone call from management some time over the next week or two why we should not vote for the proposal. We will tell them why we will vote for InBev unless someone offers us more money. If the Busch family wants to buy us out for more money, we'll vote for them. I couldn't care less. But I doubt they will.


fair enough. You are part of the problem. Like I said, I hope you get the shit taxed out of you.


And I don't care about the Busch lifestyle. I do care about how they use our money to fund their lifestyles.

YOUR money doesn't mean shit. Go sell your stock, dude. You are the kind of reason why Im glad we have steep capital gains taxes and a death tax.


Taxed on our dividends? Sorry, tax rates are 15%, thanks to you Missourians who voted for Bush. lol@yr faustian bargain. But we are a tax-free institution anyways, so it doesn't matter.


Indeed... just wait for this upcomming democrat president with the full force of a dem majority in both houses of congress. LOL@the crybaby "they tax us wah wah" frustration during the next 8 years.


and no one it tax free, dude. take your money and run. Inbev will learn its lesson and you've just provided THE reason for using the Gov to take half of your gains.

 

[Shogun]

Oh, yeah, right.

This country needs $2 billion of foreign money each and every single day just to keep on running. $100 billion of foreign money has come into this country to recapitalize the banking system, and there will probably be at least another $100 billion more. The economy would collapse without it. The financial system would collapse with out. Sure is nice to live in xenophobic FantasyLand though.

Indeed, there IS a hole thats been dug and the US is finding out what the results of their past choices have provided. Hence dems being HANDED the gov with a nice little bow on top. Let the financial system collapse. We'll build a new one like we did the last time capitalist pigs failed this nation.


Im sure it IS nice to live in canadia like a barnicle on the ass of an actual global power. We should have assimilated you long ago.

 

[busara]

Im sure it IS nice to live in canadia like a barnicle on the ass of an actual global power. We should have assimilated you long ago.

i didnt realize that the US is turning into the borg. scary stuff

 

[Toro]

YOUR money doesn't mean shit. Go sell your stock, dude. You are the kind of reason why Im glad we have steep capital gains taxes and a death tax.

It does mean shit because we have a lot of money, so we have to own the stock. That's why they call us.

And we don't pay taxes.

 

[Toro]

Im sure it IS nice to live in canadia like a barnicle on the ass of an actual global power. We should have assimilated you long ago.

But that would mean more ferners fir ya to hate.

WTF is "canadia" anyways?

 

[Shogun]

It does mean shit because we have a lot of money, so we have to own the stock. That's why they call us.

And we don't pay taxes.

again. sell your stock. YOU may not have to pay taxes but the rest of you wealth whores do. Have fun the next 8 years.

 

[Shogun]

But that would mean more ferners fir ya to hate.

WTF is "canadia" anyways?

strap in, big fella.

Obama Pushes for Higher Investment Taxes
Obama Pushes for Higher Investment Taxes - Capital Commerce (usnews.com)


trust me. you make your own bet when it comes to all the hate. And, in case you are not up to the parlance of or times, google is your friend. Not that you'd have even BEEN foreigners had the US done more than let you cannucks like like a tick on our American nutsack.

 

[Toro]

strap in, big fella.

Obama Pushes for Higher Investment Taxes
Obama Pushes for Higher Investment Taxes - Capital Commerce (usnews.com)


trust me. you make your own bet when it comes to all the hate. And, in case you are not up to the parlance of or times, google is your friend.

Taxes should be higher on investments.

I'm not sure why Warren Buffett should pay a lower marginal rate of taxes than his secretary, a fact that Buffett pointed out.

 

[Toro]

again. sell your stock. YOU may not have to pay taxes but the rest of you wealth whores do. Have fun the next 8 years.

You don't understand.

We must own the stock. We have no choice. We have tens of billions of dollars, so we own almost all stocks traded in the US. In discretionary accounts, we don't have to own it, but in nondiscretionary accounts, we must. So we exercise both our rights and our fiduciary duties under the law to do what's best for the hundreds of thousands of people who entrust their retirement savings with us.

Oh, and the stock market has historically done better under Democrats than Republicans. But I don't think it will much matter over the next four years who's in power.

 

[Shogun]

Taxes should be higher on investments.

I'm not sure why Warren Buffett should pay a lower marginal rate of taxes than his secretary, a fact that Buffett pointed out.

ahh yes.. that bastard. He's another one who is in line for some reaction.



I look forward to our gov taking your money.

 

[Shogun]

You don't understand.

We must own the stock. We have no choice. We have tens of billions of dollars, so we own almost all stocks traded in the US. In discretionary accounts, we don't have to own it, but in nondiscretionary accounts, we must. So we exercise both our rights and our fiduciary duties under the law to do what's best for the hundreds of thousands of people who entrust their retirement savings with us.

Oh, and the stock market has historically done better under Democrats than Republicans. But I don't think it will much matter over the next four years who's in power.

oh bullshit. You DO have a choice in the stock you own. You DO have a choice in weather or not to sacrifice an AMERICAN tradition for the sake of your fucking padded wallet. Your capitalist excuses are no better this year than they were when robber barrons ruled north america.


You also don't seem to think that there will be a massive rebuking of AB products after inbev sucks the blood out of our clydesdales so..

 

[Shogun]

Trouble is brewing in St. Louis
Belgian firm's bid for Anheuser-Busch taps deep hostility in a city where beer—make that a Bud— runs through the veins

By Tim Jones | Tribune correspondent
11:39 PM CDT, June 26, 2008

ST. LOUIS—All is not well in the kingdom ruled by the heirs of the great Adolphus Busch, the king of beers.

Corporate barbarians from far, far away have launched a dastardly assault against the formerly impregnable red brick fortress on the city's south side, effectively telling the king, his queen and all the loyal subjects that this Bud's not for you, it's for us.

That's the view from St. Louis, a beer city under siege.

Make no mistake — the hostile takeover battle for control of Anheuser-Busch, the 150-year-old brewer and the biggest U.S. beer brand, is not just another one of those corporate clashes that prompt old-timers to lament the passing of venerable family control into the hands of faceless, voraciously predatory corporations with goofy names. No sir. This is a fight that touches the soul of a proud old German city that once harbored grandiose 19th Century dreams of being the nation's capital.

That didn't work out, so St. Louis, which at one time had more than 100 breweries, attached much of its identity to beer and, in particular, Budweiser, the granddaddy of them all. Anheuser-Busch beers make up nearly 50 percent of the U.S. sales market.

Beer runs through the veins of St. Louis, a city that happily crowned and embraced its own royalty, the Busch family. Their marriage is underscored by ads that say "Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, Missouri" and opening-day baseball crowds that go absolutely nuts when the iconic Clydesdales lift their heavily feathered legs to pull the beer wagon around the ballpark named — what else? — Busch Stadium.

"People do get lumps in their throats and tears in their eyes when the Clydesdales go by," said Robert Archibald, president and CEO of the Missouri History Museum. "People think of the brewery and St. Louis in the same sentence. I don't think there's anything like this relationship anywhere."

And now it is threatened by a company called InBev, a thirsty Belgium beer conglomerate armed with an unsolicited and almost irresistible cash offer of $46 billion, or $65 per share, about 30 percent higher than the stock was trading in mid-May. Not to worry, assured InBev CEO Carlos Brito last week. Jobs, some 6,000 in St. Louis alone, will be safe and the city will continue to be the hub of Anheuser-Busch.

Bid rejected, but war is on
Almost no one believes him. Not surprisingly, the Anheuser-Busch board of directors rejected the offer Thursday, shortly after the Belgian brewer filed suit in a Delaware court seeking a judgment allowing Anheuser-Busch shareholders to remove all of the company's board members without cause. This is war, on several fronts.

"If this deal goes through, I won't be buying their beer," vowed Don Holth, a city worker who dropped into Crabby's, a small bar near the Budweiser brewing complex.

"This is a brewing town, and this [Anheuser-Busch] is the last jewel in the crown," added Holth, whose hostile view of InBev's hostile takeover attempt is widely shared here.

Like nearly all cities, St. Louis has watched helplessly as local company headquarters — McDonnell Douglas, TWA, Ralston Purina, Southwestern Bell, A.G. Edwards & Sons—were snatched away in the great consolidation game. Chicago is certainly not immune to this. In April, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., the chewing gum giant headquartered in the fabled Michigan Avenue Wrigley Building, surprisingly agreed to be taken over by Virginia-based Mars Inc.

While Chicago quickly got over that, St. Louis, despite tough talk of fierce resistance from upper-tier politicians, is preparing to mourn a death in the civic family. Detroit would be shocked if Japan's Honda Motor Co. were to take over Ford Motor Co., which has its legendary familial stamp all over Dearborn and Detroit.

The shock of a Busch takeover, though, is akin here to moving the Gateway Arch to Disney World and using it for bungee jumping.

Talk of a boycott
"I don't think there's anybody in favor of this," said Marty Luepker, a native south sider and co-owner of Al Smith's Feasting Fox, a restaurant and pub named for the gargoyles attached to each corner of the brewery. "I'm hearing from customers that they'll no longer drink the beer. ... It won't be their beer anymore. People are very resentful, more than they would be in other cities."

The south side neighborhood was known as Scrubby Dutch, and the area swimming pool was called Dutch Cleanser, Luepker said. The brewery had always been the place to work in St. Louis. "If I had my life to live over," said Luepker, 69, "I'd sit on the brewery steps until they hired me.

"I feel like I've become my father, who never would have believed this would happen."

Little remembrances like this are heard across the city, as people recall taking their children to the Busch-owned Grant's Farm (it's free) to see the animals, or to be one of the 350,000 people annually to tour the brewery. At a recent Cardinals game — a team the Busch family used to own — protesters gathered to voice their anger.

Don Phares, a professor emeritus in economics at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said local resistance is strong, but in the end it probably won't be enough to stop the deal.

"Most likely there will be cutbacks locally, to streamline the company and make it more efficient," Phares said.

That scenario has played itself out countless times across the nation, and that seems to be the prevailing, if reluctant, view at Crabby's, whose regular patrons include many people who work for or with Anheuser-Busch.

Stephanie Hafertepe, the owner of Crabby's, said if the takeover happens, she'll measure the boycott sentiment of her regulars and decide whether to restock the coolers.

"If they boycott, I'll have to sell something different," Hafertepe said. "And I'll push a lot of liquor."

Trouble is brewing in St. Louis -- chicagotribune.com