just the preview – Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Q2 and H1

Anheuser-Busch InBev is set to announce its first-half results tomorrow (12 August). Below, we take a look at the highs and lows for the firm in the three months to the end of June.

• Back in April, Carlsberg was moved to quell speculation claiming it was looking at a tie-up in India with A-B InBev. The two companies did meet in the country, Carlsberg confirmed at the time, but no partnership appears forthcoming. India’s beer market is dominated by United Breweries, which is 37.5%-owned by Heineken, and SABMiller – together, the two account for over 80% of the market.

• Also in April, the brewer broke ground on a new brewery in China. The CNY650m (US$94.9m) facility, located in Ziyang in the Sichuan province, will begin production next year.

• Then, in May, A-B InBev announced that it was looking to offer voluntary redundancies to 300 union workers in the US. The move had been agreed with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters trade union in the country, to counter overstaffing at its facilities.
• A couple of weeks later, A-B InBev declined to comment on claims that it was considering divesting its real ale brand, Bass, in the UK. The speculation emerged as the company has moved to streamline its operations across Western Europe in recent times.

• In a rare media appearance, company CEO Carlos Brito said in June that he believes the Budweiser brand has a healthy future in its domestic market. Market share for Budweiser and the Bud stable as a whole registered share growth in the US last year, Brito told the Wall Street Journal.  Brito’s opinion was shared by several analysts.

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