Beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev is finally trying to buy rival beer giant SAB Miller


On Wednesday, SABMiller PLC said it has received word from rival multinational beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev NV about a pending takeover offer. If the deal is successful, the combined company would be worth $245 billion and would dominate the global beer market, The Wall Street Journal reports. After SABMiller broke the news, AB InBev confirmed that it plans "to work with SABMiller's board toward a recommended transaction." The proposed merger has been rumored for at least a year.
Britain's Takeover Panel has given the two companies until Oct. 14 to submit a formal offer. If they do agree to a merger, the two companies can expect rigorous antitrust scrutiny in the many parts of the world where they have significant market share, including the U.S. The two companies combined have about 70 percent market share in the U.S., for example, with brands like Budweiser, Miller, and Coors, and many smaller labels.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures