Monday, July 14, 2008

Iochief

Iochief is a old, standard variety of sweet corn - about 80 days to maturity.
You've seen the news - InBev, the brewer of Becks and 200 national and local beers in over 130 countries, is buying Anheuser-Bush, the largest brewer (about 48% market share) and an icon in the United States. Price - about $52 billion. While this isn't specifically Shenandoah Valley news, it could impact folks across the area - Anheuser-Bush has a brewery and theme park in Williamsburg. InBev says they'll keep the North American breweries operating but there are questions about the commitment to Anheuser-Bush's other operations like parks and philanthropic programs. What about the Budweiser Clydesdales?
So, the "King of Beers" will now be based in Belgium. Guess that is far better than China or Kuwait! It is the third largest takeover of a U.S. company by a foreign firm. The buyout also signals the continuing trend of mega global companies - Anheuser-Bush-InBev will be the fourth largest consumer company in the world. Some of these companies' resources dwarf many national governments and can exert tremendous influence in international politics.

1 comment:

Belle Rose said...

Apparently the Clydesdales are safe. But, InBev has made statements about focusing on their core business - beer. We'll have to see if theme parks and resorts. In VA subsidiaries own Kingsmill Resort and Water Country and, of course, Busch Gardens. Potentially, jobs and tax revenues could be affected.