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UNITED STATES
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Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.
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On October 23, 2008, the following e-mail from Dave Peacock, Vice President of Marketing of
Anheuser-Busch, Incorporated, was delivered to the employees of the Company.
InBev/A-B
Integration Planning
Update
November 7, 2008
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To:
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All Anheuser-Busch Employees |
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Subject:
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Integration Planning Update |
Our integration planning for the merger of Anheuser-Busch and InBev continues,
as the deal remains fully on track to close before the end of the year.
Our shareholder meeting will take place next Wednesday, just outside of New
York. It will not be a typical shareholder meeting because its single purpose
is to consider the merger topics. A majority of outstanding shares must vote
to approve before the merger can move forward. Institutional investors hold
most of the outstanding Anheuser-Busch shares and are likely to vote in advance
of the meeting. The vote outcome will be another important milestone and will
be announced by a press release after the meeting.
If shareholders approve the merger, the closing of the transaction will still
remain subject to regulatory approvals, and the timing of these approvals is
currently unknown. There has been speculation that the closing will take place
soon. We cannot confirm a specific date for the change in control, but it
remains on schedule to happen before the end of the year.
By now, you should have seen on the company intranet site yesterdays
announcements by August A. Busch IV that many senior executives at
Anheuser-Busch will leave or retire from the company, effective with the
closing of the merger. These talented individuals have committed years of
service to upholding the high standards of Anheuser-Busch. They have taught us
all a lot about the business, have been mentors to many of us, and we owe them
a great deal of gratitude for their many contributions over the years.
Also announced yesterday within the InBev organization and on the A-B company
intranet site were additional members of the new leadership team for the North
American Zone. These announcements were a needed step in building the future
organization and in sharing as much information with you as possible. Knowing
this next layer of management helps us see where the future blended structure
is heading.
We know the uncertainty of not knowing the future organization has been hard on
people. We want to keep you as informed as possible, but many other decisions
have not yet been made. The planning is moving forward quickly and
deliberately, yet we continue to operate as independent companies.
There also have been rumors that, before the change in control, departmental
layoffs and staff reductions beyond those expected from ERP or attrition will
be made. We have not made any additional changes to the work force and we do
not know details of the future organization yet. At closing, we will be
prepared to communicate the process and timeline that will be used to finalize
the future organization. A fair, structured process will be used to make those
decisions. In the meantime, we anticipate no further organizational
announcements until after the deal closes.
This week, we announced favorable earnings, and we completed the sales and
marketing meetings with wholesalers in Las Vegas, presenting plans that will
maintain the sales momentum you and our wholesalers delivered for our brands
this year. There are many exciting programs in store for 2009 that will
enhance the consumer appeal of our brands.
The experts who have been advising us on the merger integration all say that
this period of time before closing is the toughest. The professionalism of the
A-B team is strong, and we appreciate your focus and dedication to the business
throughout this time.
Dave Peacock