Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, known as AB InBev,[3][4] is an American-Belgian[5][6][7] multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium.[8][9][10] It is the largest brewer in the world,[11] and in 2023, was ranked 72nd in the Forbes Global 2000.[12]
AB InBev was formed in 2008, with Belgian-Brazilian brewing company InBev's acquisition of the American company Anheuser-Busch.[13][14] Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV is a publicly listed company, with its primary listing on the Euronext Brussels. It has secondary listings on Mexico City Stock Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and New York Stock Exchange.[15] AB InBev has offices in New York City, alongside regional headquarters in São Paulo, London, St. Louis, Mexico City, Bremen, Johannesburg, and others.[16] It has approximately 630 beer brands in 150 countries.[17]
History
Formation
Interbrew
Interbrew was formed in 1987 from a merger of the two largest breweries in Belgium: Artois and Piedboeuf. The Artois brewery, previously known as Den Hoorn, was established by 1366 and the Piedboeuf brewery was established by 1812.
Interbrew then acquired a number of local breweries in Belgium. By 1991, the second phase of targeted external growth began outside Belgium. The first transaction in this phase took place in Hungary, followed in 1995 by the acquisition of Labatt Brewing Company (founded 1847), the largest brewer in Canada, and then in 1999 by a joint venture with Sun in Russia.
In 2000, Interbrew acquired Bass and Whitbread in the UK.[18] They then acquired a number of German breweries: Diebels[19]
Ownership
Anheuser-Busch InBev is controlled by Belgian families Vandamme, de Mévius and de Spoelberch, who as of 2015 owned a combined 28.6% of the company, and Brazilian investors Jorge Paulo Lemann, Carlos Alberto Sicupira and Marcel Telles, who owned 22.7% through their private investment firm 3G Capital.[62][63]
After the formation of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 20 October 2016, the company was to be run by teams of "functional chiefs" and "zone presidents" who reported to AB InBev chief executive officer (CEO) Carlos Brito. All but one of those 19 positions are held by people who were already AB InBev executives before the acquisition of SABMiller.[64][65] Effective July 2021, Brito stepped down as the CEO of AB InBev after 15 years. Michel Doukeris, previously CEO of North American business for Anheuser-Busch, succeeded him as CEO.[66]
Financial data
Controversies
2015 US Justice Department investigation
In October 2015, the company was investigated by the US Justice Department for buying beer distributors and preventing them from selling the beers of its competitors.[68]
2016 bribery
In September 2016, it was reported that AB InBev had paid a $6 million fine to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for violations of bribery laws under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and for silencing a whistleblower.[69]
2017 anti-competitive practices
In May 2017, the company was criticized for reportedly engaging in anti-competitive practices after purchasing the entire supply of South African hops from SAB Hop Farms, as part of the SABMiller purchase, and making the hops unavailable to any US craft brewers.
See also
- AB InBev brands
- Molson Coors
- Constellation Brands
External links
References
- Shareholding Disclosures - Budweiser Brewing Co. APAC Ltd HKEX News, retrieved 12 February 2026^
- 2024 Annual Report (Form 20-F) US Securities and Exchange Commission, 12 March 2025^
- James Kanter. Anheuser-Busch InBev Aims Its Tax-Trimming Skills at SABMiller