ClearedPhase 1

CMA case InBev NV/SA / Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc: AB InBev / Budweiser and Bud Light

The United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority cleared AB InBev's acquisition of Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra on 18 November 2008 (case InBev NV/SA / Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc).^[1]

The Office of Fair Trading cleared InBev's acquisition of Anheuser-Busch for the United Kingdom in November 2008. The combination created the largest brewer in the world and began the consolidation that later produced the AB InBev and SABMiller merger.

Decision facts

Regulator: United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority (GB)
Case number: InBev NV/SA / Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc
Decision: Cleared · Phase 1
Decided: 18 November 2008
Legal basis: Enterprise Act 2002 (voluntary notification, mandatory standstill once reviewed)

The deal under review

Acquisition closed Closed 18 November 2008

AB InBev acquires Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra

Belgian-Brazilian brewer InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch for $70 a share in cash after an initially hostile approach, creating Anheuser-Busch InBev and moving control of Budweiser out of the United States.

Value: $52bn
Buyer: AB InBev
Seller: Anheuser-Busch
Regulatory: Cleared

Sources (1) & corrections

Last verified 18 November 2008. Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.

[1] InBev NV/SA / Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc merger inquiry — Office of Fair Trading (records held by the Competition and Markets Authority), Regulator decision, published 18 November 2008; retrieved 8 September 2026.

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