Anheuser-Busch agrees to $52 billion acquisition by InBev

NEW YORK InBev’s quest to buy Anheuser-Busch came to an end Monday as the St. Louis-based brewer of Budweiser agreed to an acquisition by the Leuven, Belgium-based brewer for $52 billion, according to a joint statement.

The deal was controversial, with city officials from St. Louis and Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt speaking out against it. At the same time, President and chief executive officer August Busch IV refused to sell, prompting InBev to attempt a hostile takeover.

Anheuser-Busch, which InBev bought for $70 per share, had been the second largest brewer in the world and an American icon that various members of the Anheuser and Busch families had controlled since 1860. InBev, with roots dating back to 1366, was, and still is, the largest, the result of a 2004 merger between Belgium’s Interbrew and Brazil’s AmBev.