The US Justice Department is probing allegations that Anheuser-Busch InBev is seeking to curb competition in the beer market by buying distributors reports Reuters. This makes it harder for fast-growing craft brewers to get their products on store shelves, according to three people familiar with the matter.
In the past few months, the world’s largest brewer has rattled the craft beer world by striking deals for five distributors in three states. Many states require brewers to use distributors to sell their product, and once AB InBev buys a distributor, craft companies say they find that they can’t distribute their beer as easily and sales growth stalls.
Antitrust regulators are also reviewing craft brewers’ claims that AB InBev pushes some independent distributors to only carry the company’s products and end their ties with the craft industry, two of the sources said, noting that the investigation was in its early stages. AB InBev’s purchase of several craft beer makers in recent years means that it is in a position to offer a greater variety of products itself.
Full content: Reuters
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Charter to Acquire Cox Communications in $35 Billion Deal
May 22, 2025 by
CPI
FTC Targets Media Watchdog Over Alleged Collusion Against Musk’s X
May 22, 2025 by
CPI
FTC Drops Antitrust Case Accusing Pepsi of Squeezing Small Retailers
May 22, 2025 by
CPI
Shein Warns of Higher Costs for French Shoppers Amid EU Fee Proposal
May 22, 2025 by
CPI
DOJ Opens Antitrust Probe of Google’s AI Partnership with Character.AI
May 22, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Industrial Policy
May 21, 2025 by
CPI
Industrial Strategy and the Role of Competition – Taking a Business Lens
May 21, 2025 by
Marcus Bokkerink
Industrial Policy, Antitrust, and Economic Growth: Some Observations
May 21, 2025 by
David S. Evans
Bolder by Design: Crafting Pro-Competitive Industrial Policies For Complex Challenges
May 21, 2025 by
Antonio Capobianco & Beatriz Marques
Competition-Friendly Industrial Policy
May 21, 2025 by
Philippe Aghion, Mathias Dewatripont & Patrick Legros