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US: Update in mega beer merger: Postponed until April

By  |  March 20, 2013

A one-page order by a US district judge has granted yet another postponement to Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and the Department of Justice of the government’s lawsuit against AB InBev’s attempted acquisition of Grupo Modelo SAB. US District Judge Richard Roberts ordered that the case be suspended through April 9. Settlement talks are also reportedly continuing as the case drags on, and will update the judge on its status on the April deadline. The parties requested a postponement of the case as they revealed “substantial progress” of their settlement talks. The DOJ is seeking to maintain Modelo branding as a sufficient competitor in the US market; reports say AB InBev may settle to sell control of the Modelo brand in the US and divest a Modelo brewery in Mexico, where the company is based. The initial proposal is estimated to be worth more than $20 billion.

 

Full Content: Bloomberg

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