Christmas Cancelled For Many
Anheuser-Busch InBev, the Belgian maker of Budweiser beer, said it will shed 1,400 American jobs. That’s 6% of the workforce for Budweiser in America, and 75% of those cuts will happen in St. Louis. Oh and the new Belgian company says they are also not filling 250 jobs they had open and they are cutting loose another 415 contractors. To quote Bob Geldof, do they know it’s Christmas?!?
Don’t worry Europe, Anheuser-Busch InBev also plans to cut 2,800 workers in the U.K. Nice huh? Well Merry Christmas to you too, InBev.
Some Jobs Were Spared
Of course this isn’t bad for all ex-employees of the company formerly known as Anheuser-Busch. August Busch IV will keep his job through 2013 at a meager $120,000 a month and a modest bonus of $10.4 million on top of his salary. He will also get an extra $13.3 million on various change in control payments and benefits. Christmas will still be on at the Busch household. It might be tighter this year, but he’s going to be ok.
Still no word on what happens to Shamu.
Not Many American Macro-brew Choices Left
Ninety-five percent of the beer made in the United States is controlled by two companies, one based in Belgium and one in South Africa. If you want to drink a true American brew from a large brewery, Samuel Adams is the only one left. At least we don’t have to take jokes about how bad American beer is anymore. We can claim its Belgium!
Jim Koch, founder of Boston Beer had this to say about being the largest American independent brewer, “It’s bizarre and sad. It’s a little like your kid’s Little League team winning the World Series because no one else showed up.”
(Source: WSJ.com)
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