Brewers expect a long, dry summer

Saturday, 8 May 2021, 04:59:13
United Breweries, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Carlsberg said they are staring at an unpredictable demand situation during India's crucial summer season that accounts for nearly 45% of their annual sales, as Covid-19 cases continue to surge and states impose lockdowns and other restrictions.“India is in a very difficult spot from a health perspective. It is difficult to predict what the future course will look like. It remains very fluid, depending on the Covid situation we will hope it's going to improve quickly,” Budweiser Brewing Co APAC chief executive Jan Craps said in an investor call.These companies that control 90% of the country's beer consumption posted their first sales growth in a year during the January-March quarter, partly due to lower excise taxes in some states, trade loading in other states ahead of price adjustments and a low base from last year to compare with.AB InBev and Carlsberg posted double-digit volume growth while UB, which makes Heineken and Kingfisher, grew 9% during the quarter.“If you are realistic, we see some risk for India.
— Economic Times India

Molson Coors’ CMO and DDB’s Top Creative Forged a Partnership in Crisis—and Haven’t Slowed Since

Friday, 7 May 2021, 15:20:28
Molson Coors' chief marketing officer, Michelle St. Jacques, famously took the reins at the beer giant a day after Anheuser-Busch ran multiple Super Bowl ads blasting Miller and Coors for using corn syrup as a fermentation base in their beer–something that experts argue is irrelevant to the final product. It was amid the flurry of…
— Adweek

Anheuser-Busch InBev Names North America Chief Doukeris as CEO – TheStreet

Thursday, 6 May 2021, 15:55:58
Anheuser-Busch InBev tapped its North America chief, Michel Doukeris, to succeed Carlos Brito as CEO. The brewing giant also swung to Q1 profit.
— The Street

Stella Artois Will Auction NFTs to Raise Money for UK Bar Staff

Wednesday, 5 May 2021, 14:52:52
As Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have taken the art world by storm, Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned lager brand Stella Artois is using the technology to offer tips to U.K. hospitality staff. Through the project, four GIFs of animated artwork representing Stella Artois will be put up for auction, with all proceeds from the original sale and 10% of…
— Adweek

Companies have issued $240 billion of debt with incentives tied to environmental and social targets over the last year (BUD, BLK)

Tuesday, 4 May 2021, 16:39:39
Summary List Placement Over the past year companies like Anheuser-Busch InBev and BlackRock have taken a greater interest in a new type of debt that uses self-made targets for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) progress to incentivize or punish borrowers. Accroding to the Wall Street Journal , companies have issued nearly $240 billion of debt since last summer linked to ESG goals such as cutting carbon emissions or getting more women on boards. This carrot or stick approach to lending gives companies the opportunity to reduce their interest rate burdens for meeting specific targets, while also incentivizing ESG investment. BlackRock recently arranged a $4.4 billion loan linked to racial diversity, women in leadership, and sustainable assets under management, per Bloomberg. Anheuser-Busch InBev also took a step into ESG lending when it signed a $10.1 billion “Sustainability Linked Loan Revolving Credit Facility.” The brewing company's loan “incorporates a pricing mechanism that incentivizes improvement” in key ESG areas like improving water usage efficiency, increasing recycled material use, using renewable energy, and reducing overall emissions, according to a press release from the company.
— Business Insider Markets