The world that was
“We will be the world’s beer company”, August Busch III, the President of Anheuser-Busch predicted in 1996. Twelve years later, Anheuser-Busch was no more. The “King of Beer” got taken over by a Brazilian-Belgian go-getter called InBev, which had only been formed four years previously. Was the Third’s retrospectively ill-judged prophecy a case of “pride goes before a fall”? Or had he not seen the writing on the wall, which spelt “do lunch or be lunch”? August III was an extremely competent corporate chieftain, which his son and successor August IV was not. Still, both Buschs proved blinkered. While they kept gazing at the U.S. from their executive suites in St Louis, the world of beer was changing beyond recognition. Those who took part in globalisation and its maddening frenzy of mergers and acquisitions survived. Those who only reluctantly did so – like Anheuser-Busch – became ultimate prey.
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