BUD LIGHT PARENT ANHEUSER-BUSCH TO HELP DISTRIBUTORS AMID MULVANEY CONTROVERSY

Brendan Whitworth, the CEO of AB InBev’s North American business, wrote in a statement on April 14 in the midst of the controversy, "We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer."

Anheuser-Busch InBev has seen its stock price and market cap decline by roughly 17% from its March highs as of Tuesday night. The backlash has spilled over to other Anheuser-Busch brands as well and created an opportunity for other beer brands to increase their sales.

TickerSecurityLastChangeChange %
BUDANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV55.62+0.47+0.86%
TAPMOLSON COORS BEVERAGE CO.67.74+0.63+0.94%

Budweiser sales were down 9.2% during the week ending June 3 compared to a year, while Busch Light was down 0.8% per the Nielsen data analyzed by Bump Williams Consulting. Meanwhile, sales of Coors Light increased by 25.8% and Miller Lite rose by 21.4% over the same period.

The spillover was discussed by AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris during a May interview with the Wall Street Journal in which he said, "We are investing behind Bud Light tripling our need investment for the summer, and we are investing more together with our wholesalers in our local markets."