DRINK UP: Through an exclusive licensing deal with IMG, AB InBev will be reaching out to consumers in Europe and the Middle East beyond beer bottles.
The multiyear partnership has been put in place to line up licensed products including fashion ones for Budweiser, Stella Artois, Beck’s, Leffe and other brands. In addition to beer-branded apparel, drinkers and teetotalers alike may have the option of buying licensed food and home and garden products from their favorite beer labels.
The focus on Europe is in line with the conglomerate’s heritage. Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world’s leading brewer. Based in Leuven, Belgium, the company has about 175,000 employees around the globe, including 12,000 in Europe. In addition to its Global Innovation Center in its home city, AB InBev has offices and breweries in 18 European Union member states.
AB InBev has had a bumpy few months financially, as bars, clubs and restaurants shut down due to the pandemic. First-quarter core profit was $3.95 billion, representing a 13.7 percent drop compared to last year. Despite its global volume declining by 32 percent in April, company brass recently pointed to green shoots of a recovery in China and South Korea, where businesses are reopening.
As the shutdown has
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