Miller, Coors Merge US Ventures

New beer behemoth could challenge Anheuser-Busch

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 9, 2007 12:58 PM CDT

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Miller, Coors Merge US Ventures — A display of Coors beer on ice sits in the right-field stands of Coors Field before the Chicago Cubs play the Colorado Rockies in a Major League baseball game in Denver in this Aug. 11, 2007 file photo. The makers of Coors and Miller Lite plan to combine their U.S. brewing operations in an effort to... (Associated Press)

Molson Coors Brewing Co. and SABMiller PLC today agreed to combine their US operations and form beer behemoth MillerCoors, which could dent the traditional dominance of Anheuser-Busch. The Budweiser manufacturer—which controls almost 50% of the US beer market, compared with Miller’s 20% and Coors’ 11%—may feel pressured to seek its own merger, the Wall Street Journal says.

Anheuser-Busch would likely target foreign firms to diversify beyond the tight US market, which has been losing market share in recent years to spirit companies and smaller craft breweries. Coors’ CEO said the joint venture would take “full advantage of consumers' demand for imported and craft brands,” while supporting their flagship products. The deal should close in mid-2008. (More Molson Coors Brewing Co. stories.)

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