[Fox Business] Anheuser-Busch heir says offer to buy back company is ‘serious,’ and he could get it for a steal
Anheuser-Busch heir Billy Busch is doubling down on his “serious” offer to buy back his family’s struggling brewing dynasty.
Busch told FOX Business Friday he has met with investment banking companies in hopes of returning the company to the family and reviving the brand following the fallout over Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“It’s absolutely a serious offer,” Busch said during an appearance on “Varney & Co.” “My family worked so hard and dedicated so much to build this company over decades. It’s great American history… to see this iconic brand now going in the direction it’s going, it’s really a sad day.”
Busch’s family sold Anheuser-Busch to InBev in 2008.
In the time since the Mulvaney marketing blunder, the company has lost billions in revenue, seen its market value plummet and become a topic of mockery for many of its former consumer base.
Busch told host Stuart Varney that he has yet to make an exact offer, however he is optimistic that he will be able to buy back the company for a “great price.”
“I haven’t made any offer at this point, but I’m sure that it’s probably worth, at this point, pennies on the dollar. I don’t see InBev making money on it right now. It’s probably costing them money. So, maybe they’d really be able to give me a great price to buy it from them,” he continued.
Busch said investment banking companies he’s spoken to have confirmed they would be “in line” to help develop a potential buyback deal.
BUD LIGHT SALES CONTINUE TO PLUNGE, AS ANHEUSER-BUSCH INSISTS US STILL HAS ‘FAVORABLE’ VIEW OF BRAND
“They have talked to me and they’ve told me that if I needed help with investors, bringing on investors and coming up with the proceeds in order to purchase those brands, the Bud family brands, they’d be right there in line to help me,” Busch said.
If Busch successfully reclaims the brand, he promised to return to the company’s “old way” of advertising to bring consumers back to the values it was tirelessly built on.
“Those values were strength, they were pride, quality, honor — what this country is basically based on. And it was also built on fun and enjoyment and bringing people together. And it was never built on pushing a political agenda down your throat,” he argued.
“Transgender culture is unfortunately a very political issue today,” he continued. “My family knew to stay out of that arena because they didn’t want to alienate anyone.”
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In June, CEO Brendan Whitworth told customers “we hear you” but did not apologize for the partnership.
“We recognize that over the last two months, the discussion surrounding our company and Bud Light has moved away from beer, and this has impacted our consumers, our business partners, and our employees.”
“We are a beer company, and beer is for everyone,” he continued. “As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best — brewing great beer and earning our place in moments that matter to you.”
Anheuser-Busch did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment on Busch’s plan.
Fox News’ Gabriel Hayes and Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.