Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

¨ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

 

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended 31 December 2013

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

 

¨ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Belgium

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Brouwerijplein 1,

3000 Leuven, Belgium

(Address of principal executive offices)

Sabine Chalmers

Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer

Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven

Belgium

Telephone No.: + 32 16 27 61 11

Fax No.: + 32 16 50 61 11

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.

 

Title of each class

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Ordinary shares without nominal value   New York Stock Exchange *
American Depositary Shares, each representing one ordinary share without nominal value   New York Stock Exchange
9.750% Notes due 2015 (November 2010)   New York Stock Exchange
Floating Rate Notes due 2014 (January 2011)   New York Stock Exchange
2.875% Notes due 2016 (January 2011)   New York Stock Exchange
4.375% Notes due 2021 (January 2011)   New York Stock Exchange
Floating Rate Notes due 2014 (July 2011)   New York Stock Exchange
1.500% Notes due 2014 (July 2011)   New York Stock Exchange
0.800% Notes due 2015 (July 2012)   New York Stock Exchange
1.375% Notes due 2017 (July 2012)   New York Stock Exchange
2.500% Notes due 2022 (July 2012)   New York Stock Exchange
3.750% Notes due 2042 (July 2012)   New York Stock Exchange
0.800% Notes due 2016 (January 2013)   New York Stock Exchange
1.250% Notes due 2018 (January 2013)   New York Stock Exchange
2.625% Notes due 2023 (January 2013)   New York Stock Exchange
4.000% Notes due 2043 (January 2013)   New York Stock Exchange
Floating Rate Notes due 2017 (January 2014)   New York Stock Exchange
Floating Rate Notes due 2019 (January 2014)   New York Stock Exchange
1.125% Notes due 2017 (January 2014)   New York Stock Exchange
2.150% Notes due 2019 (January 2014)   New York Stock Exchange
3.700% Notes due 2024 (January 2014)   New York Stock Exchange
4.625% Notes due 2044 (January 2014)   New York Stock Exchange

 

* Not for trading, but in connection with the registration of American Depositary Shares, pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.

None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.

None

(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

1,607,844,590 ordinary shares

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     x   Yes     ¨   No

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.     ¨   Yes     x   No

Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     x   Yes     ¨   No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).*     ¨   Yes     ¨   No

 

* This requirement does not apply to the registrant in respect of this filing.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer   x   Accelerated filer   ¨    Non-accelerated filer   ¨

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

 

U.S. GAAP   ¨  

International Financial Reporting Standards as issued

by the International Accounting Standards Board   x

   Other   ¨

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. N/A      ¨   Item 17     ¨   Item 18

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).     ¨   Yes     x   No

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. N/A      ¨   Yes     ¨   No


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page  

GENERAL INFORMATION

     iii   

PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA

     iv   

PRESENTATION OF MARKET INFORMATION

     v   

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     vi   

ITEM 1.

     

IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

     1   

A.

     

DIRECTORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT

     1   

B.

     

ADVISERS

     1   

C.

     

AUDITORS

     1   

ITEM 2.

     

OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

     1   

A.

     

OFFER STATISTICS

     1   

B.

     

METHOD AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

     1   

ITEM 3.

     

KEY INFORMATION

     1   

A.

     

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

     1   

B.

     

CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS

     2   

C.

     

REASONS FOR THE OFFER AND USE OF PROCEEDS

     2   

D.

     

RISK FACTORS

     2   

ITEM 4.

     

INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

     23   

A.

     

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPANY

     23   

B.

     

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

     27   
  

1.

  

STRENGTHS AND STRATEGY

     27   
  

2.

  

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES AND PRODUCTS

     31   
  

3.

  

MAIN MARKETS

     38   
  

4.

  

COMPETITION

     39   
  

5.

  

WEATHER AND SEASONALITY

     40   
  

6.

  

BREWING PROCESS; RAW MATERIALS AND PACKAGING; PRODUCTION FACILITIES; LOGISTICS

     40   
  

7.

  

DISTRIBUTION OF PRODUCTS

     44   
  

8.

  

LICENSING

     45   
  

9.

  

BRANDING AND MARKETING

     46   
  

10.

  

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY; RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

     46   
  

11.

  

REGULATIONS AFFECTING OUR BUSINESS

     48   
  

12.

  

INSURANCE

     50   
  

13.

  

SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY MATTERS

     50   

C.

     

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

     53   

D.

     

PROPERTY, PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT

     53   

ITEM 4A.

     

UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

     53   

ITEM 5.

     

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW

     53   

A.

     

KEY FACTORS AFFECTING RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

     54   

B.

     

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

     59   

C.

     

BUSINESS SEGMENTS

     66   

D.

     

EQUITY INVESTMENTS

     67   

E.

     

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

     67   

F.

     

IMPACT OF CHANGES IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES

     94   

G.

     

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

     95   

H.

     

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND CONTINGENCIES

     107   

I.

     

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

     109   

J.

     

OUTLOOK AND TREND INFORMATION

     109   

ITEM 6.

     

DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES

     110   

A.

     

DIRECTORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT

     110   

B.

     

COMPENSATION

     122   

C.

     

BOARD PRACTICES

     141   

D.

     

EMPLOYEES

     143   

E.

     

SHARE OWNERSHIP

     145   

 

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ITEM 7.

     

MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

     145   

A.

     

MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS

     145   

B.

     

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

     148   

ITEM 8.

     

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

     152   

A.

     

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION

     152   

B.

     

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

     162   

ITEM 9.

     

THE OFFER AND LISTING

     163   

A.

     

THE OFFER AND LISTING

     163   

B.

     

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     164   

C.

     

MARKETS

     164   

D.

     

SELLING SHAREHOLDERS

     165   

E.

     

DILUTION

     165   

F.

     

EXPENSES OF THE ISSUE

     165   

ITEM 10.

     

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

     165   

A.

     

SHARE CAPITAL

     165   

B.

     

MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION AND OTHER SHARE INFORMATION

     165   

C.

     

MATERIAL CONTRACTS

     172   

D.

     

EXCHANGE CONTROLS

     175   

E.

     

TAXATION

     175   

F.

     

DIVIDENDS AND PAYING AGENTS

     180   

G.

     

STATEMENT BY EXPERTS

     180   

H.

     

DOCUMENTS ON DISPLAY

     180   

I.

     

SUBSIDIARY INFORMATION

     181   

ITEM 11.

     

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

     181   

ITEM 12.

     

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES

     183   

A.

     

DEBT SECURITIES

     183   

B.

     

WARRANTS AND RIGHTS

     183   

C.

     

OTHER SECURITIES

     184   

D.

     

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

     184   

ITEM 13.

     

DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES

     187   

ITEM 14.

     

MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS

     187   

ITEM 15.

     

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

     187   

ITEM 16A.

     

AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT

     188   

ITEM 16B.

     

CODE OF ETHICS

     188   

ITEM 16C.

     

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

     188   

ITEM 16D.

     

EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES

     189   

ITEM 16E.

     

PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER

     189   

ITEM 16F.

     

CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT

     190   

ITEM 16G.

     

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

     190   

ITEM 16H.

     

MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE

     191   

ITEM 17.

     

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     192   

ITEM 18.

     

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     192   

ITEM 19.

     

EXHIBITS

     192   

AB INBEV GROUP ACTUAL HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION

     F-1   

 

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GENERAL INFORMATION

In this annual report on Form 20-F (“ Form 20-F ”) references to:

 

   

“AB InBev,” “we,” “us” and “our” are, as the context requires, to Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV or Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and the group of companies owned and/or controlled by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV;

 

   

“AB InBev Group” are to Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and the group of companies owned and/or controlled by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV;

 

   

“Anheuser-Busch” are to Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC and the group of companies owned and/or controlled by Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC, as the context requires; and

 

   

“Ambev” are to Ambev S.A., a Brazilian company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and on the São Paulo Stock Exchange, and successor of Companhia de Bebidas das Américas—Ambev (as described in item “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions—Ambev Stock Swap Merger”).

 

   

“Grupo Modelo” are to Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V. – a Mexican company listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange.

 

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PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA

We have prepared our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, and in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (“ IFRS ”). The financial information and related discussion and analysis contained in this item are presented in U.S. dollars except as otherwise specified. Unless otherwise specified, the financial information analysis in this Form 20-F is based on our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013. Unless otherwise specified, all financial information included in this Form 20-F has been stated in U.S. dollars.

All references in this Form 20-F to (i) “ euro ” or “ EUR ” are to the common currency of the European Union, (ii) “ U.S. dollar ,” “ $ ,” or “ USD ” are to the currency of the United States, (iii) “ CAD ” are to the currency of Canada, (iv) “ R$ ”, “ real ” or “ reais ” are to the currency of Brazil, (v) “ GBP ” (pounds sterling) are to the currency of the United Kingdom, and (vi) “ P$ ” (Mexican pesos) are to the currency of Mexico.

Unless otherwise specified, volumes, as used in this Form 20-F, include both beer and non-beer (primarily carbonated soft drinks) volumes. In addition, unless otherwise specified, our volumes include not only brands that we own or license, but also third-party brands that we brew or otherwise produce as a subcontractor, and third-party products that we sell through our distribution network, particularly in Western Europe. Our volume figures in this Form 20-F reflect 100% of the volumes of entities that we fully consolidate in our financial reporting and a proportionate share of the volumes of entities that we proportionately consolidate in our financial reporting, but do not include volumes of our associates or non-consolidated entities. Following the combination with Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V. (“ Grupo Modelo ”) we are fully consolidating Grupo Modelo in our financial reporting as of 4 June 2013 and are reporting the Grupo Modelo volumes in the reported volumes as of that date.

Certain monetary amounts and other figures included in this Form 20-F have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, any discrepancies in any tables between the totals and the sums of amounts listed are due to rounding.

See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies—Summary of Changes in Accounting Policies” for further information on how our accounting policies changed beginning on 1 January 2013.

 

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PRESENTATION OF MARKET INFORMATION

Market information (including market share, market position and industry data for our operating activities and those of our subsidiaries or of companies acquired by us) or other statements presented in this Form 20-F regarding our position (or that of companies acquired by us) relative to our competitors largely reflect the best estimates of our management. These estimates are based upon information obtained from customers, trade or business organizations and associations, other contacts within the industries in which we operate and, in some cases, upon published statistical data or information from independent third parties. Except as otherwise stated, our market share data, as well as our management’s assessment of our comparative competitive position, has been derived by comparing our sales figures for the relevant period to our management’s estimates of our competitors’ sales figures for such period, as well as upon published statistical data and information from independent third parties, and, in particular, the reports published and the information made available by, among others, the local brewers’ associations and the national statistics bureaus in the various countries in which we sell our products. The principal sources generally used include Plato Logic Limited and AC Nielsen, as well as Beer Institute and SymphonyIRI (for the United States), the Brewers Association of Canada (for Canada), CCR (for Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru), CIES (for Bolivia), AC Nielsen (for Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Russia, Ukraine and Uruguay), Cámara Nacional de la Industria Cervecera y Malta (for Mexico), FECU (for Chile), Belgian Brewers (for Belgium), German Brewers Association (for Germany), Seema International Limited (for China), the British Beer and Pub Association (for the United Kingdom), Centraal Brouwerij Kantoor—CBK (for the Netherlands), Association des Brasseurs de France (for France), Associazione degli Industriali della Birra e del Malto (for Italy) and other local brewers’ associations. You should not rely on the market share and other market information presented herein as precise measures of market share or of other actual conditions.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

There are statements in this Form 20-F, such as statements that include the words or phrases “ will likely result ,” “ are expected to ,” “ will continue ,” “ is anticipated ,” “ anticipate ,” “ estimate ,” “ project ,” “ may, ” “ might ,” “ could ,” “ believe ,” “ expect ,” “ plan ,” “ potential ” or similar expressions that are forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those suggested by these statements due to, among others, the risks or uncertainties listed below. See also “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” for further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could impact our business.

These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Rather, they are based on current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside our control and are difficult to predict, that may cause actual results or developments to differ materially from any future results or developments expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements include, among others:

 

   

local, regional, national and international economic conditions, including the risks of a global recession or a recession in one or more of our key markets, and the impact they may have on us and our customers and our assessment of that impact;

 

   

financial risks, such as interest rate risk, foreign exchange rate risk, commodity risk, asset price risk, equity market risk, counterparty risk, sovereign risk, liquidity risk, inflation or deflation;

 

   

changes in government policies and currency controls;

 

   

tax consequences of restructuring and our ability to optimize our tax rate;

 

   

continued availability of financing and our ability to achieve our targeted coverage and debt levels and terms, including the risk of constraints on financing in the event of a credit rating downgrade;

 

   

the monetary and interest rate policies of central banks, in particular the European Central Bank, the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, the Bank of England, Banco Central do Brasil , Banco Central de la República Argentina and other central banks;

 

   

changes in applicable laws, regulations and taxes in jurisdictions in which we operate, including the laws and regulations governing our operations, changes to tax benefit programs as well as actions or decisions of courts and regulators;

 

   

limitations on our ability to contain costs and expenses;

 

   

our expectations with respect to expansion plans, premium growth, accretion to reported earnings, working capital improvements and investment income or cash flow projections;

 

   

our ability to continue to introduce competitive new products and services on a timely, cost-effective basis;

 

   

the effects of competition and consolidation in the markets in which we operate, which may be influenced by regulation, deregulation or enforcement policies;

 

   

changes in consumer spending;

 

   

changes in pricing environments;

 

   

volatility in the prices of raw materials, commodities and energy;

 

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difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees;

 

   

regional or general changes in asset valuations;

 

   

greater than expected costs (including taxes) and expenses;

 

   

the risk of unexpected consequences resulting from acquisitions, including the combination with Grupo Modelo, joint ventures, strategic alliances, corporate reorganizations or divestiture plans, and our ability to successfully and cost-effectively implement these transactions and integrate the operations of businesses or other assets that we acquired, and the extraction of synergies from the Grupo Modelo combination;

 

   

the outcome of pending and future litigation, investigations and governmental proceedings;

 

   

natural and other disasters;

 

   

any inability to economically hedge certain risks;

 

   

inadequate impairment provisions and loss reserves;

 

   

technological changes and threats to cybersecurity;

 

   

other statements included in this annual report that are not historical; and

 

   

our success in managing the risks involved in the foregoing;

Our statements regarding financial risks, including interest rate risk, foreign exchange rate risk, commodity risk, asset price risk, equity market risk, counterparty risk, sovereign risk, inflation and deflation, are subject to uncertainty. For example, certain market and financial risk disclosures are dependent on choices about key model characteristics and assumptions and are subject to various limitations. By their nature, certain of the market or financial risk disclosures are only estimates and, as a result, actual future gains and losses could differ materially from those that have been estimated.

We caution that the forward-looking statements in this Form 20-F are further qualified by the risk factors disclosed in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Subject to our obligations under Belgian and U.S. law in relation to disclosure and ongoing information, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

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PART I

 

ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

A. DIRECTORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Not applicable.

B. ADVISERS

Not applicable.

C. AUDITORS

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

A. OFFER STATISTICS

Not applicable.

B. METHOD AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

A. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The selected historical financial information presented below as of 31 December 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009, and for the five years ended 31 December 2013 has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which were prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, and in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (“ IFRS ”). Unless otherwise specified, all financial information included in this Form 20-F has been stated in U.S. dollars.

The selected historical financial information presented in the tables below should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. The audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes as of 31 December 2013 and 2012 and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 have been included in this Form 20-F.

 

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Following the 2008 Anheuser-Busch acquisition, we completed a series of asset disposals in 2009 and have utilized certain of the proceeds from such disposals to repay indebtedness incurred to finance the Anheuser-Busch acquisition. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—A. History and Development of the Company—History and Development of the Company” for a description of the Anheuser-Busch acquisition. Accordingly, the scope of our business after the completion of the series of asset disposals differs materially from the scope of our business presented in this Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2009.

 

     Year ended 31 December  
     2013      2012 (6)      2011 (6)      2010      2009  
     (USD million, unless otherwise indicated)  
     (audited)  

Income Statement Data

  

Revenue (1)

     43,195         39,758         39,046         36,297         36,758   

Profit from operations

     20,443         12,747         12,346         10,897         11,569   

Profit

     16,518         9,325         7,859         5,762         5,877   

Profit attributable to our equity holders

     14,394         7,160         5,779         4,026         4,613   

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (million shares) (2)

     1,617         1,600         1,595         1,592         1,584   

Diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares (million shares) (3)

     1,650         1,628         1,614         1,611         1,593   

Basic earnings per share (USD) (4)

     8.90         4.48         3.62         2.53         2.91   

Diluted earnings per share (USD) (5)

     8.72         4.40         3.58         2.50         2.90   

Dividends per share (USD)

     2.83         2.24         1.55         1.07         0.55   

Dividends per share (EUR)

     2.05         1.70         1.20         0.80         0.38   
     As of 31 December  
     2013      2012 (6)      2011 (6)      2010      2009  
     (USD million, unless otherwise indicated)  
     (audited)  

Financial Position Data

  

Total assets

     141,666         122,621         112,427         114,342         112,525   

Equity

     55,308         45,453         41,056         38,799         33,171   

Equity attributable to our equity holders

     50,365         41,154         37,504         35,259         30,318   

Issued capital

     1,735         1,734         1,734         1,733         1,732   

Other Data

              

Volumes (million hectoliters)

     426         403         399         399         409   

 

Notes:

 

(1) Turnover less excise taxes and discounts. In many jurisdictions, excise taxes make up a large proportion of the cost of beer charged to our customers (see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—A. Key Factors Affecting Results of Operations—Excise Taxes”).
(2) Weighted average number of ordinary shares means, for any period, the number of shares outstanding at the beginning of the period, adjusted by the number of shares canceled, repurchased or issued during the period, including deferred share instruments, multiplied by a time-weighting factor.
(3) Diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares means the weighted average number of ordinary shares, adjusted by the effect of share options issued.
(4) Earnings per share means, for any period, profit attributable to our equity holders for the period divided by the weighted average number of ordinary shares.
(5) Diluted earnings per share means, for any period, profit attributable to our equity holders for the period divided by the diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares.
(6) 2012 and 2011 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes to the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—A. Key Factors Affecting Results of Operations—Summary of Changes in Accounting Policies”).

B. CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS

Not Applicable.

C. REASONS FOR THE OFFER AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Not Applicable.

D. RISK FACTORS

Investing in our shares involves risk. We expect to be exposed to some or all of the risks described below in our future operations. Such risks include, but are not limited to, the risk factors described below. Any of the risk

 

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factors described below, as well as additional risks of which we are not currently aware, could also affect our business operations and have a material adverse effect on our business activities, financial condition, results of operations and prospects and cause the value of our shares to decline. Moreover, if and to the extent that any of the risks described below materialize, they may occur in combination with other risks which would compound the adverse effect of such risks on our business activities, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Investors in our shares and American Depositary Shares (“ ADSs ”) could lose all or part of their investment.

You should carefully consider the following information in conjunction with the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this document. The sequence in which the risk factors are presented below is not indicative of their likelihood of occurrence or of the potential magnitude of their financial consequences.

Risks Relating to Our Business

We are exposed to the risks of an economic recession, credit and capital market volatility and economic and financial crisis, which could adversely affect the demand for our products and adversely affect the market price of our shares and ADSs.

We are exposed to the risk of a global recession or a recession in one or more of our key markets, credit and capital market volatility and an economic or financial crisis, which could result in lower revenue and reduced profit.

Beer and soft drinks consumption in many of the jurisdictions in which we operate is closely linked to general economic conditions, with levels of consumption tending to rise during periods of rising per capita income and fall during periods of declining per capita income. Additionally, per capita consumption is inversely related to the sale price of our products.

Besides moving in concert with changes in per capita income, beer consumption also increases or decreases in accordance with changes in disposable income.

Currently, disposable income is low in many of the developing countries in which we operate compared to disposable income in more developed countries. Any decrease in disposable income resulting from an increase in inflation, income taxes, the cost of living, unemployment levels, political or economic instability or other factors would likely adversely affect demand for beer. Moreover, because a significant portion of our brand portfolio consists of premium beers, our volumes and revenue may be impacted to a greater degree than those of some of our competitors, as some consumers may choose to purchase value or discount brands rather than premium or core brands. For additional information on the categorization of the beer market and our positioning, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—2. Principal Activities and Products—Beer.”

Capital and credit market volatility, such as that experienced recently, may result in downward pressure on stock prices and credit capacity of issuers. A continuation or worsening of the levels of market disruption and volatility seen in the recent past could have an adverse effect on our ability to access capital, on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and on the market price of our shares and ADSs.

Our results of operations are affected by fluctuations in exchange rates.

Although we report our consolidated results in U.S. dollars, in 2013, we derived approximately 64.6% of our revenue from operating companies that have non-U.S. dollar functional currencies (in most cases, in the local currency of the respective operating company). Consequently, any change in exchange rates between our operating companies’ functional currencies and the U.S. dollar will affect our consolidated income statement and balance sheet when the results of those operating companies are translated into U.S. dollars for reporting purposes. Decreases in the value of our operating companies’ functional currencies against the U.S. dollar will tend to reduce those operating companies’ contributions in dollar terms to our financial condition and results of operations. For example, in January 2014, the Argentinean peso underwent a severe devaluation, which is expected to decrease the company’s net assets in Argentina. The translation of results and cash flows of the company’s Argentinean operations are also expected to be impacted.

 

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In addition to currency translation risk, we incur currency transaction risks whenever one of our operating companies enters into transactions using currencies other than their respective functional currencies, including purchase or sale transactions and the issuance or incurrence of debt. Although we have hedge policies in place to manage commodity price and foreign currency risks to protect our exposure to currencies other than our operating companies’ functional currencies, there can be no assurance that such policies will be able to successfully hedge against the effects of such foreign exchange exposure, particularly over the long-term.

Moreover, although we seek to proactively address and manage the relationship between borrowing currency liabilities and functional currency cash flows, much of our debt is denominated in U.S. dollars, while a significant portion of our cash flows are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. From time to time we enter into financial instruments to mitigate currency risk, but these transactions and any other efforts taken to better match the effective currencies of our liabilities to our cash flows could result in increased costs.

See “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments” and note 29 to our audited financial information as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, for further details on our approach to hedging commodity price and foreign currency risk.

Changes in the availability or price of raw materials, commodities and energy could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

A significant portion of our operating expenses are related to raw materials and commodities, such as malted barley, wheat, corn grits, corn syrup, rice, hops, flavored concentrate, fruit concentrate, sugar, sweetener, water, glass, polyethylene terephthalate (“ PET ”) and aluminum bottles, aluminum or steel cans and kegs, labels, plastic crates, metal and plastic closures, folding cartons, cardboard products and plastic films.

The supply and price of raw materials and commodities used for the production of our products can be affected by a number of factors beyond our control, including the level of crop production around the world, export demand, quality and availability of supply, speculative movements in the raw materials or commodities markets, currency fluctuations, governmental regulations and legislation affecting agriculture, trade agreements among producing and consuming nations, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, economic factors affecting growth decisions, political developments, various plant diseases and pests.

We cannot predict future availability or prices of the raw materials or commodities required for our products. The markets in certain raw materials or commodities have experienced and may in the future experience shortages and significant price fluctuations. The foregoing may affect the price and availability of ingredients that we use to manufacture our products, as well as the cans and bottles in which our products are packaged. We may not be able to increase our prices to offset these increased costs or increase our prices without suffering reduced volume, revenue and operating income. To some extent, derivative financial instruments and the terms of supply agreements can protect against increases in materials and commodities costs in the short term. However, derivatives and supply agreements expire and upon expiry are subject to renegotiation and therefore cannot provide complete protection over the medium or longer term. To the extent we fail to adequately manage the risks inherent in such volatility, including if our hedging and derivative arrangements do not effectively or completely hedge against changes in commodity prices, our results of operations may be adversely impacted. In addition, it is possible that the hedging and derivative instruments we use to establish the purchase price for commodities in advance of the time of delivery may lock us into prices that are ultimately higher than actual market prices at the time of delivery. See “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments” for further details on our approach to hedging commodity price risk.

The production and distribution of our products require material amounts of energy, including the consumption of oil-based products, natural gas, biomass, coal and electricity. Energy prices have been subject to significant price volatility in the recent past and may be again in the future. High energy prices over an extended period of time, as well as changes in energy taxation and regulation in certain geographies, may result in a negative effect on operating income and could potentially challenge our profitability in certain markets. There is no guarantee that we will be able to pass along increased energy costs to our customers in every case.

 

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The production of our products also requires large amounts of water, including water consumption in the agricultural supply chain. Changes in precipitation patterns and the frequency of extreme weather events may affect our water supply and, as a result, our physical operations. Water may also be subject to price increases in certain areas, and changes in water taxation and regulation in certain geographies may result in a negative effect on operating income which could potentially challenge our profitability in certain markets. There is no guarantee that we will be able to pass along increased water costs to our customers in every case.

We may not be able to obtain the necessary funding for our future capital or refinancing needs and we face financial risks due to our level of debt and uncertain market conditions.

We may be required to raise additional funds for our future capital needs or refinance our current indebtedness through public or private financing, strategic relationships or other arrangements. There can be no assurance that the funding, if needed, will be available on attractive terms, or at all. We may be required to issue additional equity under unfavorable conditions, which could dilute our existing shareholders. See “—Risks Related to Our Shares and American Depositary Shares—Future equity issuances may dilute the holdings of current shareholders or ADS holders and could materially affect the market price of our shares or ADSs.” Furthermore, any debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants.

On 26 February 2010, we entered into USD 17.2 billion of senior credit agreements, including a USD 13.0 billion senior facilities agreement (the “ 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement ”) (of which USD 10.1 billion was ultimately drawn) that consisted of a USD 8.0 billion five-year revolving credit facility and a USD 5.0 billion three-year term facility. Effective 25 July 2011, we amended the terms of the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement to provide for an extension of the USD 8.0 billion five-year revolving credit facility under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement. In connection with the amendment, we fully prepaid and terminated the USD 5.0 billion three-year term facility under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement. Effective 20 August 2013, we amended the terms of the USD 8.0 billion five-year revolving credit facility extending the provision of USD 7.2 billion to a revised maturity of July 2018. The terms of the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement, as well as its intended use, are described under “Item 10. Additional Information—C. Material Contracts.”

In connection with the publicly-announced combination with Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V. (“ Grupo Modelo ”), we entered into a USD 14.0 billion senior facilities agreement (the “ 2012 Senior Facilities Agreement ”) on 20 June 2012 that consisted of an 8.0 billion USD three-year term facility and a 6.0 billion USD term facility with a maximum maturity of two years from the funding date. In June 2013, we fully repaid the portion of the USD 14.0 billion 2012 Senior Facilities Agreement that was drawn for the combination with Grupo Modelo and terminated the USD 14.0 billion 2012 Senior Facilities Agreement.

We also access the bond markets from time to time based on our financing needs. For details of bond offerings in 2013 and the first quarter of 2014, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—G. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Funding Sources—Borrowings.”

The portion of our consolidated balance sheet represented by debt will remain significantly higher as compared to our historical position.

Our continued increased level of debt could have significant consequences, including:

 

   

increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;

 

   

limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;

 

   

impairing our ability to obtain additional financing in the future;

 

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requiring us to issue additional equity (possibly under unfavorable conditions); and

 

   

placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt.

Further, a credit rating downgrade could have a material adverse effect on our ability to finance our ongoing operations or to refinance our existing indebtedness. In addition, if we fail to comply with the covenants or other terms of any agreements governing these facilities, our lenders will have the right to accelerate the maturity of that debt.

Priority has been given to deleveraging, with surplus free cash flow being used to reduce the level of outstanding debt. Deleveraging remains a priority and may restrict the amount of dividends we are able to pay.

In the absence of appropriate external growth opportunities and subject to maintaining an optimal capital structure, increasing cash flow generation should translate into increasing cash returned to shareholders, with dividends being a more predictable growing flow, balanced with share buy-back programs. Our objective is to achieve a long term dividend yield in line with other fast moving consumer goods companies, with low volatility consistent with the non-cyclical nature of our business. In the event of a significant acquisition, we may restrict temporarily the amount of dividends we pay in order to prioritize deleveraging and maintain an optimal capital structure.

Our ability to repay and renegotiate our outstanding indebtedness will depend upon market conditions. In recent years, the global credit markets experienced significant price volatility, dislocations and liquidity disruptions that caused the cost of debt financings to fluctuate considerably. The markets also put downward pressure on stock prices and credit capacity for certain issuers without regard to those issuers’ underlying financial strength. Reflecting concern about the stability of the financial markets generally and the strength of counterparties, many lenders and institutional investors reduced, and in some cases, ceased to provide funding to borrowers. If such uncertain conditions persist, our costs could increase beyond what is anticipated. Such costs could have a material adverse impact on our cash flows, results of operations or both. In addition, an inability to refinance all or a substantial amount of our debt obligations when they become due, or more generally a failure to raise additional equity capital or debt financing or to realize proceeds from asset sales when needed, would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our results could be negatively affected by increasing interest rates.

We use issuances of debt and bank borrowings as a source of funding and we carry a significant level of debt. Nevertheless, pursuant to our capital structure policy, we aim to optimize shareholder value through cash flow distribution to us from our subsidiaries, while maintaining an investment-grade rating and minimizing cash and investments with a return below our weighted average cost of capital.

Some of the debt we have issued or incurred was issued or incurred at variable interest rates, which exposes us to changes in such interest rates. As of 31 December 2013, after certain hedging and fair value adjustments, USD 4.4 billion, or 8.9%, of our interest-bearing financial liabilities (which include loans, borrowings and bank overdrafts) bore a variable interest rate, while USD 44.7 billion, or 91.1%, bore a fixed interest rate. Moreover, a significant part of our external debt is denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies, including the euro, pounds sterling, Brazilian real and the Canadian dollar. Although we enter into interest rate swap agreements to manage our interest rate risk, and also enter into cross-currency interest rate swap agreements to manage both our foreign currency risk and interest-rate risk on interest-bearing financial liabilities, there can be no assurance that such instruments will be successful in reducing the risks inherent in exposures to interest rate fluctuations. See “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments” and note 29 to our audited financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, for further details on our approach to foreign currency and interest-rate risk.

 

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Certain of our operations depend on independent distributors or wholesalers to sell our products.

Certain of our operations are dependent on government-controlled or privately owned but independent wholesale distributors for distribution of our products for resale to retail outlets. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—7. Distribution of Products” and “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—11. Regulations Affecting Our Business” for further information in this respect. There can be no assurance as to the financial affairs of such distributors or that these distributors, who often act both for us and our competitors, will not give our competitors’ products higher priority, thereby reducing their efforts to sell our products.

In the United States, for instance, we sell substantially all of our beer to independent wholesalers for distribution to retailers and ultimately consumers. As independent companies, wholesalers make their own business decisions that may not always align themselves with our interests. If our wholesalers do not effectively distribute our products, our financial results could be adversely affected.

In addition, contractual restrictions and the regulatory environment of many markets may make it very difficult to change distributors in a number of markets. In certain cases, poor performance by a distributor or wholesaler is not a sufficient reason for replacement. Our consequent inability to replace unproductive or inefficient distributors could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

There may be changes in legislation or interpretation of legislation by regulators or courts that may prohibit or reduce the ability of brewers to own wholesalers and distributors.

In certain countries we have interests in wholesalers and distributors, and such interests may be prohibited if legislation or interpretation of legislation changes. Any limitation imposed on our ability to purchase or own any interest in distributors could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we do not successfully comply with laws and regulations designed to combat governmental corruption in countries in which we sell our products, we could become subject to fines, penalties or other regulatory sanctions and our sales and profitability could suffer.

We operate our business and market our products in certain countries that are less developed, have less stability in legal systems and financial markets, and are potentially more corrupt business environments than Europe and the United States, and therefore present greater political, economic and operational risks. Although we are committed to conducting business in a legal and ethical manner in compliance with local and international statutory requirements and standards applicable to our business, there is a risk that the employees or representatives of our subsidiaries, affiliates, associates, joint-ventures or other business interests may take actions that violate applicable laws and regulations that generally prohibit the making of improper payments to foreign government officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business, including laws relating to the 1997 OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act. In respect of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, we have been informed by the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that they are conducting an investigation into the relationships of our affiliates in India, including our non-consolidated Indian joint venture. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal and Arbitration Proceedings.”

Competition could lead to a reduction of our margins, increase costs and adversely affect our profitability.

We compete with both brewers and other drinks companies and our products compete with other beverages. Globally, brewers, as well as other players in the beverage industry, compete mainly on the basis of brand image, price, quality, distribution networks and customer service. Consolidation has significantly increased the capital base and geographic reach of our competitors in some of the markets in which we operate, and competition is expected to increase further as the trend towards consolidation among companies in the beverage industry continues. Consolidation activity has also increased along our distribution channels – in the case of both on-trade points of sale, such as pub companies, and off-trade retailers, such as supermarkets. Such consolidation could increase the purchasing power of players in our distribution channels.

 

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Competition may divert consumers and customers from our products. Competition in our various markets and increased purchasing power of players in our distribution channels could cause us to reduce pricing, increase capital investment, increase marketing and other expenditures, prevent us from increasing prices to recover higher costs, and thereby cause us to reduce margins or lose market share. Moreover, because we rely on only a limited number of brands across a limited number of markets for the majority of our sales, any dilution of our brands as a result of competitive trends could also lead to a significant erosion of our profitability. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Innovation faces inherent risks, and the new products we introduce may not be successful, while competitors may be able to respond quicker than we can to emerging trends, such as the increasing consumer preference for “craft beers” produced by smaller microbreweries.

Additionally, the absence of level playing fields in some markets and the lack of transparency, or even certain unfair or illegal practices, such as tax evasion and corruption, may skew the competitive environment in favor of our competitors, with material adverse effects on our profitability or ability to operate.

The ability of our subsidiaries to distribute cash upstream may be subject to various conditions and limitations.

To a large extent, we are organized as a holding company and our operations are carried out through subsidiaries. Our domestic and foreign subsidiaries’ and affiliated companies’ ability to upstream or distribute cash (to be used, among other things, to meet our financial obligations) through dividends, intercompany advances, management fees and other payments is, to a large extent, dependent on the availability of cash flows at the level of such domestic and foreign subsidiaries and affiliated companies and may be restricted by applicable laws and accounting principles. In particular, 37.3% (USD 16.1 billion) of our total revenue of USD 43.2 billion in 2013 came from our Brazilian listed subsidiary Ambev S.A. (“ Ambev ”), which is not wholly owned and is listed on the São Paulo Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. In addition to the above, some of our subsidiaries are subject to laws restricting their ability to pay dividends or the amount of dividends they may pay. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—G. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Transfers from Subsidiaries” and “Item 10. Additional Information—F. Dividends and Paying Agents” for further information in this respect.

If we are not able to obtain sufficient cash flows from our domestic and foreign subsidiaries and affiliated companies, this could adversely impact our ability to pay dividends, and otherwise negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

An inability to reduce costs could affect profitability.

Our future success and earnings growth depend in part on our ability to be efficient in producing, advertising and selling our products and services. We are pursuing a number of initiatives to improve operational efficiency. Failure to generate significant cost savings and margin improvement through these initiatives could adversely affect our profitability and our ability to achieve our financial goals.

We are exposed to emerging market risks, including the risks of devaluation, nationalization and inflation.

A substantial proportion of our operations, representing approximately 52.0% of our 2013 revenue, are carried out in emerging markets, including Brazil (which represents 23.7% of our revenue), Argentina, China, Mexico, Russia, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Ukraine. We also have equity investments in brewers in China.

Our operations and equity investments in these markets are subject to the customary risks of operating in developing countries, which include potential political and economic uncertainty, application of exchange controls, nationalization or expropriation, crime and lack of law enforcement, political insurrection, external interference, financial risks, changes in government policy, political and economic changes, changes in the relations between the

 

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countries, actions of governmental authorities affecting trade and foreign investment, regulations on repatriation of funds, interpretation and application of local laws and regulations, enforceability of intellectual property and contract rights, local labor conditions and regulations. Such factors could affect our results by causing interruptions to our operations or by increasing the costs of operating in those countries or by limiting our ability to repatriate profits from those countries. Financial risks of operating in emerging markets also include risks of liquidity, inflation (for example, Brazil, Argentina and Russia have periodically experienced extremely high rates of inflation), devaluation (for example, the Brazilian and Argentine currencies have been devalued frequently during the last several decades, and the Argentinean peso underwent a severe devaluation in January 2014), price volatility, currency convertibility and country default. These various factors could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. Due to our geographic mix, these factors could affect us more than our competitors with less exposure to emerging markets, and any general decline in emerging markets as a whole could impact us disproportionately compared to our competitors.

Economic and political events in Argentina may adversely affect our Argentina operations.

We indirectly own 100% of the total share capital of a holding company with operating subsidiaries in Argentina and other South American countries, the net revenues of which corresponded to 4.6% of our total revenue and 3.6% of our EBITDA, as defined, for the year ended 31 December 2013. For our definition of EBITDA, as defined, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—E. Results of Operations—Year Ended 31 December 2013 Compared to the Year Ended 31 December 2012—EBITDA, as defined.” In the past, the Argentine economic and social situation has rapidly deteriorated, and may quickly deteriorate in the future; we cannot assure you that the Argentine economy will not rapidly deteriorate as it has in the past. The political instability, fluctuations in the economy, governmental actions concerning the economy of Argentina, the devaluation of the Argentine peso, inflation and deteriorating macroeconomic conditions in Argentina could indeed have a material adverse effect on our Latin America South operations, their financial condition and their results. In addition, if the economic or political situation in Argentina deteriorates, our Latin America South operations may be subject to additional restrictions under new foreign exchange, export repatriation or expropriation regimes that could adversely affect our liquidity and operations, and our ability to access such funds from Argentina. In January 2014, the Argentinean peso underwent a severe devaluation. The 2013 Argentinean full year results were translated at an average rate of 5.4466 Argentinean pesos per US dollar. The 2014 devaluation, and further devaluations in the future, if any, is expected to decrease the company’s net assets in Argentina, with a balancing entry in the equity of the company.

Political events in Ukraine may adversely affect our operations in Ukraine and in surrounding countries.

We indirectly own 98.3% of the total share capital of SUN InBev Ukraine OJSC in Ukraine, the net revenues of which corresponded to 1.0% of our total revenue and 0.2% of our EBITDA, as defined, for the year ended 2013. We also own and operate beer production facilities in Ukraine. Severe political instability threatens Ukraine following civilian riots, which began in November 2013, the ouster of the Ukrainian President in February 2014, and the subsequent military action in the destabilized country operating under a temporary government. Continued political instability, deteriorating macroeconomic conditions and actual or threatened military action in the region could have a material adverse effect on our subsidiaries’ operations in the region and on the results of operations of our Europe segment.

We may not be able to successfully carry out further acquisitions and business integrations or restructuring.

We have made in the past and may make in the future acquisitions of, investments in, joint ventures and similar arrangements with, other companies and businesses. We cannot make such further transactions unless we can identify suitable candidates and agree on the terms with them. After completion of a transaction, we may be required to integrate the acquired companies, businesses or operations into our existing operations. In addition, such transactions may involve the assumption of certain actual or potential, known or unknown liabilities, which may have a potential impact on our financial risk profile. Further, the price we may pay in any future transaction may prove to be too high as a result of various factors, such as a significant change in market conditions, the limited opportunity to conduct due diligence prior to a purchase or unexpected changes in the acquired business.

 

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Our combination with Grupo Modelo has exposed us to risks related to the significant costs and potential difficulties in integration of Grupo Modelo into our existing operations and the extraction of synergies from the transaction.

Achieving the advantages of the combination with Grupo Modelo will depend partly on the rapid and efficient combination of our activities with Grupo Modelo, two companies of considerable size which functioned independently and were incorporated in different countries, with geographically dispersed operations, and with different business cultures and compensation structures.

The integration process involves inherent costs and uncertainties and there is no assurance that the combination with Grupo Modelo will achieve the anticipated business growth opportunities, cost savings, increased profits, synergies and other benefits we anticipate. We remain committed to delivering at least USD 1 billion in cost synergies by the end of 2016, with the majority of that by the end of 2015, and we believe the consideration paid for the combination with Grupo Modelo is justified, in part, by the business growth opportunities, cost savings, increased profits, synergies, revenue benefits and other benefits Grupo Modelo expects to achieve by combining its operations with ours. However, these expected business growth opportunities, cost savings, increased profits, synergies and other benefits may not develop, and the assumptions upon which we determined the consideration paid for the combination with Grupo Modelo may prove to be incorrect.

Implementation of the combination with Grupo Modelo and the successful integration of Grupo Modelo will also require a significant amount of management time and, thus, may affect or impair management’s ability to run the business effectively during the period of the combination with Grupo Modelo and integration. In addition, we may not have, or be able to retain, employees with the appropriate skill sets for the tasks associated with our integration plan, which could adversely affect the integration of Grupo Modelo.

Although the estimated expense savings and revenue synergies contemplated by the combination with Grupo Modelo are significant, there can be no assurance that we will realize these benefits in the time expected or at all. Any failures, material delays or unexpected costs of the integration process could therefore have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Obligations under the Modelo settlement agreement.

The settlement agreement we reached with the U.S. Department of Justice in relation to the combination with Grupo Modelo, includes a three-year transition services agreement to ensure the smooth transition of the operation of the Piedras Negras brewery as well as certain distribution guarantees for Constellation Brands, Inc. in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam. Our compliance with our obligations under the settlement agreement is monitored by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Monitoring Trustee appointed by them. Were we to fail to fulfill our obligations under the settlement, whether intentionally or inadvertently, we could be subject to monetary fines. See “Item 10. Additional Information—C. Material Contracts—Grupo Modelo Settlement Agreement.”

An impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We have recognized significant goodwill on our balance sheet through acquisitions. For example, as a result of the combination with Grupo Modelo in 2013, we recognized USD 19.6 billion of goodwill on our balance sheet and recorded several brands from the Grupo Modelo business (including brands in the Corona brand family among others) as intangible assets with indefinite life with a fair value of USD 4.7 billion. Similarly, as a result of the 2008 Anheuser-Busch acquisition, we recognized USD 32.9 billion of goodwill on our balance sheet and recorded several brands from the Anheuser-Busch business (including brands in the Budweiser brand family among others) as intangible assets with indefinite life with a fair value of USD 21.4 billion. As of 31 December 2013, goodwill amounted to USD 70.0 billion and intangible assets with indefinite life amounted to USD 27.6 billion. If our business does not develop as expected, impairment charges may be incurred in the future that could be significant and that could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

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We rely on the reputation of our brands.

Our success depends on our ability to maintain and enhance the image and reputation of our existing products and to develop a favorable image and reputation for new products. The image and reputation of our products may be reduced in the future; concerns about product quality, even when unfounded, could tarnish the image and reputation of our products. For example, in late February 2013, lawsuits were filed against us (which we will vigorously defend against) relating to the alcohol-by-volume in several of our beer brands that allege that the products contain lower alcohol-by-volume levels than what is stated on the labels. An event, or series of events, that materially damages the reputation of one or more of our brands could have an adverse effect on the value of that brand and subsequent revenues from that brand or business. Restoring the image and reputation of our products may be costly and may not be possible.

Moreover, our marketing efforts are subject to restrictions on the permissible advertising style, media and messages used. In a number of countries, for example, television is a prohibited medium for advertising alcoholic beverage products, and in other countries, television advertising, while permitted, is carefully regulated. Any additional restrictions in such countries, or the introduction of similar restrictions in other countries, may constrain our brand building potential and thus reduce the value of our brands and related revenues.

Negative publicity, perceived health risks and associated government regulation may harm our business.

Media coverage, and publicity generally, can exert significant influence on consumer behavior and actions. If the social acceptability of beer or soft drinks were to decline significantly, sales of our products could materially decrease. In recent years, there has been increased public and political attention directed at the alcoholic beverage and food and soft drink industries. This attention is the result of health concerns related to the harmful use of alcohol, including drunk driving, excessive, abusive and underage drinking, as well as health concerns such as obesity and diabetes related to the overconsumption of food and soft drinks. Negative publicity regarding alcohol or soft drink consumption, publication of studies that indicate a significant health risk from consumption of alcohol or soft drinks, or changes in consumer perceptions in relation to alcohol or soft drinks generally could adversely affect the sale and consumption of our products and could harm our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition as consumers and customers change their purchasing patterns. For example in May 2013, the World Health Assembly endorsed the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) 2013–2020. The harmful use of alcohol has been cited as a risk factor for NCDs. The action plan for NCDs calls for at least a 10% relative reduction in the harmful use of alcohol, as appropriate, within national contexts.

As a further example, the Russian authorities have adopted legislative changes linked to concerns about the harmful use of alcohol. In 2012, Russia adopted bans on the sale of beer in kiosks and the sale of beer between the hours of 11:00 pm and 8:00 am, a ban on beer advertisements on television, internet, printed media, radio and outdoor beer advertisements and a further increase in excise taxes. Between 2009 and 2014, the beer excise rate increased six times—from RUB 3/liter (USD .09/liter) to RUB 18/liter (USD .55/liter). Other legislative proposals discussed in Russia include a ban on PET packaging and restriction of PET packaging, stricter regulations on the ingredients and definition of “beer” and, new labelling and health warning requirements, and an increase in the minimum drinking age. Similarly, in the Ukraine, the excise tax rate increased in 2013 from UAH 0.81/liter (USD .10/liter) to UAH 0.87/liter (USD .11/liter), and in early 2014, the government proposed a draft law with another excise increase of just over 8%, in line with estimated inflation. The Ukrainian government also continues to look at proposals such as banning the sale of beer in kiosks and other points of sale close to social institutions, banning beer advertising and further increasing excise taxes.

Concerns over alcohol abuse and underage drinking have also caused governments, including those in Argentina, Brazil, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, to consider measures such as increased taxation, implementation of minimum alcohol pricing regimes or other restrictions upon our commercial freedoms.

Key brand names are used by us, our subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures, and are licensed to third-party brewers. To the extent that we, one of our subsidiaries, associates, joint ventures or licensees are subject to negative publicity, and the negative publicity causes consumers and customers to change their purchasing patterns, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. As we

 

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continue to expand our operations into emerging and growth markets, there is a greater risk that we may be subject to negative publicity, in particular in relation to labor rights and local work conditions. Negative publicity that materially damages the reputation of one or more of our brands could have an adverse effect on the value of that brand and subsequent revenues from that brand or business, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Demand for our products may be adversely affected by changes in consumer preferences and tastes.

We depend on our ability to satisfy consumer preferences and tastes. Consumer preferences and tastes can change in unpredictable ways due to a variety of factors, such as changes in demographics, consumer health and wellness, concerns about obesity or alcohol consumption, product attributes and ingredients, changes in travel, vacation or leisure activity patterns, weather, negative publicity resulting from regulatory action or litigation against us or comparable companies or a downturn in economic conditions. Consumers also may begin to prefer the products of competitors or may generally reduce their demand for products in the category. Failure by us to anticipate or respond adequately either to changes in consumer preferences and tastes or to developments in new forms of media and marketing could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Seasonal consumption cycles and adverse weather conditions may result in fluctuations in demand for our products.

Seasonal consumption cycles and adverse weather conditions in the markets in which we operate may have an impact on our operations. This is particularly true in the summer months, when unseasonably cool or wet weather can affect sales volumes. Demand for beer is normally more depressed in our major markets in the Northern Hemisphere during the first and fourth quarters of each year, and our consolidated net revenue from those markets is therefore normally lower during this time. Although this risk is somewhat mitigated by our relatively balanced footprint in both hemispheres, we are relatively more exposed to the markets in the Northern Hemisphere than to the markets in the Southern Hemisphere, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Climate change, or legal, regulatory or market measures to address climate change, may negatively affect our business or operations, and water scarcity or poor quality could negatively impact our production costs and capacity.

There is a growing concern that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may have an adverse impact on global temperatures, weather patterns and the frequency and severity of extreme weather and natural disasters. In the event that such climate change has a negative effect on agricultural productivity, we may be subject to decreased availability or less favorable pricing for certain agricultural commodities that are necessary for our products, such as barley, hops, sugar and corn. In addition, public expectations for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions could result in increased energy, transportation and raw material costs and may require us to make additional investments in facilities and equipment due to increased regulatory pressures. As a result, the effects of climate change could have a long-term, material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

We also face water scarcity risks. The availability of clean water is a limited resource in many parts of the world, facing unprecedented challenges from climate change and the resulting change in precipitation patterns and frequency of extreme weather, overexploitation, increasing pollution, and poor water management. As demand for water continues to increase around the world, and as water becomes scarcer and the quality of available water deteriorates, we may be affected by increasing production costs or capacity constraints, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We are required to report greenhouse gas emissions, energy data and other related information to a variety of entities, and to comply with the wider obligations of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme ( ETS ). Potential risks might be incurred if we were not able to measure, track and disclose information accurately and in a timely manner, and the EU ETS could result in increased operational costs if we were unable to meet our compliance obligations and exceed emission allocations. There is also a risk of new environmental regulation in many geographies where we operate, including the EU and the U.S.

 

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If any of our products is defective or found to contain contaminants, we may be subject to product recalls or other liabilities.

We take precautions to ensure that our beverage products are free from contaminants and that our packaging materials (such as bottles, crowns, cans and other containers) are free of defects. Such precautions include quality-control programs and various technologies for primary materials, the production process and our final products. We have established procedures to correct problems detected.

In the event that contamination or a defect does occur in the future, it may lead to business interruptions, product recalls or liability, each of which could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Although we maintain insurance policies against certain product liability (but not product recall) risks, we may not be able to enforce our rights in respect of these policies, and, in the event that contamination or a defect occurs, any amounts that we recover may not be sufficient to offset any damage we may suffer, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights.

Our future success depends significantly on our ability to protect our current and future brands and products and to defend our intellectual property rights, including trademarks, patents, domain names, trade secrets and know-how. We have been granted numerous trademark registrations covering our brands and products and have filed, and expect to continue to file, trademark and patent applications seeking to protect newly developed brands and products. We cannot be sure that trademark and patent registrations will be issued with respect to any of our applications. There is also a risk that we could, by omission, fail to renew a trademark or patent on a timely basis or that our competitors will challenge, invalidate or circumvent any existing or future trademarks and patents issued to, or licensed by, us.

Although we have taken appropriate action to protect our portfolio of intellectual property rights (including trademark registration and domain names), we cannot be certain that the steps we have taken will be sufficient or that third parties will not infringe upon or misappropriate proprietary rights. Moreover, some of the countries in which we operate offer less efficient intellectual property protection than is available in Europe or the United States. If we are unable to protect our proprietary rights against infringement or misappropriation, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition, and in particular, on our ability to develop our business.

We rely on key third parties, including key suppliers, and the termination or modification of the arrangements with such third parties could negatively affect our business.

We rely on key third-party suppliers, including third-party suppliers for a range of raw materials for beer and soft drinks such as malted barley, corn grits, corn syrup, rice, hops, water, flavored concentrate, fruit concentrate, sugar and sweetener, and for packaging material, such as glass, PET and aluminum bottles, aluminum or steel cans and kegs, labels, plastic crates, metal and plastic closures, folding cartons, cardboard products and plastic films.

We seek to limit our exposure to market fluctuations in these supplies by entering into medium- and long-term fixed-price arrangements. We have a limited number of suppliers of aluminum cans and glass bottles. Consolidation of the aluminum can industry, and glass bottle industry in certain markets in which we operate has reduced local supply alternatives and increased the risk of disruption to aluminum can, and glass bottle supplies. Although we generally have other suppliers of raw materials and packaging materials, the termination of or material change to arrangements with certain key suppliers, disagreements with suppliers as to payment or other terms, or the failure of a key supplier to meet our contractual obligations or otherwise deliver materials consistent with current usage would or may require us to make purchases from alternative suppliers, in each case at potentially higher prices than those agreed with this supplier, and this could have a material impact on our production, distribution and sale of beer and soft drinks and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

 

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A number of our key brand names are both licensed to third-party brewers and used by companies over which we do not have control. For instance, Budweiser is licensed to third parties in, amongst other countries, Argentina, Japan, South Korea, Panama, Italy, Ireland and Spain. Stella Artois is licensed to third parties in Algeria, Australia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, New Zealand, and Romania, and Corona is licensed to Constellation Brands, Inc. for marketing and sales in fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam, as well as related production in Mexico for those marketing and sales efforts. Corona is also distributed by third parties in over 100 countries worldwide, including Australia and New Zealand. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—8. Licensing” for more information in this respect.

We monitor brewing quality to ensure our high standards. To the extent that one of these key brand names or our joint ventures, investments in companies in which we do not own a controlling interest and our licensees are subject to negative publicity, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

For certain packaging supplies and raw materials, we rely on a small number of important suppliers. If these suppliers became unable to continue to meet our requirements, and we are unable to develop alternative sources of supply, our operations and financial results could be adversely affected.

The consolidation of retailers may adversely affect us.

The retail industry in Europe and in many countries in which we operate continues to consolidate. Large retailers may seek to improve profitability and sales by asking for lower prices or increased trade spending. The efforts of retailers could result in reduced profitability for the beer industry as a whole and indirectly adversely affect our financial results.

We could incur significant costs as a result of compliance with, and/or violations of or liabilities under, various regulations that govern our operations.

Our business is highly regulated in many of the countries in which we or our licensed third partners operate. The regulations adopted by the authorities in these countries govern many parts of our operations, including brewing, marketing and advertising (in particular to ensure our advertising is directed to individuals of legal drinking age), transportation, distributor relationships and sales. We may be subject to claims that we have not complied with existing laws and regulations, which could result in fines, penalties or loss of operating licenses. We are also routinely subject to new or modified laws and regulations with which we must comply in order to avoid claims, fines and other penalties, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. We may also be subject to laws and regulations aimed at reducing the availability of beer products in some of our markets to address alcohol abuse and other social issues. There can be no assurance that we will not incur material costs or liabilities in connection with compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, or that such regulation will not interfere with our beer or soft drinks businesses.

Our facilities in the United States are subject to federal, state and local environmental protection laws and regulations. We comply with these laws and regulations or are currently taking action to comply with them.

Certain U.S. states and various countries have adopted laws and regulations that require deposits on beverages or establish refillable bottle systems. Such laws generally increase beer prices above the costs of deposit and may result in sales declines. The United States Congress and other states continue to consider similar legislation, the adoption of which would impose higher operating costs on us while depressing sales volume.

The level of regulation to which our businesses are subject can be affected by changes in the public perception of beer and soft drinks consumption. In recent years, there has been increased social and political attention in certain countries directed at the alcoholic beverage and soft drinks industries, and governmental bodies may respond to any public criticism by implementing further regulatory restrictions on advertising, opening hours,

 

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drinking ages or marketing activities (including the marketing or selling of beer at sporting events). Such public concern and any resulting restrictions may cause the social acceptability of beer or soft drinks to decline significantly and consumption trends to shift away from these products, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For common regulations and restrictions on us, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—11. Regulations Affecting Our Business” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—A. Key Factors Affecting Results of Operations—Governmental Regulations.”

We are exposed to the risk of litigation.

We are now and may in the future be party to legal proceedings and claims and significant damages may be asserted against us. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal and Arbitration Proceedings” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—H. Contractual Obligations and Contingencies—Contingencies” and note 32 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for a description of certain material contingencies which we believe are reasonably possible (but not probable) to be realized. Given the inherent uncertainty of litigation, it is possible that we might incur liabilities as a consequence of the proceedings and claims brought against us, including those that are not currently believed by us to be reasonably possible.

Moreover, companies in the alcoholic beverage industry and soft drinks industry are, from time to time, exposed to collective suits (class actions) or other litigation relating to alcohol advertising, alcohol abuse problems or health consequences from the excessive consumption of alcohol and soft drinks. As an illustration, certain beer and alcoholic beverage producers from Brazil, Canada, Europe and the United States have been involved in class actions and other litigation seeking damages for, among other things, alleged marketing of alcoholic beverages to underage consumers. If any of these types of litigation were to result in fines, damages or reputational damage for us, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal and Arbitration Proceedings” for additional information on litigation matters.

The beer and beverage industry may be subject to adverse changes in taxation.

Taxation on our beer and non-beer products in the countries in which we operate is comprised of different taxes specific to each jurisdiction, such as excise and other indirect taxes. In many jurisdictions, such excise and other indirect taxes make up a large proportion of the cost of beer charged to customers. Increases in excise and other indirect taxes applicable to our products either on an absolute basis or relative to the levels applicable to other beverages tend to adversely affect our revenue or margins, both by reducing overall consumption of our products and by encouraging consumers to switch to other categories of beverages. These increases also adversely affect the affordability of our products and our profitability. In 2013, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and Peru increased beer excise taxes.

In Russia, between 2009 and 2014, the beer excise rate increased six times—from RUB 3/liter (USD .09/liter) to RUB 18/liter (USD .55/liter). Similarly, in the Ukraine, the excise tax rate increased in 2013 from UAH 0.81/liter (USD .10/liter) to UAH 0.87/liter (USD .11/liter), and in early 2014, the government proposed a draft law with another excise increase of just over 8%, in line with estimated inflation. Another relevant tax increase in Ukraine came into effect on 1 January 2011, when the water tax further increased by 65%. These tax increases have resulted in significant price increases in both countries, and continue to reduce our sales of beer. See “—Negative publicity, perceived health risks and associated government regulation may harm our business.

In the United States, the brewing industry is subject to significant taxation. The U.S. federal government currently levies an excise tax of USD 18 per barrel (equivalent to 1.1734776 hectoliters) on beer sold for consumption in the United States. All states also levy excise and/or sales taxes on alcoholic beverages. From time to time, there are proposals to increase these taxes, and in the future these taxes could increase. Increases in excise taxes on alcohol could adversely affect our United States business and its profitability. In 2013, Rhode Island increased its beer excise tax rate from USD 3 per barrel to USD 3.30 per barrel.

 

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Minimum pricing is another form of fiscal regulation that can affect our company’s profitability. In 2012, the Scottish Government legislated to introduce a minimum unit price for alcoholic beverages. However, the implementation faces a delay, as the measure has been challenged in the Scottish courts and at the EU level. In November 2012, the UK Government published for consultation its own proposal to introduce a minimum unit price for alcoholic beverages, and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are also considering introducing a cross-border minimum unit price for alcoholic beverages; following the consultation, in July 2013, the UK government decided not to pursue minimum pricing. In October 2013, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland decided to implement a cross-border minimum unit price for alcoholic beverages calculated on a sale price per gram of alcohol, although the question of legality under EU law remains to be determined.

Proposals to increase excise or other indirect taxes, including legislation regarding minimum alcohol pricing, may result from the current economic climate and may also be influenced by changes in the public perception regarding the consumption of alcohol and soft drinks. To the extent that the effect of the tax reforms described above or other proposed changes to excise and other indirect duties in the countries in which we operate is to increase the total burden of indirect taxation on our products, the results of our operations in those countries could be adversely affected.

In addition to excise and other indirect duties, we are subject to income and other taxes in the countries in which we operate. There can be no assurance that the operations of our breweries and other facilities will not become subject to increased taxation by national, local or foreign authorities or that we and our subsidiaries will not become subject to higher corporate income tax rates or to new or modified taxation regulations and requirements. Any such increases or changes in taxation would tend to adversely impact our results of operations.

We are exposed to antitrust and competition laws in certain jurisdictions and the risk of changes in such laws or in the interpretation and enforcement of existing antitrust and competition laws.

We are subject to antitrust and competition laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate, and in a number of jurisdictions we produce and/or sell a significant portion of the beer consumed. Consequently, we may be subject to regulatory scrutiny in certain of these jurisdictions. For instance, our Brazilian listed subsidiary, Ambev, has been subject to monitoring by antitrust authorities in Brazil (see “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal and Arbitration Proceedings—Ambev and its Subsidiaries—Antitrust Matters”). There can be no assurance that the introduction of new competition laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate, the interpretation of existing antitrust or competition laws or the enforcement of existing antitrust or competition laws, or any agreements with antitrust or competition authorities, against us or our subsidiaries, including Ambev, will not affect our business or the businesses of our subsidiaries in the future.

Our operations are subject to environmental regulations, which could expose us to significant compliance costs and litigation relating to environmental issues.

Our operations are subject to environmental regulations by national, state and local agencies, including, in certain cases, regulations that impose liability without regard to fault. These regulations can result in liability which might adversely affect our operations. The environmental regulatory climate in the markets in which we operate is becoming stricter, with a greater emphasis on enforcement.

While we have continuously invested in reducing our environmental risks and budgeted for future capital and operating expenditures to maintain compliance with environmental laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that we will not incur substantial environmental liability or that applicable environmental laws and regulations will not change or become more stringent in the future.

 

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We operate a joint venture in Cuba, in which the Government of Cuba is our joint venture partner. Cuba has been identified by the U.S. Department of State as a state sponsor of terrorism and is targeted by broad and comprehensive economic and trade sanctions of the United States. Our operations in Cuba may adversely affect our reputation and the liquidity and value of our securities.

On January 28, 2014, a subsidiary of our subsidiary Ambev acquired from us a 50% equity interest in Cerveceria Bucanero S.A., a Cuban company in the business of producing and selling beer. Consequently, we indirectly own, through our subsidiary Ambev, a 50% equity interest in Cerveceria Bucanero S.A. The other 50% equity interest is owned by the Government of Cuba. Cerveceria Bucanero S.A. is operated as a joint venture in which Ambev appoints the general manager. Cerveceria Bucanero S.A.’s main brands are Bucanero and Cristal. In 2013, Cerveceria Bucanero S.A. sold 1.3 million hectoliters, representing about 0.3% of our global volume of 426 million hectoliters for the year. Although Cerveceria Bucanero S.A.’s production is primarily sold in Cuba, a small portion of its production is exported to and sold by certain distributors in other countries outside Cuba (but not the United States). Cerveceria Bucanero S.A. also imports and sells in Cuba a quantity of Beck’s branded products produced by one of our German subsidiaries that is less than 5,000 hectoliters.

Cuba has been identified by the United States government as a state sponsor of terrorism, and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.S. Commerce Department together administer and enforce broad and comprehensive economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba. Although our operations in Cuba are quantitatively immaterial, our overall business reputation may suffer or we may face additional regulatory scrutiny as a result of our activities in Cuba based on Cuba’s identification as a state sponsor of terrorism and target of U.S. economic and trade sanctions. In addition, there are initiatives by federal and state lawmakers in the United States, and certain U.S. institutional investors, including pension funds, to adopt laws, regulations or policies requiring divestment from, or reporting of interests in, or to facilitate divestment from, companies that do business with countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism, including Cuba. If investors decide to liquidate or otherwise divest their investments in companies that have operations of any magnitude in Cuba, the market in and value of our securities could be adversely impacted.

In addition, the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (known as the “ Helms-Burton Act ”) authorizes private lawsuits for damages against anyone who traffics in property confiscated without compensation by the Government of Cuba from persons who at the time were, or have since become, nationals of the United States. Although this section of the Helms-Burton Act is currently suspended by discretionary presidential action, the suspension may not continue in the future. Claims accrue notwithstanding the suspension and may be asserted if the suspension is discontinued. The Helms-Burton Act also includes a section that authorizes the U.S. Department of State to prohibit entry into the United States of non-U.S. persons who traffic in confiscated property, and corporate officers and principals of such persons, and their families. In 2009, we received notice of a claim purporting to be made under the Helms-Burton Act relating to the use of a trademark by Cerveceria Bucanero S.A., which is alleged to have been confiscated by the Cuban government and trafficked by us through our ownership and management of Cerveceria Bucanero S.A. Although we have attempted to review and evaluate the validity of the claim, due to the uncertain underlying circumstances, we are currently unable to express a view as to the validity of such claims, or as to the standing of the claimants to pursue them.

We may not be able to recruit or retain key personnel.

In order to develop, support and market our products, we must hire and retain skilled employees with particular expertise. The implementation of our strategic business plans could be undermined by a failure to recruit or retain key personnel or the unexpected loss of senior employees, including in acquired companies. We face various challenges inherent in the management of a large number of employees over diverse geographical regions. It is not certain that we will be able to attract or retain key employees and successfully manage them, which could disrupt our business and have an unfavorable material effect on our financial position, income from operations and competitive position.

 

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We are exposed to labor strikes and disputes that could lead to a negative impact on our costs and production level.

Our success depends on maintaining good relations with our workforce. In several of our operations, a majority of our workforce is unionized. For instance, a majority of the hourly employees at our breweries in several key countries in different geographies are represented by unions. Our production may be affected by work stoppages or slowdowns as a result of disputes under existing collective labor agreements with labor unions. We may not be able to satisfactorily renegotiate our collective labor agreements when they expire and may face tougher negotiations or higher wage and benefit demands. Furthermore, a work stoppage or slowdown at our facilities could interrupt the transport of raw materials from our suppliers or the transport of our products to our customers. Such disruptions could put a strain on our relationships with suppliers and clients and may have lasting effects on our business even after the disputes with our labor force have been resolved, including as a result of negative publicity.

Our production may also be affected by work stoppages or slowdowns that affect our suppliers, distributors and retail delivery/logistics providers as a result of disputes under existing collective labor agreements with labor unions, in connection with negotiations of new collective labor agreements, as a result of supplier financial distress, or for other reasons.

A strike, work stoppage or slowdown within our operations or those of our suppliers, or an interruption or shortage of raw materials for any other reason (including but not limited to financial distress, natural disaster, or difficulties affecting a supplier) could have a material adverse effect on our earnings, financial condition and ability to operate our business.

Our United States organization has approximately 4,300 hourly brewery workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Their compensation and other terms of employment are governed by collective bargaining agreements negotiated between the company and the Teamsters. The current collective bargaining agreements were scheduled to expire on February 28, 2014, but have been renewed to March 31, 2014. We are currently negotiating with the Teamsters concerning the terms of new collective bargaining agreements. We and the Teamsters have jointly announced that we expect to reach new agreements in a timely manner.

Information technology failures could disrupt our operations.

We rely on information technology systems to process, transmit, and store electronic information. A significant portion of the communication between our personnel, customers, and suppliers depends on information technology. As with all large systems, our information systems may be vulnerable to a variety of interruptions due to events beyond our control, including, but not limited to, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hackers or other security issues.

We depend on information technology to enable us to operate efficiently and interface with customers, as well as to maintain in-house management and control. We have also entered into various information technology services agreements pursuant to which our information technology infrastructure is outsourced to leading vendors.

In addition, the concentration of processes in shared services centers means that any technology disruption could impact a large portion of our business within the operating zones served. If we do not allocate, and effectively manage, the resources necessary to build and sustain the proper technology infrastructure, we could be subject to transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, loss of customers, business disruptions, or the loss of or damage to intellectual property through security breach. As with all information technology systems, our system could also be penetrated by outside parties intent on extracting information, corrupting information or disrupting business processes.

We take various actions with the aim of minimizing potential technology disruptions, such as investing in intrusion detection solutions, proceeding with internal and external security assessments, building and implementing disaster recovery plans and reviewing risk management processes. Notwithstanding our efforts, technology disruptions could disrupt our business. For example, if outside parties gained access to confidential data or strategic information and appropriated such information or made such information public, this could harm our reputation or our competitive advantage. More generally, technology disruptions could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.

 

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We experience from time to time attempted breaches of our technology systems and networks. In 2012, we experienced and expect to continue experiencing attempted breaches of our technology systems and networks. None of the attempted breaches on our systems (as a result of cyber-attacks, security breaches or similar events) had a material impact on our business or operations or resulted in material unauthorized access to our data.

Natural and other disasters could disrupt our operations.

Our business and operating results could be negatively impacted by social, technical or physical risks such as earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, fire, power loss, loss of water supply, telecommunications and information technology system failures, political instability, military conflict and uncertainties arising from terrorist attacks, including a global economic slowdown, the economic consequences of any military action and associated political instability.

Our insurance coverage may not be sufficient.

The cost of some of our insurance policies could increase in the future. In addition, some types of losses, such as losses resulting from wars, acts of terrorism, or natural disasters, generally are not insured because they are either uninsurable or it is not economically practical to obtain insurance. Moreover, insurers recently have become more reluctant to insure against these types of events. In addition to maintaining insurance policies to cover various risks, we also use self-insurance in certain areas. Should an uninsured loss (self-insured risks) or a loss in excess of insured limits occur, this could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The audit report included in this annual report is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, you are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

Auditors of companies that are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and traded publicly in the United States, including our independent registered public accounting firm, must be registered with the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “ PCAOB ”) and are required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess their compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Because our auditors are located in Belgium, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Belgian authorities, our auditors are not currently inspected by the PCAOB.

This lack of PCAOB inspections in Belgium prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating audits and quality control procedures of any auditors operating in Belgium, including our auditors. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.

The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in Belgium makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of Belgium that are subject to PCAOB inspections.

Risks Related to Our Shares and American Depositary Shares

The market price of our shares and ADSs may be volatile.

The market price of our shares and ADSs may be volatile as a result of various factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

   

market expectations for our financial performance;

 

   

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our results of operations and financial condition;

 

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changes in the estimates of our results of operations by securities analysts;

 

   

potential or actual sales of blocks of our shares or ADSs in the market by any shareholder or short selling of our shares or ADSs. Any such transaction could occur at any time or from time to time, with or without notice;

 

   

the entrance of new competitors or new products in the markets in which we operate;

 

   

volatility in the market as a whole or investor perception of the beverage industry or of our competitors; and

 

   

the risk factors mentioned in this section.

The market price of our shares and ADSs may be adversely affected by any of the preceding or other factors regardless of our actual results of operations and financial condition.

Our controlling shareholder may use its controlling interest to take actions not supported by our minority shareholders.

As of 31 December 2013, our controlling shareholder (Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev) owned 41.24% of our voting rights (and Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev and certain other entities acting in concert with it held, in the aggregate, 52.20% of our voting rights), in each case based on the number of our shares outstanding on 31 December 2013 (see “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—A. Major Shareholders”). Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev has the ability to effectively control or have a significant influence on the election of our Board of Directors and the outcome of corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, including dividend policy, mergers, share capital increases, going-private transactions and other extraordinary transactions. See “Item 10. Additional Information—B. Memorandum and Articles of Association and Other Share Information—Description of the Rights and Benefits Attached to Our Shares” for further information in this respect.

The interests and time horizons of Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev may differ from those of other shareholders. As a result of its influence on our business, Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev could prevent us from making certain decisions or taking certain actions that would protect the interests of our other shareholders. For example, this concentration of ownership may delay or prevent a change of control of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, even in the event that this change of control may benefit other shareholders generally. Similarly, Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev could prevent us from taking certain actions that would dilute its percentage interest in our shares, even if such actions would generally be beneficial to us and/or to other shareholders. These and other factors related to Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev’s holding of a controlling interest in our shares may reduce the liquidity of our shares and ADSs and their attractiveness to investors.

Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the euro may increase the risk of holding our ADSs and shares.

Our shares currently trade on Euronext Brussels in euros and our ADSs trade on the New York Stock Exchange (“ NYSE ”) in U.S. dollars. Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the euro may result in temporary differences between the value of our ADSs and the value of our ordinary shares, which may result in heavy trading by investors seeking to exploit such differences. Similarly, uncertainty over fiscal and budgetary challenges in the United States may negatively impact global economic conditions, and could trigger sharply increased trading and consequent market fluctuations, which would increase the volatility of, and may have an adverse effect upon, the price of our shares or ADSs.

In addition, as a result of fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the euro, the U.S. dollar equivalent of the proceeds that a holder of our ADSs would receive upon the sale in Belgium of any shares withdrawn from the American Depositary Receipt (“ ADR ”) depositary and the U.S. dollar equivalent of any cash dividends paid in euros on our shares represented by the ADSs could also decline.

 

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Future equity issuances may dilute the holdings of current shareholders or ADS holders and could materially affect the market price of our shares or ADSs.

We may in the future decide to offer additional equity to raise capital or for other purposes. Any such additional offering could reduce the proportionate ownership and voting interests of holders of our shares and ADSs, as well as our earnings per share or ADS and net asset value per share or ADS, and any offerings by us or our main shareholders could have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares and ADSs.

Investors may not be able to participate in equity offerings, and ADS holders may not receive any value for rights that we may grant.

Our constitutional documents provide for preference rights to be granted to our existing shareholders unless such rights are disapplied by resolution of our shareholders’ meeting or the Board of Directors. Our shareholders’ meeting or Board of Directors may disapply such rights in future equity offerings. In addition, certain shareholders (including those in the United States, Australia, Canada or Japan) may not be entitled to exercise such rights even if they are not disapplied unless the rights and related shares are registered or qualified for sale under the relevant legislation or regulatory framework. As a result, there is the risk that investors may suffer dilution of their shareholding should they not be permitted to participate in preference right equity or other offerings that we may conduct in the future.

If rights are granted to our shareholders, but the ADR depositary is unable to sell rights corresponding to shares represented by ADSs that are not exercised by, or distributed to, ADS holders, or if the sale of such rights is not lawful or reasonably practicable, the ADR depositary will allow the rights to lapse, in which case ADS holders will receive no value for such rights.

ADS holders may not be able to exercise their right to vote the shares underlying our ADSs.

Holders of ADSs may exercise voting rights with respect to the shares represented by our ADSs only in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. The deposit agreement provides that, upon receipt of a notice of any meeting of holders of our shares, the depositary will, if we so request, distribute to the ADS holders a notice which shall contain (i) such information as is contained in the notice of the meeting sent by us, (ii) a statement that the ADS holder as of the specified record date shall be entitled to instruct the ADR depositary as to the exercise of voting rights and (iii) a statement as to the manner in which instructions may be given by the holders.

Holders of ADSs may instruct the ADR depositary to vote the shares underlying their ADSs, but only if we ask the ADR depositary to ask for their instructions. Otherwise, ADS holders will not be able to exercise their right to vote, unless they withdraw our shares underlying the ADSs they hold. However, ADS holders may not know about the meeting far enough in advance to withdraw those shares. If we ask for the instructions of ADS holders, the depositary, upon timely notice from us, will notify ADS holders of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our voting materials to them. We cannot guarantee ADS holders that they will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that they can instruct the ADR depositary to vote their shares. In addition, the ADR depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that ADS holders may not be able to exercise their right to vote, and there may be nothing they can do if the shares underlying their ADSs are not voted as requested.

ADS holders may be subject to limitations on the transfer of their ADSs.

ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the ADR depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when the books of the ADR depositary are closed or if such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the ADR depositary or by us because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body or commission or under any provision of the deposit agreement. Moreover, the surrender of ADSs and withdrawal of our shares may be suspended subject to the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges or if we direct the ADR depositary at any time to cease new issuances and withdrawals of our shares during periods specified by us in connection with shareholders’ meetings, the payment of dividends or as otherwise reasonably necessary for compliance with any applicable laws or government regulations.

 

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Shareholders may not enjoy under Belgian corporate law and our articles of association certain of the rights and protection generally afforded to shareholders of U.S. companies under U.S. federal and state laws and the NYSE rules.

We are a public limited liability company incorporated under the laws of Belgium. The rights provided to our shareholders under Belgian corporate law and our articles of association differ in certain respects from the rights that you would typically enjoy as a shareholder of a U.S. company under applicable U.S. federal and/or state laws. In general, the Belgian Corporate Governance Code is a code of best practice applying to listed companies on a non-binding basis. The Code applies a “comply or explain” approach, that is, companies may depart from the Code’s provisions if, as required by law, they give a reasoned explanation of the reasons for doing so.

We are relying on a provision in the NYSE Listed Company Manual that allows us to follow Belgian corporate law and the Belgian Corporate Governance Code with regard to certain aspects of corporate governance. This allows us to continue following certain corporate governance practices that differ in significant respects from the corporate governance requirements applicable to U.S. companies listed on the NYSE. In particular, the NYSE rules require a majority of the directors of a listed U.S. company to be independent while, in Belgium, only three directors need be independent. Our board currently comprises three independent directors and eight non-independent directors. See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Directors and Senior Management—Board of Directors.” The NYSE rules further require that each of the nominating, compensation and audit committees of a listed U.S. company be comprised entirely of independent directors. However, the Belgian Corporate Governance Code recommends only that a majority of the directors on each of these committees meet the technical requirements for independence under Belgian corporate law. All voting members of the Audit Committee are independent under the NYSE rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our Nomination Committee and Remuneration Committee have members who would not be considered independent under NYSE rules, and therefore our Nomination Committee and Remuneration Committee would not be in compliance with the NYSE Corporate Governance Standards for domestic issuers in respect of independence of these committees. However, both our Nomination Committee and Remuneration Committee are composed exclusively of non-executive directors who are independent of management and whom we consider to be free of any business or other relationship which could materially interfere with the exercise of their independent judgment. See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—C. Board Practices—General—Information about Our Committees.”

Under Belgian corporate law, other than certain limited information that we must make public, our shareholders may not ask for an inspection of our corporate records, while under Delaware corporate law any shareholder, irrespective of the size of his or her shareholdings, may do so. Shareholders of a Belgian corporation are also unable to initiate a derivative action, a remedy typically available to shareholders of U.S. companies, in order to enforce a right of Anheuser-Busch InBev, in case we fail to enforce such right ourselves, other than in certain cases of director liability under limited circumstances. In addition, a majority of our shareholders may release a director from any claim of liability we may have, including if he or she has acted in bad faith or has breached his or her duty of loyalty, provided, in some cases, that the relevant acts were specifically mentioned in the convening notice to the shareholders’ meeting deliberating on the discharge. In contrast, most U.S. federal and state laws prohibit a company or its shareholders from releasing a director from liability altogether if he or she has acted in bad faith or has breached his or her duty of loyalty to the company. Finally, Belgian corporate law does not provide any form of appraisal rights in the case of a business combination.

For additional information on these and other aspects of Belgian corporate law and our articles of association, see “Item 10. Additional Information—B. Memorandum and Articles of Association and Other Share Information.” As a result of these differences between Belgian corporate law and our articles of association, on the one hand, and U.S. federal and state laws, on the other hand, in certain instances, you could receive less protection as a shareholder of our company than you would as a shareholder of a U.S. company.

As a “foreign private issuer” in the United States, we are exempt from a number of rules under the U.S. securities laws and are permitted to file less information with the SEC.

As a “foreign private issuer,” we are exempt from certain rules under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”), that impose certain disclosure obligations and procedural requirements for proxy solicitations under Section 14 of the Exchange Act. In addition, our officers, directors and principal

 

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shareholders are exempt from the reporting and “short-swing” profit recovery provisions under Section 16 of the Exchange Act. Moreover, we are not required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. Accordingly, there may be less publicly available information concerning us than there is for U.S. public companies.

It may be difficult for investors outside Belgium to serve process on or enforce foreign judgments against us.

We are a Belgian public limited liability company. Certain of the members of our Board of Directors and Executive Board of Management and certain of the persons named herein are non-residents of the United States. All or a substantial portion of the assets of such non-resident persons and certain of our assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors to effect service of process upon such persons or on us or to enforce against them or us a judgment obtained in U.S. courts. Original actions or actions for the enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts relating to the civil liability provisions of the federal or state securities laws of the United States are not directly enforceable in Belgium. The United States and Belgium do not currently have a multilateral or bilateral treaty providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitral awards, in civil and commercial matters. In order for a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by U.S. courts based on civil liability to produce any effect on Belgian soil, it is accordingly required that this judgment be recognized or be declared enforceable by a Belgian court pursuant to the relevant provisions of the 2004 Belgian Code of Private International Law. Recognition or enforcement does not imply a review of the merits of the case and is irrespective of any reciprocity requirement. A U.S. judgment will, however, not be recognized or declared enforceable in Belgium if it infringes upon one or more of the grounds for refusal which are exhaustively listed in Article 25 of the Belgian Code of Private International Law. In addition to recognition or enforcement, a judgment by a federal or state court in the United States against us may also serve as evidence in a similar action in a Belgian court if it meets the conditions required for the authenticity of judgments according to the law of the state where it was rendered.

Shareholders in jurisdictions with currencies other than the euro face additional investment risk from currency exchange rate fluctuations in connection with their holding of our shares.

Any future payments of dividends on shares will be denominated in euro. The U.S. dollar — or other currency — equivalent of any dividends paid on our shares or received in connection with any sale of our shares could be adversely affected by the depreciation of the euro against these other currencies.

 

ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

 

A. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPANY

We are the world’s largest brewer by volume and one of the world’s top five consumer products companies. As a consumer-centric, sales-driven company, we produce, market, distribute and sell a strong, balanced portfolio of well over 200 beer brands. These include global brands Budweiser, Corona (except in the United States) and Stella Artois; international brands such as Beck’s, Leffe and Hoegaarden; and many local brands such as Bud Light and Michelob Ultra in the United States, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Modelo Light, Negra Modelo, Victoria and Pacifico in Mexico, Skol, Brahma and Antarctica in Brazil, Quilmes in Argentina, Jupiler in Belgium and the Netherlands, Hasseröder in Germany, Klinskoye and Sibirskaya Korona in Russia, Chernigivske in Ukraine, Harbin and Sedrin in China. We also produce and distribute soft drinks, particularly in Latin America.

Our brewing heritage and quality are rooted in brewing traditions that originate from the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium, dating back to 1366, and those of Anheuser & Co. brewery, established in 1852 in St. Louis, U.S.A. As of 31 December 2013, we employed approximately 155,000 people, with operations in 24 countries across the world. Given the breadth of our operations, we are organized along different business segments, which, with the exception of Global Export & Holding Companies, correspond to geographic regions in which our operations are based, and we also call “zones”.

 

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As of 31 December 2013, we had eight business segments: North America, Mexico, Latin America North (including Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala), Latin America South (including Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Peru), Western Europe (including Cuba), Central & Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific and Global Export & Holding Companies. Mexico became a separate business segment and zone upon completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo in 2013, and our business segments underwent several additional shifts in early 2014. Effective 1 January 2014, we created a single Europe zone by combining two pre-existing zones: Western Europe and Central & Eastern Europe. As part of this process, our interest in our joint venture in Cuba is being moved from the Western Europe Zone to the Latin America North Zone. As a result, at the time of filing this Form 20-F, we have seven business segments: North America, Mexico, Latin America North, Latin America South, Europe, Asia Pacific and Global Export & Holding Companies.

We have significant brewing operations within the developed markets of North America (which accounted for 28.7% of our consolidated volumes for the year ended 31 December 2013) and Western Europe (which accounted for 6.7% of our consolidated volumes for the year ended 31 December 2013).

We also have significant exposure to developing markets in Latin America North (which accounted for 28.0% of our consolidated volumes in the year ended 31 December 2013), Asia Pacific (which accounted for 15.4% of our consolidated volumes in the year ended 31 December 2013), Latin America South (which accounted for 8.7% of our consolidated volumes in the year ended 31 December 2013), Mexico (which accounted for 5.3% of our consolidated volumes in the year ended 31 December 2013), and Central & Eastern Europe (which accounted for 4.5% of our consolidated volumes for the year ended 31 December 2013).

Our 2013 volumes (beer and non-beer) were 425.9 million hectoliters and our revenue amounted to USD 43.2 billion.

Registration and Main Corporate Details

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV was incorporated on 2 August 1977 for an unlimited duration under the laws of Belgium under the original name BEMES. It has the legal form of a public limited liability company ( naamloze vennootschap/société anonyme ). Its registered office is located at Grand-Place/Grote Markt 1, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, and it is registered with the Register of Legal Entities of Brussels under the number 0417.497.106. Our global headquarters are located at Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium (tel.: +32 16 27 61 11). Our agent in the United States is Anheuser-Busch InBev Services LLC, 250 Park Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10177.

We are a publicly traded company, listed on Euronext Brussels under the symbol ABI. ADSs representing rights to receive our ordinary shares trade on the NYSE under the symbol BUD.

History and Development of the Company

Our roots can be traced back to Den Hoorn in Leuven, which began making beer in 1366. In 1717 Sébastien Artois, master brewer of Den Hoorn, took over the brewery and renamed it Sébastien Artois. In 1987, the two largest breweries in Belgium merged: Brouwerijen Artois NV, located in Leuven, and Brasserie Piedboeuf SA, founded in 1853 and located in Jupille, resulting in the formation of Interbrew SA. Interbrew operated as a family owned business until December 2000, the time of its initial public offering on Euronext Brussels. The period since the listing of Interbrew on Euronext Brussels has been marked by increasing geographical diversification.

A significant event in our history was the combination of Interbrew and Ambev, a Brazilian company listed (and currently still listed) on the New York Stock Exchange and on the São Paulo Stock Exchange, resulting in the creation of InBev.

The creation of Ambev consisted of the combination of two Brazilian beer companies, Brahma and Antarctica, and was carried out over the course of 1999 and 2000. In 2003, Ambev acquired its initial interest in Quilmes Industrial S.A., which is now 100% owned by Ambev, and in 2004 the combination between Interbrew and Ambev was completed. As of 31 December 2013, we had a 61.9% voting and economic interest in Ambev.

On 13 July 2008, InBev and Anheuser-Busch announced their agreement to combine the two companies by way of an offer by InBev of USD 70 per share in cash for all outstanding shares of Anheuser-Busch. The total amount of funds necessary to consummate the 2008 Anheuser-Busch acquisition was approximately USD 54.8 billion, including the payment of USD 52.5 billion to shareholders of Anheuser-Busch. As a result of the merger, we changed our name to Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and announced a plan to reduce debt taken on for the Anheuser-Busch combination by means of a formal divestiture program.

Anheuser-Busch previously participated in a strategic alliance with Tsingtao, one of the largest brewers in China. Through the 2008 Anheuser-Busch acquisition, we acquired Anheuser-Busch’s 27% economic ownership interest and a 20% voting interest in

 

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Tsingtao. On 30 April 2009, we completed the sale of a 19.9% minority stake in Tsingtao to Asahi Breweries, Ltd. On 8 May 2009, we announced that we had entered into an agreement with a private investor, Mr. Chen Fashu, to sell our remaining 7% stake in Tsingtao. On 5 June 2009, we announced that the transaction had closed.

On 24 July 2009, we completed the sale of our South Korean subsidiary, Oriental Brewery, to an affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. for USD 1.8 billion, which resulted in USD 1.5 billion of cash proceeds and receipt of a USD 0.3 billion note receivable at closing. On 12 March 2010, the note receivable was sold for USD 0.3 billion in cash. Under the terms of the agreement, we continued our relationship with Oriental Brewery through granting Oriental Brewery exclusive licenses to distribute certain brands in South Korea including Budweiser, Bud Ice and Hoegaarden, and by having an ongoing interest in Oriental Brewery through an agreed earn-out. In addition, we retained the right, but not the obligation, to reacquire Oriental Brewery five years after the closing of the transaction based on predetermined financial terms. On 20 January 2014, we announced our reacquisition of Oriental Brewery as described in greater detail below.

On 29 September 2009, we completed the sale of our Tennent’s Lager brand and associated trading assets in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (part of InBev UK Limited) to C&C Group plc for a total enterprise value of GBP 180 million (USD 298 million).

On 1 October 2009, we completed the sale of four metal beverage can and lid manufacturing plants from our U.S. metal packaging subsidiary, Metal Container Corporation, to Ball Corporation for approximately USD 577 million. The divested plants were primarily responsible for the production of cans for soft drinks. In connection with this transaction, Ball Corporation entered into a long-term supply agreement to continue to supply us with metal beverage cans and lids from the divested plants and committed, as part of the acquisition agreement, to offer employment to each active employee of the plants.

On 1 December 2009, we completed the sale of our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Busch Entertainment Corporation, to an entity established by Blackstone Capital Partners V L.P. for up to USD 2.7 billion. The purchase price was comprised of a cash payment of USD 2.3 billion and a right to participate in Blackstone Capital Partners’ return on its initial investment, which is capped at USD 400 million.

On 2 December 2009, we completed the sale of our Central European operations to CVC Capital Partners for an enterprise value of USD 2.2 billion, of which USD 1.6 billion was cash, USD 448 million was received as an unsecured deferred payment obligation with a six-year maturity and USD 165 million represents the estimated value to minorities. Under the terms of the agreement, our operations in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia were sold. On 15 July 2011, the deferred payment obligation, including accrued interest, was sold for USD 0.5 billion in cash. At the time of the 2009 sale to CVC Capital Partners, we also received additional rights under a Contingent Value Right Agreement to a future payment that was contingent on CVC’s return on its initial investments. On 15 June 2012, CVC sold the business to Molson Coors Brewing Company for an aggregate consideration of EUR 2.65 billion (USD 3.65 billion). We believe that as a result of the sale to Molson, the return earned by CVC Capital Partners triggered our right to a further payment under the CVR Agreement. On 25 October 2012, CVC Capital Partners issued proceedings against us in the English Commercial Court in relation to the CVR Agreement and sought a declaration that the return it received following the sale to Molson did not trigger our right to payment. We served our defense and counterclaim on 19 December 2012. The amount we are able to recover will depend on discovery and calculation criteria explored at trial in March 2014.

By the end of 2009, we had completed our formal divestiture program resulting from the 2008 Anheuser-Busch acquisition, exceeding our target of USD 7.0 billion, with approximately USD 9.4 billion of asset disposals of which approximately USD 7.4 billion were realized cash proceeds.

 

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Effective as of 1 October 2011, our subsidiary Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., a Delaware corporation, converted to Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC, pursuant to Section 266 of the Delaware General Corporation Law and Section 18-214 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act.

On 11 May 2012, Ambev and E. León Jimenes S.A. (“ ELJ ”), which owned 83.5% of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana S.A. (“ CND ”), entered into a transaction to form a strategic alliance to create the leading beverage company in the Caribbean through the combination of their businesses in the region. Ambev’s initial indirect interest in CND was acquired through a cash payment of USD 1.0 billion and the contribution of Ambev Dominicana. Separately, Ambev Brazil acquired an additional stake in CND of 9.3%, which was owned by Heineken N.V., for USD 237 million at the closing date. During 2012 and 2013, Ambev acquired additional stakes from other minority holders. As of 31 December 2013, Ambev owns a total indirect interest of 55.0% in CND.

On 27 April 2013, we completed a transaction to acquire four breweries in China with a total capacity of approximately 9 million hectoliters. The aggregate purchase price was approximately USD 439 million.

On 4 June 2013, we announced the completion of our combination with Grupo Modelo in a transaction valued at USD 20.1 billion. The combination was the natural next step given our economic stake of more than 50% in Grupo Modelo prior to the transaction and the successful long-term partnership between the two companies. The combined company benefits from the significant growth potential that Modelo brands such as Corona have globally outside of the US, as well as locally in Mexico, where there will also be opportunities to introduce our brands through Modelo’s distribution network. The combination was completed through a series of steps that simplified Grupo Modelo’s corporate structure, followed by an all-cash tender offer by us for all outstanding Grupo Modelo shares that it did not own at that time for USD 9.15 per share. By 4 June 2013 and following the settlement of the tender offer, we owned approximately 95% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares. We established and funded a trust to accept further tender of shares by Grupo Modelo shareholders at a price of USD 9.15 per share over a period of up to 25 months from the completion of the combination. As of 31 December 2013, we owned approximately 96% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares.

In a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo, select Grupo Modelo shareholders purchased a deferred share entitlement to acquire the equivalent of approximately 23.1 million AB InBev shares, to be delivered within five years, for consideration of approximately USD 1.5 billion. This investment occurred on 5 June 2013.

On 7 June 2013, in a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo, Grupo Modelo completed the sale of its United States business to Constellation Brands, Inc. for approximately USD 4.75 billion, in aggregate, subject to a post-closing adjustment, which will be paid by Constellation Brands, Inc. no later than 7 June 2014. The post-closing adjustment is approximately USD 558 million. The transaction included the sale of Grupo Modelo’s Piedras Negras brewery, Grupo Modelo’s 50% stake in Crown Imports and perpetual rights to certain of Grupo Modelo’s brands in the United States. As a consequence, we have granted Constellation Brands, Inc. the exclusive right to market and sell Corona and certain other Modelo brands in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam.

On 20 January 2014, we announced an agreement whereby we will reacquire Oriental Brewery, the leading brewer in South Korea, from KKR and Affinity Equity Partners. The enterprise value for the transaction is USD 5.8 billion, and as a result of an agreement entered into with KKR and Affinity Equity Partners in 2009, we will receive approximately USD 320 million in cash at closing from this transaction, subject to closing adjustments according to the terms of the transaction. This agreement returns Oriental Brewery to our portfolio after we sold the company in July 2009, following the combination of InBev and Anheuser-Busch in support of the company’s deleveraging target. We will reacquire Oriental Brewery earlier than July 2014, as we were originally entitled to do under the terms of the 2009 transaction, drawing on existing liquidity to fund the acquisition. The closing of this transaction is subject to regulatory approval in South Korea as well as other customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the first half of 2014.

For further details of our principal capital expenditures and divestitures, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—G. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Investments and Disposals.”

 

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B. BUSINESS OVERVIEW

 

1. STRENGTHS AND STRATEGY

Strengths

We believe that the following key strengths will drive the realization of our strategic goals and reinforce our competitive position in the marketplace:

Global platform with strong market positions in key markets

We are the world’s largest brewer and believe we hold leading positions in the majority of our key markets. We have strong market positions based on strong brands and the benefits of scale. We believe this positions us well to deploy significant resources in sales and marketing to build and maintain our brands, achieve attractive sourcing terms, generate cost savings through centralization and operate under a lean cost structure. Our global reach provides us with a strong platform to grow our global and international brands, while developing local brands tailored to regional tastes. We benefit from a global distribution network which, depending on the location, is either owned by us or is based on strong partnerships with wholesalers and local distributors.

We believe that in 2013 the approximate industry volumes and our approximate market shares by volume in seven of the world’s ten largest beer markets by volume are as follows:

 

     Total
industry
volume
(million
hectoliters) (1)
     Our
estimated
market
share
(%) (1)
 

China

     442.9         14.1

United States

     234.3         47.2

Brazil

     122.1         67.9

Mexico

     65.4         58.4

Russia

     76.7         15.1

Germany

     82.8         8.8

United Kingdom

     44.4         17.2

 

Note:

 

(1) Total industry volume figures are based on total beer industry sales or consumption volumes in the relevant market, except for the China volume figures, which are based on total industry production volumes, and both Russia and Brazil volume figures, which are based on retail audits. Sources: China—Seema International Limited; United States—Beer Institute and SymphonyIRI; Brazil—AC Nielsen Audit Total Trade; Mexico—Cámara Nacional de la Industria Cerveceria y Malta; Russia—AC Nielsen Audit Off Trade; Germany—German Brewers Association (GBA); United Kingdom—British Beer and Pub Association.

We have been the global leader in the brewing industry by volume for the past six years. Measured by EBITDA, as defined, for 2013, we are ranked among the top five consumer products companies worldwide. We have significant positions in the United States and Brazil, two of the most stable and profitable beer markets in the world, and in China, the world’s largest beer market by volume. Management believes that it can realize significant upside potential by continuing to roll out Anheuser-Busch InBev’s brands using our global distribution platform.

Geographic diversification

Our geographically diversified platform balances the growth opportunities of developing markets with the stability and strength of developed markets. With significant operations in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, we benefit from a natural hedge against market, economic and seasonal volatility. Developed markets represented approximately 48% of our 2013 revenue and developing markets represented 52% of our 2013 revenue.

 

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Strong brand portfolio with global brands, international brands and local brands

With well over 200 brands, of which 17 have an estimated retail sales value of over USD 1 billion, we believe our portfolio is the strongest in the industry. Six of our brands—Bud Light, Budweiser, Corona, Skol, Stella Artois and Brahma—are ranked among the Global Top Ten most valuable beer brands by BrandZ™.

As dedicated and successful brand builders, we invest the majority of our resources and efforts in those brands with the greatest growth and profit potential, which we call our focus brands:

 

   

Global brands: Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois

 

   

International brands: Beck’s, Hoegaarden and Leffe

 

   

Local brands —brands that lead in their respective markets

Our strategy is to focus our attention on the core to premium brands. As a result, we undertake clear brand choices and seek to invest in those brands that build deep connections with consumers and meet their needs. We seek to replicate our successful brand initiatives and best practices across geographic markets.

Focus brands are those in which we invest the majority of our resources (money, people, and attention). They are a small group of brands which we believe have the best growth potential within each relevant consumer group. These focus brands include our three global brands, our international brands and selected local brands.

Focus brands represented 69% of our own beer volume in 2013 and declined by 0.9% in 2013, driven by challenging macro-economic conditions in a number of our markets. Our global brands grew 4.7% in 2013, led by growth in Budweiser and Corona of 6.4% and 3.9%, respectively.

Strong innovation and brand development capabilities

As a consumer-centric, sales-driven company, we continue to strive to understand the values, lifestyles and preferences of both today’s and tomorrow’s consumers, building fresh appeal and competitive advantage through innovative products and services tailored to meet those needs. We believe that consumer demand can be best anticipated by a close relationship between our innovation and insight teams in which current and expected market trends trigger and drive research processes. Successful examples of recently developed products include Bud Light Platinum, Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita and Straw-Ber-Rita and Budweiser Black Crown (United States), Brahma 0,0% and Skol Beats Extreme (Brazil), Quilmes “Night” (Argentina), Stella Artois Cidre (United Kingdom and United States), Leffe Royale (Belgium), Franziskaner Royal (Germany), Sibirskaya Korona Tri Khmelya (Russia) and Budweiser Supreme (China).

We believe that our internal excellence programs are one of our main competitive advantages. We have established an integrated marketing and sales execution program, the “World Class Commercial Program,” which is designed to continuously improve the quality of our sales and marketing capabilities and processes by ensuring they are understood and consistently followed.

 

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Strict financial discipline

World-class efficiency has been, and remains, a long-term objective across all lines of business and markets as well as under all economic circumstances. Avoiding unnecessary costs is a core competency within our culture. We distinguish between “non-working” and “working” expenses, the latter having a direct impact on sales volumes or revenues. Across our business, we have implemented programs aimed at reducing non-working expenses, given that they are incurred independently from sales volumes or revenues and without immediate benefit to customers or consumers. By maintaining strict financial discipline and turning non-working expenses into working expenses, our “Cost—Connect—Win” model aims to fund sustainable sales and marketing efforts throughout an economic cycle in order to connect with our customers and win by achieving long-term, profitable growth. We have a number of group-wide cost efficiency programs in place, including:

 

   

Zero-Based Budgeting or ZBB: Under ZBB, budget decisions are unrelated to the previous year’s levels of expenditure and require justification starting from a zero base each year. Employee compensation is closely tied to delivering on zero-based budgets. ZBB has been successfully introduced into all of our major markets, as well as our global headquarters.

 

   

Voyager Plant Optimization or VPO: VPO aims to bring greater efficiency and standardization to our brewing operations and to generate cost savings, while at the same time improving quality, safety and the environment. VPO also entails assessment of our procurement processes to maximize purchasing power and to help us achieve the best results when purchasing a range of goods and services. Behavioral change towards greater efficiencies is at the core of this program, and comprehensive training modules have been established to assist our employees with the implementation of VPO in their daily routines.

In addition, we have set up business service centers across our zones which focus on transactional and support activities within our group. The centers help standardize working practices and identify and disseminate best practices.

Experienced management team with a strong track record of delivering synergies through business combinations

During the last two decades, our management (or the management of our predecessor companies) has executed a number of merger and acquisition transactions of varying sizes, with acquired businesses being successfully integrated into our operations, realizing significant synergies. Notable examples include:

 

   

the creation of Ambev in 2000 through the combination of Brahma and Antarctica. Between 2000 and 2004, operating income after financial income and financial expense increased from 332 million reais (USD 142 million) to 2,163 million reais (USD 923 million);

 

   

the acquisition of Beck’s in 2002, which today is the number one German beer in the world, with distribution in over 80 countries. Beck’s is brewed in various countries;

 

   

the combination of Ambev and Quilmes in 2003, where Quilmes’ operating profit increased substantially from 2003 to 2008;

 

   

Ambev gaining control of Labatt in 2004, where profitability increased by approximately 10% within the first three years;

 

   

the creation of InBev in 2004, through the combination of Ambev and Interbrew, where operating profit margin has increased from 11.9% on a standalone basis in 2003 to 22.7% in 2008; and

 

   

our successful combination with Anheuser-Busch in November 2008. Between 2008 and 2011, we delivered against the announced synergy target of USD 2.25 billion.

 

   

In June 2013 we successfully completed our combination with Grupo Modelo and have quickly started to realize the benefits from the combination. By the end of 2013, we realized cost synergies of approximately USD 460 million, with approximately USD 385 million being delivered since the combination, and an additional USD 75 million being delivered prior to the closing as a result of best practice sharing. We remain committed to delivering at least USD 1 billion in cost synergies by the end of 2016, with the majority of that by the end of 2015. We also remain on track to deliver USD 500 million of working capital improvements in the first two years after closing.

Our strong track record also extends to successfully integrating portfolios of brands such as Budweiser and Stella Artois into our global distribution network, including leveraging Ambev’s distribution channels in Latin America.

 

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Strategy

Our strategy is based on our dream to be “the Best Beer Company in a Better World”

The guiding principle for our strategy is a dream to be “the Best Beer Company in a Better World” by uniting strong brand development, sales execution and best-in-class efficiency with the role of a responsible global corporate citizen. The “Best Beer Company” element relates primarily to our aim of maintaining highly profitable operations in all markets with leading brands and market positions where we operate. The term “Better World” articulates our belief that all stakeholders will benefit from good corporate citizenship, finding its expression in our work to promote responsible enjoyment of our products, protecting the environment and giving back to the communities in which we operate. We discourage consumers from excessive or underage drinking and drinking and driving through marketing campaigns and program initiatives, often in partnership with governments and community organizations, as well as ensuring that our marketing is directed to legal age consumers, as outlined in our Responsible Marketing and Communications Code.

A clear and consistent business model is fundamental to our strategy

Our business model is focused on organic growth. We aim to create sustainable value for our shareholders through revenue growth ahead of the industry and strong cost management, leading to margin enhancement. The business model is supported by strict financial discipline in the generation and use of cash, including selective external growth opportunities, and is underpinned by our powerful Dream-People-Culture platform.

First, we aim to grow our revenue ahead of the benchmark of industry volume growth plus inflation, on a country by country basis.

 

   

We aim to grow our revenue through strong consumer preference for our brands, continued premiumization of our brand portfolio, and sales and marketing investment.

 

   

We seek to win new consumers and secure their long term loyalty.

 

   

In a rapidly changing marketplace, we focus on understanding consumer needs and aim to achieve high levels of brand preference by delivering on those needs.

 

   

We intend to further strengthen brand innovation in order to stay ahead of market trends and maintain consumer appeal.

 

   

In partnership with distributors, off-trade retailers and on-trade points of sale, we seek to build connection with our consumers at the point-of-sale by further improving the quality of the consumer’s shopping experience and consumption occasions.

 

   

We have established a number of consumer-dedicated activities, such as specific outdoor events, which are designed to provide consumers with a brand experience that exceeds the pure enjoyment of beer.

 

   

We leverage social media platforms to reach out to existing and potential consumers. Social media is becoming increasingly important to the development of our brands, and has become an important platform in building connections with digitally savvy, legal drinking age consumers.

Second, we strive to continuously improve efficiency by unlocking the potential for variable and fixed cost savings.

 

   

We aim to maintain long-term cost increases at below inflation, benefiting from the application of cost efficiency programs such as Zero-Based Budgeting and Voyager Plant Optimization, internal and external benchmarking, as well as from our scale.

 

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We aim to leverage the Global Procurement Center, located in Belgium, to generate further cost savings and build on our supplier relationships to bring new ideas and innovation to our business.

 

   

Our management believes cost savings are not yet fully realized across all geographies, and will continue to share best practices across all functions, as well as benchmark performance externally against other leading companies.

 

   

A combination of revenue growth ahead of the industry and inflation, a more premium brand mix, and cost increases below inflation should enable us to deliver on our commitment to long term margin enhancement.

Finally, we will continue to exercise strict financial discipline in the generation and use of cash.

 

   

We have consistently demonstrated our ability to generate significant operating cash flow from growth in our operating activities, tight working capital management and a disciplined approach to capital expenditure.

 

   

Following our combination with Anheuser-Busch in 2008, we focused on deleveraging the company and reached our optimal capital structure by the end of 2012, in line with our commitment.

 

   

While organic growth is the focus for our management, we will continue to drive external growth as and when appropriate opportunities arise.

 

   

Our management has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to successfully integrate acquisitions and generate significant cost synergies and revenue growth opportunities. External growth is a core competency and will remain an opportunity in the future.

 

   

In the absence of appropriate external growth opportunities, surplus cash flow should be returned to shareholders with dividends being a more predictable growing flow, balanced with share buyback programs. Our goal is to reach a dividend yield in line with other large capitalization consumer goods companies, and with low volatility consistent with the non-cyclical nature of our business.

General factors facilitate the implementation of our corporate strategy

We have identified certain key tools which we believe will enable us to implement our corporate strategy, including:

 

   

a disciplined approach to innovation at all levels, aimed at revitalizing the beer category and increasing our share of value and our market share;

 

   

a strong company culture, investing in people and maintaining a strong target-related compensation structure;

 

   

best-in-class financial discipline spread throughout the whole organization; and

 

   

creating a Better World by supporting social responsibility initiatives connected to our business objectives and our consumers.

 

2. PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES AND PRODUCTS

We produce, market, distribute and sell a strong, balanced portfolio of well over 200 beer brands and have a global footprint with a balanced exposure to mature and emerging markets and production facilities spread across our zones.

 

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Our production and distribution facilities and other assets are predominantly located in the same geographical areas as our consumers. We set up local production when we believe that there is substantial potential for local sales that cannot be addressed in a cost efficient manner through exports or third-party distribution into the relevant country. Local production also helps us to reduce, although it does not eliminate, our exposure to currency movements.

 

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The table below sets out the main brands we sell in the markets listed below.

 

Market

  

Global brands

  

International brands

  

Local brands

North America         
Canada   

Budweiser,

Corona,

Stella Artois

   Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Alexander Keith’s, Bass, Bud Light, Kokanee, Labatt, Lakeport, Lucky, Oland
United States    Budweiser, Stella Artois    Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Bass, Bud Light, Busch, Goose Island, Michelob, Natural Light, Shock Top
Mexico   

Budweiser

Corona

      Beer: Bud Light, Modelo Especial, Victoria, Pacifico, Negra Modelo
Latin America         
Argentina   

Budweiser,

Stella Artois

   Hoegaarden, Leffe   

Beer: Andes, Brahma, Norte, Patagonia, Quilmes

Soft drinks: 7UP, Pepsi, H2OH!

Bolivia    Stella Artois      

Beer: Ducal, Paceña, Taquiña

Soft drinks: 7UP, Pepsi

Brazil   

Budweiser,

Stella Artois

   Hoegaarden, Leffe   

Beer: Antarctica, Bohemia, Brahma, Skol

Soft drinks: Guaraná Antarctica, Pepsi

Chile   

Budweiser,

Stella Artois

      Beer: Baltica, Becker, Brahma
Dominican Republic    Corona, Budweiser      

Beer: Brahma, Presidente

Soft drinks: Pepsi, 7UP, Red Rock

Ecuador    Budweiser       Beer: Brahma
Guatemala    Corona, Budweiser       Beer: Brahva
Paraguay    Budweiser, Stella Artois       Beer: Baviera, Brahma, Ouro Fino, Pilsen
Peru    Corona, Stella Artois      

Beer: Brahma, Zenda

Soft drinks: Concordia, Pepsi, 7UP, Triple Kola

Uruguay   

Budweiser,

Stella Artois

     

Beer: Pilsen, Norteña, Patricia

Soft drinks: 7UP, Pepsi, H20h

Europe         
Belgium   

Budweiser,

Stella Artois

   Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Belle-Vue, Jupiler, Vieux Temps
France   

Budweiser, Corona,

Stella Artois

   Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Belle-Vue, Boomerang, Loburg
Germany       Beck’s    Beer: Diebels, Franziskaner, Haake-Beck, Hasseröder, Löwenbräu, Spaten, Gilde
Luxembourg    Stella Artois    Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Diekirch, Jupiler, Mousel
Netherlands    Stella Artois    Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Dommelsch, Jupiler, Hertog Jan
United Kingdom   

Budweiser,

Stella Artois

   Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Bass, Boddingtons, Brahma, Whitbread, Mackeson
Italy   

Budweiser, Corona,

Stella Artois

   Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Franziskaner, Löwenbräu, Spaten
Spain    Corona, Stella Artois    Leffe, Beck’s    Beer: Franziskaner
Russia    Bud, Stella Artois    Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Bagbier, Brahma, Klinskoye, Löwenbräu, Sibirskaya Korona, T, Tolstiak
Ukraine    Bud, Stella Artois    Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Chernigivske, Rogan, Yantar
Asia Pacific         
China    Budweiser, Stella Artois    Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe    Beer: Double Deer, Harbin, Jinling, Jinlongquan, KK, Sedrin, Shiliang

 

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The table below sets out our sales broken down by business segment for the periods shown:

 

     2013     2012     2011  

Market

   Revenue (1)
(USD  million)
     Revenue
(% of  total)
    Revenue (1)
(USD  million)
     Revenue
(% of  total)
    Revenue (1)
(USD  million)
     Revenue
(% of  total)
 

North America

     16,023         37.1     16,028         40.3     15,304         39.2

Mexico (2)

     2,769         6.4     —           —          —           —     

Latin America North (3)

     10,877         25.2     11,268         28.3     11,350         29.1

Latin America South (3)

     3,269         7.6     3,209         8.1     2,878         7.4

Western Europe

     3,620         8.4     3,625         9.1     3,945         10.1

Central & Eastern Europe

     1,445         3.3     1,668         4.2     1,755         4.5

Asia Pacific

     3,354         7.8     2,690         6.8     2,317         5.9

Global Export & Holding Companies

     1,839         4.2     1,270         3.2     1,496         3.8
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     43,195         100.00     39,758         100     39,046         100
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Notes:

 

(1) Gross revenue (turnover) less excise taxes and discounts. In many jurisdictions, excise taxes make up a large proportion of the cost of beer charged to our customers.
(2) Following the combination with Grupo Modelo we are fully consolidating Grupo Modelo in our financial reporting as of 4 June 2013 and are reporting the Grupo Modelo revenue in the reported revenue as of that date. Grupo Modelo results are reported according to their geographical presence in the following segments: the Mexico beer and packaging businesses are reported in the new Zone Mexico, the Spanish business is reported in the Zone Western Europe and the Export business is reported in the Global Export and Holding Companies segment.
(3) Peru and Ecuador were transferred from the Latin America North zone to the Latin America South zone on 1 January 2013. The figures for both zones reflect this allocation.

For a discussion of changes in revenue, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—E. Results of Operations—Year Ended 31 December 2013 Compared to the Year Ended 31 December 2012—Revenue” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—E. Results of Operations—Year Ended 31 December 2012 Compared to the Year Ended 31 December 2011—Revenue.”

The table below sets out the breakdown between our beer and non-beer volumes and revenue. Based on our actual historical financial information for these periods, our non-beer activities accounted for 11.0% of consolidated volumes in 2013, 11.9% of consolidated volumes in 2012, and 11.5% of consolidated volumes in 2011. In terms of revenue, our non-beer activities generated 9.5% of consolidated revenue in 2013, compared to 9.7% in 2012 and 11.0% in 2011 based on our actual historical financial information for these periods.

 

     Beer (3)      Non-Beer (4)      Consolidated  
     2013      2012      2011      2013      2012      2011      2013      2012      2011  

Volume (1) (million hectoliters)

     379         355         353         47         48         46         426         403         399   

Revenue (2) (USD million)

     39,080         35,914         34,747         4,115         3,844         4,299         43,195         39,758         39,046   

 

Notes:

 

(1) Volumes include not only brands that we own or license, but also third-party brands that we brew or otherwise produce as a subcontractor and third-party products that we sell through our distribution network, particularly in Western Europe.
(2) Gross revenue (turnover) less excise taxes and discounts. In many jurisdictions, excise taxes make up a large proportion of the cost of beer charged to our customers.
(3) The beer category includes flavored malt beverages, sold as part of the Bud Light family.
(4) The non-beer category includes soft drinks and certain other beverages, such as Stella Artois Cidre.

Beer

We manage a portfolio of well over 200 brands of beer. Our beer portfolio is divided into global brands, international brands and local brands. Our brands are our foundation and the cornerstone of our relationships with consumers. We invest in our brands to create a long-term, sustainable and competitive advantage, by meeting the various needs and expectations of consumers and by developing leading brand positions around the globe.

 

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On the basis of quality and price, beer can be differentiated into the following categories:

 

   

Premium or high-end brands;

 

   

Core brands; and

 

   

Value, discount or sub-premium brands.

Our brands are positioned across all these categories. For instance, a global brand like Stella Artois generally targets the premium category across the globe, while a local brand like Natural Light targets the value category in the United States. In the United States, Bud Light targets the premium light or mainstream category, which is equivalent to the core category in other markets. We have a particular focus on core to premium categories, but will be present in the value segment if the market structure in a particular country necessitates.

We make clear category choices and, within those categories, clear brand choices. Examples of these choices include the focus on the core Quilmes brand in Argentina, on the core category in Brazil, on the light and premium categories in Canada, on core and premium brands in Russia and on the international premium, domestic premium and core categories in China. The majority of our resources are directed to our “focus brands,” those brands that we believe have the greatest growth potential in their relevant consumer categories. In 2013, our focus brands accounted for 69% of our volume.

In the early 2000s, we observed a trend where the premium category drove growth in the beer industry. Based on this trend, we established a strategy to select focus brands in certain markets (such as our North America, Western Europe and Central & Eastern Europe zones) within the core and premium categories. Consumer preferences can change over time, especially in the face of challenging economic circumstances, such as those faced in many markets between 2008 and 2013. However, we believe we are well placed to deal with short-term trend changes from a portfolio perspective, while continuing our long-standing strategy of accelerating growth in the core and premium beer categories. We aim to continue our strategy of focusing on selected brands, which seeks to address consumers’ desire to trade up from value to core and from core to premium. For example, our United States business saw positive brand mix growth in 2011, 2012 and 2013 as a result of this strategy.

Some of our recent innovations have stretched beyond typical beer occasions, such as Stella Artois Cidre in the United Kingdom and the United States, and Bud Light Lime or Lime-A-Rita in the United States. These innovations are designed to grow the beer category and improve beer’s share of throat versus other alcoholic beverage categories, by addressing changing consumer trends and preferences, including, for example, a preference for sweeter tasting liquids with higher alcohol content. We have also continued to expand our global portfolio of non-alchohol beverages, including, for example, the launch of Jupiler Force and Hoegaarden 0.0 in Belgium for consumers who prefer non-alcohol alternatives.

Our portfolio includes three global brands with worldwide distribution:

 

   

Budweiser, which we consider to be the United States’ first truly national beer brand, had an 8.0% share of the U.S. market (based on Beer Marketer’s Insights estimates). Budweiser is our number one global flagship brand with global volumes returning to growth in 2010 after many years of decline. This trend continued in 2011, 2012 and 2013, mainly due to the brand’s strong growth in China and the launch of Budweiser in Russia and Brazil. Global Budweiser volumes grew 6.4% in 2013, and the brand accounted for 9.2% of our total company volumes. Budweiser sold outside the United States now represents over 51.0% of global Budweiser volume, driven by strong growth in China, a sharp volume increase in Bud sales in Russia, and gains in the premium segment in Brazil. Budweiser has confirmed its sponsorship of the 2014, 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups TM .

 

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Corona, the best-selling Mexican beer in the world and the leading beer brand in Mexico. Corona is available in more than 180 countries and is the leading imported premium beer in 38 countries. In 2013, it was ranked number four in the Brandz TM list of most valuable beer brands worldwide. We have granted Constellation Brands, Inc. the exclusive right to market and sell Corona and certain other Modelo brands in fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam.

 

   

Stella Artois, the number one Belgian beer in the world according to Plato Logic Limited. Stella currently is distributed in over 80 countries worldwide and has strong global potential. The brand can rely on a heritage dating back to our foundations in 1366. Stella Artois is a premium lager. Building upon the strength of the brand in the United Kingdom, we launched Stella Artois Cidre in 2011 and Stella Artois Cidre Pear in 2012. In the United States, Stella Artois Cidre was launched in 2013.

In addition, we have international brands, which increasingly transcend the distinction between global and local. Our international brands include:

 

   

Beck’s, the world’s No. 1 German beer, is renowned for uncompromising quality. It is brewed today, just as it was in 1873, with a rigorous brewing process and a recipe using only four natural ingredients. Beck’s adheres to the strictest quality standards of the German Reinheitsgebot (Purity Law). Beck’s is brewed in various countries, including the United States.

 

   

Leffe, a rich, full-bodied beer that hails from Belgium has the longest heritage in our beer portfolio. Leffe is available in over 60 countries worldwide.

 

   

Hoegaarden, a high-end Belgian wheat beer. Based on a brewing tradition which dates back to 1445, Hoegaarden is top fermented, then refermented in the bottle or keg, leading to its distinctive cloudy white appearance.

On a local basis, we manage numerous well-known local brands, which form the foundation of our business. The portfolio of local brands includes:

North America

 

   

Bud Light, is the best-selling beer in the United States. and the leader in the premium-light category. Bud Light is the official sponsor of the NFL (National Football League), having signed a six-year sponsorship agreement through 2016. In the United States, its share of the premium category is approximately 43%, more than the combined share of the next two largest core brands (excluding Budweiser).

 

   

Michelob ULTRA was rolled out nationally in 2002 and is estimated to be the number 10 brand in the United States according to Beer Marketer’s Insights.

Mexico

 

   

Victoria is an ultra-premium Vienna-style lager and one of Mexico’s most popular beers. The brand’s fans appreciate its medium body and slight malt sweetness. Victoria was produced for the first time in 1865, making Victoria Mexico’s oldest beer brand.

 

   

Modelo Especial, is a full-flavored pilsner beer brewed with premium two-row barley malt for a slightly sweet, well-balanced taste with a light hop character and crisp finish. Brewed since 1925, it was created to be a “model” beer for all of Mexico and stands for pride and authenticity.

We have granted Constellation Brands, Inc. the exclusive right to market and sell Corona and certain other Modelo brands in fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam, including Victoria, Modelo Especial, Pacifico and Negra Modelo.

 

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Latin America

 

   

Skol, the leading beer brand in the Brazilian market according to Plato Logic Limited. We have invested in pioneering and innovation of the Skol brand, creating new market trends and involvement in entertainment initiatives, such as music festivals.

 

   

Brahma, the second most consumed beer in Brazil according to Plato Logic Limited. It is one of the Brazilian official sponsors of the FIFA World Cup TM .

 

   

Antarctica, the third most consumed beer in Brazil according to Plato Logic Limited.

 

   

Quilmes, the leading beer in Argentina, according to Nielsen, and a national symbol with its striped light blue and white label linked to the colors of the Argentine national flag and football team.

Europe

 

   

Jupiler, the market leader in terms of sales volumes in Belgium and the official sponsor of the highest Belgian football division, the Jupiler League. It is also the sponsor of the Belgian national football team.

 

   

Hasseröder, a leading brand in eastern Germany, gained country-wide exposure following national marketing campaigns and by leveraging of global assets such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ sponsorship.

 

   

Klinskoye, our largest brand in Russia, originating near Moscow, is a leading brand for Russian consumers.

 

   

Sibirskaya Korona, first established as a local Siberian brand with proud Siberian values, has grown into a national premium brand sold throughout Russia.

 

   

Chernigivske is the best-selling brand of beer in Ukraine and the sponsor of the Ukrainian national football team.

Asia Pacific

 

   

Harbin, is a national brand with its roots in the northeast of China. Harbin is our largest brand in China and the 11 th largest beer brand in the world according to Plato Logic.

 

   

Sedrin, is a strong regional brand that originated in China’s Fujian province.

The branding and marketing of our global brands, Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois, is managed centrally within our group. International brands are managed with more flexibility at the local level for branding and marketing, while the marketing and branding of our local brands is generally managed at a local level. See “—B. Business Overview—9. Branding and Marketing” for more information on brand positioning, branding and marketing.

In certain markets, we also distribute products of other brewers.

 

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Non-Beer

Soft Drinks

While our core business is beer, we also have a presence in the soft drink market in Latin America through our subsidiary Ambev and in the United States through Anheuser-Busch. Soft drinks include both carbonated soft and non-carbonated soft drinks.

Our soft drinks business includes both our own production and agreements with PepsiCo related to bottling and distribution. Ambev is one of PepsiCo’s largest independent bottlers in the world. Major brands that are distributed under these agreements are Pepsi, 7UP and Gatorade. Ambev has long-term agreements with PepsiCo whereby Ambev has the exclusive right to bottle, sell and distribute certain brands of PepsiCo’s portfolio of carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks in Brazil. The agreements will expire on 31 December 2017 and are automatically extended for additional ten-year terms unless terminated prior to the expiration date by written notice by either party at least two years prior to the expiration of their term or on account of other events, such as a change of control or insolvency of, or failure to comply with material terms or meet material commitments by, our relevant subsidiary. Ambev also has agreements with PepsiCo to bottle, sell, distribute and market some of its brands in the Dominican Republic. Through our Latin America South operations, Ambev is also PepsiCo’s bottler for Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay and in some regions of Peru.

Apart from the bottling and distribution agreements with PepsiCo, Ambev also produces, sells and distributes its own soft drinks. Its main carbonated soft drinks brand is Guaraná Antarctica.

In December 2012, Ambev and Monster Energy Company (“ Monster ”) announced that they had signed a distribution agreement for the sale and distribution of Monster Energy drinks in Brazil. This partnership is expected to benefit both companies through the increase of their presence in the fast growing energy drink segment in Brazil. Operations began at the end of January 2013 under a long-term agreement renewable every five years.

In the United States, Anheuser-Busch also produces non-alcohol malt beverage products, including O’Doul’s, O’Doul’s Amber and related products. On a limited basis, we have also entered into arrangements under which other non-alcohol products, such as Monster Energy drinks, are distributed and sold in select markets though the Anheuser-Busch distribution network.

We have also continued to expand our global portfolio of non-alchohol beverages, including, for example, the launch of Jupiler Force and Hoegaarden 0.0% in Belgium for consumers who prefer non-alcohol alternatives. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—2. Principal Activities and Products—Beer” for more information.

 

3. MAIN MARKETS

We are a global brewer, with sales in over 120 countries across the globe.

The last two decades have been characterized by rapid growth in fast-growing emerging markets, notably in regions in Latin America North, Latin America South and Asia-Pacific, where we have significant sales. The table below sets out our total volumes broken down by business segment for the periods shown:

 

     2013     2012     2011  

Market

   Volumes
(million
hectoliters)
     Volumes (%
of total)
    Volumes
(million
hectoliters)
     Volumes (%
of total)
    Volumes
(million
hectoliters)
     Volumes (%
of total)
 

North America

     122         28.7     125         31.1     125         31.3

Mexico (1)

     22         5.3     —           —          —           —     

Latin America North (2)

     119         28.0     122         30.3     116         29.1

Latin America South

     37         8.7     38         9.4     39         9.8

Western Europe

     28         6.7     30         7.3     31         7.7

Central & Eastern Europe

     19         4.5     23         5.7     26         6.4

Asia Pacific

     66         15.4     58         14.3     56         14.0

Global Export & Holding Companies

     12         2.8     7         1.8     7         1.8
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     426         100.0     403         100     399         100
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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(1) Following the combination with Grupo Modelo we are fully consolidating Grupo Modelo in our financial reporting as of 4 June 2013 and are reporting the Grupo Modelo volumes in the reported volumes as of that date. Grupo Modelo results are reported according to their geographical presence in the following segments: the Mexico beer and packaging businesses are reported in the new Zone Mexico, the Spanish business is reported in the Zone Western Europe and the Export business is reported in the Global Export and Holding Companies segment.
(2) Peru and Ecuador were transferred from the Latin America North zone to the Latin America South zone on 1 January 2013. The figures for both zones reflect this allocation.

On an individual country basis, our largest markets by volume during the year ended 31 December 2013 were the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Ukraine and China. Each market has its own dynamics and consumer preferences and values. Given the breadth of our portfolio, we believe we are well placed and can launch, relaunch, market and ultimately sell the beer that best addresses consumer choice in the various categories (premium, core and value) in a given market.

Our marketing approach is supported by three solid pillars: brands, connections and renovation/innovation. We are committed to innovation generated from consumer and shopper insights. Through this approach, we seek to understand the values, lifestyles, preferences and consumption occasions of today’s and tomorrow’s consumers and shoppers, with a view to building fresh appeal and competitive advantage through innovative products and services tailored to meet those needs. We have advanced our ability to deliver these innovative products and tailored services through globally deployed tools. See “—B. Business Overview—10. Intellectual Property; Research and Development” for further information.

 

4. COMPETITION

Historically, brewing was a local industry with only a few players having a substantial international presence. Larger brewing companies often obtained an international footprint through direct exports, licensing agreements and joint venture arrangements. However, the last several decades have seen a transformation of the industry, with a prolonged period of consolidation. This trend started within the more established beer markets of Western Europe and North America, and took the form of larger businesses being formed through merger and acquisition activity within national markets. More recently, consolidation has also taken place within emerging markets. Over the last decade, the global consolidation process has accelerated, with brewing groups making significant acquisitions outside of their domestic markets and increasingly looking to purchase other regional brewing organizations. Recent examples of this trend include SABMiller’s acquisition of Bavaria in 2005, the acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle by Carlsberg and Heineken in 2008, Heineken’s acquisition of FEMSA Cerveza in April 2010, SABMiller’s acquisition of Foster’s in 2011, Kirin’s acquisition of Schincariol in Brazil and Heineken’s acquisition of Asia Pacific Breweries in 2012. As a result of this consolidation process, the absolute and relative size of the world’s largest brewers has increased substantially. Therefore, today’s leading international brewers have significantly more diversified operations and have established leading positions in a number of international markets.

We have participated in this consolidation trend, and have grown our international footprint through a series of mergers and acquisitions described in “—A. History and Development of the Company—History and Development of the Company.”

 

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The ten largest brewers in the world in 2012 in terms of volume were as set out in the table below.

 

Rank

  

Name

   Volume
(thousand
hectoliters)  (1)
(2) (3)
 
1   

AB InBev

     355,430   
2   

SABMiller

     279,736   
3   

Heineken

     212,859   
4   

Carlsberg

     121,592   
5   

Tsingtao (Group)

     79,000   
6   

Molson Coors Brewing Company

     66,498   
7   

Modelo

     55,795   
8   

Beijing Yanjing

     54,040   
9   

Kirin

     45,626   
10   

Anadolu Group (Efes)

     29,525   

 

Notes:

 

(1) Source: Plato Logic Limited as of November 2013. AB InBev volumes indicated here are Plato Logic Limited’s estimates of our beer-only volumes and do not include volumes of associates. Our own beer volumes as of 31 December 2012 were 353.9 million hectoliters.
(2) Calendar year basis.
(3) Grupo Modelo volumes are shown separately from AB InBev volumes because this chart is based on 2012 reported volumes, prior to our acquisition of Grupo Modelo.

In each of our regional markets, we compete against a mixture of national, regional, local and imported beer brands. In many countries in Latin America, we compete mainly with local players and local beer brands. In North America, Asia Pacific, Brazil, Mexico, Europe and in selected other countries in Latin America, we compete primarily with large leading international or regional brewers and international or regional brands.

 

5. WEATHER AND SEASONALITY

For information on how weather affects consumption of our products and the seasonality of our business, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—A. Key Factors Affecting Results of Operations—Weather and Seasonality.”

 

6. BREWING PROCESS; RAW MATERIALS AND PACKAGING; PRODUCTION FACILITIES; LOGISTICS

Brewing Process

The basic brewing process for most beers is straightforward, but significant know-how is involved in quality and cost control. The most important stages are brewing and fermentation, followed by maturation, filtering and packaging. Although malted barley (malt) is the primary ingredient, other grains such as unmalted barley, corn, rice or wheat are sometimes added to produce different beer flavors. The proportion and choice of other raw materials varies according to regional taste preferences and the type of beer.

The first step in the brewing process is making wort by mixing malt with warm water and then gradually heating it to around 75°C in large mash tuns to dissolve the starch and transform it into a mixture, called “mash,” of maltose and other sugars. The spent grains are filtered out and the liquid, now called “wort,” is boiled. Hops are added at this point to give a special bitter taste and aroma to the beer, and help preserve it. The wort is boiled for one to two hours to sterilize and concentrate it, and extract the flavor from the hops. Cooling follows, using a heat exchanger. The hopped wort is saturated with air or oxygen, essential for the growth of the yeast in the next stage.

Yeast is a micro-organism that turns the sugar in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This process of fermentation takes five to eleven days, after which the wort finally becomes beer. Different types of beer are made using different strains of yeast and wort compositions. In some yeast varieties, the cells rise to the top at the end of fermentation. Ales and wheat beers are brewed in this way. Lagers are made using yeast cells that settle to the bottom. Some special Belgian beers, called lambic or gueuze, use yet another method where fermentation relies on spontaneous action by airborne yeasts.

 

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During the maturation process the liquid clarifies as yeast and other particles settle. Further filtering gives the beer more clarity. Maturation varies by type of beer and can take as long as three weeks. Then the beer is ready for packaging in kegs, cans or bottles.

Raw Materials and Packaging

The main raw materials used in our beer production are malted barley, corn grits, corn syrup, rice, hops, and water. For non-beer production (mainly carbonated soft drinks) the main ingredients are flavored concentrate, fruit concentrate, sugar, sweetener and water. In addition to these inputs into our products, delivery of our products to consumers requires extensive use of packaging materials such as glass, PET and aluminum bottles, aluminum or steel cans and kegs, labels, plastic crates, metal and plastic closures, folding cartons, cardboard products and plastic films.

We use only our own proprietary yeast, which we grow in our facilities. In some regions, we import hops to obtain adequate quality and appropriate variety for flavor and aroma. We purchase these ingredients through the open market and through contracts with suppliers. We also purchase barley and process it to meet our malt requirements at our malting plants.

Prices and sources of raw materials are determined by, among other factors:

 

   

the level of crop production;

 

   

weather conditions;

 

   

export demand; and

 

   

governmental taxes and regulations.

We are reducing the number of our suppliers in each region to develop closer relationships that allow for lower prices and better service, while at the same time ensuring that we are not entirely dependent on a single supplier. We hedge some of our commodities contracts on the financial markets and some of our malt requirements are purchased on the spot market. See “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk—Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments” and note 29 to our audited financial information as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, for further details on commodities hedging.

We have supply contracts with respect to most packaging materials as well as our own production capacity as outlined below in “—Production Facilities.” The choice of packaging materials varies by cost and availability in different regions, as well as consumer preferences and the image of each brand. We also use aluminum cansheet for the production of beverage cans and lids.

Hops, PET resin, soda ash for our glass plants and, to some extent, cans are mainly sourced globally. Malt, adjuncts (such as unmalted grains or fruit), sugar, steel, cans, labels, metal closures, plastic closures, preforms and folding cartons are sourced regionally. Electricity is sourced nationally, while water is sourced locally, for example, from municipal water systems and private wells.

We use natural gas as our primary fuel, and we believe adequate supplies of fuel and electricity are available for the conduct of our business. The energy commodity markets have experienced, and can be expected to continue to experience, significant price volatility. We manage our energy costs using various methods including supply contracts, hedging techniques, and fuel switching.

Production Facilities

Our production facilities are spread across our zones, giving us a balanced geographical footprint in terms of production and allowing us to efficiently meet consumer demand across the globe. We manage our production

 

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capacity across our zones, countries and plants. We typically own our production facilities free of any major encumbrances. We also lease a number of warehouses and other commercial buildings from third parties. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—11. Regulations Affecting Our Business” for a description of the environmental and other regulations that affect our production facilities.

Beverage Production Facilities

Our beverage production facilities comprised 151 breweries and/or soft drink plants as of 31 December 2013 spread across our zones. Of these 151 plants, 122 produced only beer, 12 produced only soft drinks and 17 produced both beer and soft drinks. Except in limited cases (for example, our Hoegaarden brewery in Belgium), our breweries are not dedicated to one single brand of beer. This allows us to allocate production capacity efficiently within our group.

The table below sets out, for each of our zones in 2013, the number of our beverage production plants (breweries and/or soft drink plants) as well as the plants’ overall capacity and shipment volumes.

 

            2013 volumes (1)      Annual engineering
capacity as of
31 December 2013
 

Zone

   Number of
plants
     Beer (khl)      Soft drinks
(khl)
     Beer (khl)      Soft drinks
(khl)
 

North America

     19         122,116         —           149,200         n/a   

Mexico (2)

     7         22,366         —           57,807         n/a   

Latin America North

     36         87,595         31,533         139,900         58,600   

Latin America South

     23         22,093         14,825         34,784         25,085   

Western Europe (3)

     16         28,385         —           46,587         n/a   

Central & Eastern Europe

     10         19,186         —           37,600         n/a   

Asia Pacific (4)

     40         65,787         —           122,695         n/a   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total (5)

     151         367,528         46,358         588,573         83,685   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Notes:

 

(1) Reported volumes (shipments)
(2) Following the combination with Grupo Modelo we are fully consolidating Grupo Modelo in our financial reporting as of 4 June 2013 and are reporting the Grupo Modelo volumes in the reported volumes as of that date. Grupo Modelo results are reported according to their geographical presence in the following segments: the Mexico beer and packaging businesses are reported in the new Zone Mexico, the Spanish business is reported in the Zone Western Europe and the Export business is reported in the Global Export and Holding Companies segment.
(3) Includes cider and flavored malted beverage volumes.
(4) Excludes our joint ventures in India and Zhujiang, China.
(5) Excludes Global Export & Holding Companies with 2013 beer volumes of 12,054 million hectoliters.

Non-Beverage Production Facilities

Our beverage production plants are supplemented and supported by a number of plants and other facilities that produce raw materials and packaging materials for our beverages. The table below provides additional detail on these facilities as of 31 December 2013.

 

Type of plant / facility

  Number of plants
/ facilities
 

Countries in which plants / facilities are located

Malt plants

  14   Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Russia, United States, Mexico (1)

Rice mill

  1   United States

Corn grits

  6   Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia

Hop farms

  2   Germany, United States

Hop pellet plant

  1   Argentina

Guaraná farm

  1   Brazil

Glass bottle plants

  7   United States, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay

Bottle cap plants

  2   Brazil, Mexico

Label plant

  1   Brazil

Can plants

  7   Bolivia, United States, Mexico

Can lid manufacturing plants

  2   United States

Crown and closure liner material plant

  1   United States

Syrup plant

  1   Brazil

Sand quarries

  2   Mexico

 

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Notes:

 

(1) Excludes Cargill joint venture.

In addition to production facilities, we also maintain a geographical footprint in key markets through sales offices and distribution centers. Such offices and centers are opened as needs in the various markets arise.

Capacity Expansion

We continually assess whether our production footprint is adequate in view of existing and potential customer demand. Footprint optimization by adding new plants to our portfolio not only allows us to boost production capacity, but the strategic location often also reduces distribution time and costs so that our products reach consumers rapidly and efficiently and at a lower distribution cost. Conversely, footprint optimization can lead to the divesting of plants through sales to third parties, or to plant closures in order to minimize our fixed costs and keep a healthy return on assets. In Russia, we closed the Kursk and Novocheboksarks breweries in 2012 and 2013 after regulatory changes put pressure on the beer industry, including an excise tax increase and various legislative restrictions and bans. This action will help maintain our competitiveness and ensure the long-term, sustainable success of our organization in Russia.

Additional production facilities can be acquired from third parties or through greenfield investments in new projects. For example, following an increased demand for our products in the northeast of Brazil, a decision was made to construct a greenfield plant in Pernambuco state which opened in the fourth quarter of 2011 in time to support year-end peak season activities and the long-term growth of the region.

In addition to building or acquiring additional facilities, we also upgrade and expand capacity in our existing operations. For example, we invested in adding capabilities to produce Lime-A-Rita and other Rita family products in several U.S. breweries to keep up with demand and reduce logistics costs.

In 2013, we invested in new capacity projects in China, Brazil and Argentina to meet our future demand expectations in these countries. Our capital expenditures are primarily funded through cash from operating activities and are for production facilities, logistics, improving administrative capabilities, hardware and software.

We also outsource, to a limited extent, the production of items which we are either unable to produce in our own production network (for example, due to a lack of capacity during seasonal peaks) or for which we do not yet want to invest in new production facilities (for example, to launch a new product without incurring the full associated start-up costs). Such outsourcing mainly relates to secondary repackaging materials that we cannot practicably produce on our own, in which case our products are sent to external companies for repackaging (for example, gift packs with different types of beers).

Logistics

Our logistics organization is composed of (i) a first tier, which comprises all inbound flows into the plants of raw materials and packaging materials and all the outbound flows from the plants into the second drop point in the chain (for example, distribution centers, warehouses, wholesalers or key accounts) and (ii) a second tier, which comprises all distribution flows from the second drop point into the customer delivery tier (for example, pubs or retailers).

 

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Transportation is mainly outsourced to third-party contractors, although we do own a small fleet of vehicles in certain countries where it makes economic or strategic sense.

Most of our breweries have a warehouse which is attached to its production facilities. In places where our warehouse capacity is limited, external warehouses are rented. We strive to centralize fixed costs, which has resulted in some plants sharing warehouse and other facilities with each other.

Where it has been implemented, the VPO program has had a direct impact on our logistics organization, for example, in respect of safety, quality, environment, scheduling, warehouse productivity and loss prevention actions.

 

7. DISTRIBUTION OF PRODUCTS

We depend on effective distribution networks to deliver products to our customers. We review our focus markets for distribution and licensing agreements on an annual basis. The focus markets will typically be markets with an interesting premium category and with sound and strong partners (brewers and/or importers). Based on these criteria, focus markets are then chosen.

The distribution of beer varies from country to country and from region to region. The nature of distribution reflects consumption patterns and market structure, geographical density of customers, local regulation, the structure of the local retail sector, scale considerations, market share, expected added-value and capital returns, and the existence of third-party wholesalers or distributors. In some markets brewers distribute directly to customers (for example, in Belgium). In other markets wholesalers may play an important role in distributing a significant proportion of beer to customers either for legal reasons (for example, in certain U.S. states and Canada where there may be legal constraints on the ability of a beer manufacturer to own a wholesaler), or because of historical market practice (for example, in China, Russia and Argentina). In some instances, we have acquired third-party distributors to help us self-distribute our products as we have done in Brazil and Mexico.

The products we brew in the United States are sold to approximately 500 wholesalers for resale to retailers, with some entities owning more than one wholesalership. As of the end of 2013, we owned 17 of these wholesalers and have ownership stakes in another two of them. The remaining wholesalers are independent businesses. In certain countries, we enter into exclusive importer arrangements and depend on our counterparties to these arrangements to market and distribute our products to points of sale. In certain markets we also distribute the products of other brewers.

We generally distribute our products through (i) own distribution, in which we deliver to points of sale directly, and (ii) third party distribution networks, in which delivery to points of sale occurs through wholesalers and independent distributors. Third party distribution networks may be exclusive or non-exclusive and may, in certain business segments, involve use of third-party distribution while we retain the sales function through an agency framework. We seek to fully manage the sales teams in each of our markets. In case of non-exclusive distributorships, we try to encourage best practices through wholesaler excellence programs.

See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—A. Key Factors Affecting Results of Operations—Distribution Arrangements” for a discussion of the effect of the choice of distribution arrangements on our results of operations.

As a customer-driven organization, we have programs for professional relationship building with our customers in all markets regardless of the chosen distribution method. This happens directly, for example, by way of key customer account management, and indirectly by way of wholesaler excellence programs.

We seek to provide media advertising, point-of-sale advertising, and sales promotion programs to promote our brands. Where relevant, we complement national brand strategies with geographic marketing teams focused on delivering relevant programming addressing local interests and opportunities.

 

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8. LICENSING

In markets where we have no local affiliate, we may choose to enter into license agreements or, alternatively, international distribution and/or importation agreements, depending on the best strategic fit for each particular market. License agreements entered into by us grant the right to third-party licensees to manufacture, package, sell and market one or several of our brands in a particular assigned territory under strict rules and technical requirements. In the case of international distribution and/or importation agreements, we produce and package the products ourselves while the third party distributes, markets and sells the brands in the local market.

Budweiser is brewed and sold in Japan through license and distribution agreements with Kirin Brewery Company, Limited. A licensing agreement allows Guinness Ireland Limited to brew and sell Budweiser and Bud Light in the Republic of Ireland. Budweiser is also brewed under license and sold by brewers in Spain (Sociedad Anonima Damm), India (ABInBev India Private Limited) and Panama (Heineken). Compañía Cervecerías Unidas, a subsidiary of Compañía Cervecerías Unidas S.A., a leading Chilean brewer, distributes Budweiser under license in Chile and brews and distributes Budweiser in Argentina through a subsidiary. We also sell various brands, including Budweiser, by exporting from our license partners’ breweries to other countries.

Corona is licensed to Constellation Brands, Inc. for production in Mexico and marketing and sales in fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam. Corona is also distributed by third parties in over 100 countries worldwide, including Australia and New Zealand.

Stella Artois is licensed to third parties in Algeria, Australia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, New Zealand, and Romania, while Beck’s is licensed to third parties in Algeria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Serbia, Tunisia and Montenegro.

On 2 December 2009, we sold our Central European operations to CVC Capital Partners. The business we sold to CVC Capital Partners in 2009 has rights to brew and/or distribute, under license from us, Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Löwenbräu, Spaten and Stella Artois, in Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. On 15 June 2012, CVC sold the business to Molson Coors Brewing Company for an aggregate consideration of EUR 2.65 billion (USD 3.65 billion). We retain rights to brew and distribute Staropramen in Ukraine and Russia and to distribute Staropramen in Germany, Canada and Italy.

On 20 January 2014, we announced an agreement whereby we will reacquire Oriental Brewery, the South Korean subsidiary that we sold on 24 July 2009 to an affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in South Korea as well as other customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the first half of 2014. Under the terms of the sale agreement in 2009, we granted Oriental Brewery exclusive distribution rights over certain brands in South Korea including Budweiser, Bud Ice and Hoegaarden.

See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Business—We rely on key third parties, including key suppliers, and the termination or modification of the arrangements with such third parties could negatively affect our business.”

We also manufacture and distribute other third-party brands, such as Kirin in the United States. Ambev, our listed Brazilian subsidiary, and some of our other subsidiaries have entered into manufacturing and distribution agreements with PepsiCo that have made Ambev one of PepsiCo’s largest independent bottlers in the world. Major brands that are distributed under this agreement are Pepsi, 7UP and Gatorade. See “—B. Business Overview—2. Principal Activities and Products—Non-Beer—Soft Drinks” for further information in this respect. Ambev also has a license agreement with Anheuser-Busch InBev allowing it to exclusively produce, distribute and market Budweiser and Stella Artois in Brazil and Canada. Ambev also distributes Budweiser in Ecuador, Paraguay, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Nicaragua and Corona in Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua and Canada.

 

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9. BRANDING AND MARKETING

Our brands are our foundation, the cornerstone of our relationships with consumers and the key to our long-term success. Our brand portfolio, its enduring bonds with consumers and its partnerships with customers are our most important assets. We invest in our brands to create long-term, sustainable, competitive advantage by seeking to meet the beverage needs of consumers around the world and to develop leading brand positions in every market in which we operate.

Our brand portfolio consists of three global brands (Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois), our international brands (Beck’s, Leffe and Hoegaarden), and many local brands such as Jupiler, Skol, Quilmes, Bud Light, Sibirskaya Korona, Modelo Especial and Harbin. We believe this global brand portfolio provides us with strong growth and revenue opportunities and, coupled with a powerful range of premium brands, positions us well to meet the needs of consumers in each of the markets in which we compete. For further information about our focus brands, see “—B. Business Overview—2. Principal Activities and Products—Beer.”

We have established a “focus brands” strategy. Focus brands are those in which we invest the majority of our resources (money, people, and attention). They are a small group of brands which we believe have the best growth potential within each relevant consumer group. These focus brands include our three global brands, our international brands and selected local brands. In 2013, our focus brands accounted for 69% of our volume.

We seek to constantly strengthen and develop our brand portfolio through enhancement of brand quality, marketing and product innovation. Our marketing team therefore works together closely with our research and development team (see “—B. Business Overview—10. Intellectual Property; Research and Development” for further information).

We continually assess consumer needs and values in each geographic market in which we operate with a view to identifying the key characteristics of consumers in each beer category (that is, premium, core and value). This allows us to position our existing brands (or to introduce new brands) in order to address the characteristics of each category.

Our marketing approach is based on a “value-based brands” approach. A value-based brands proposition is a single, clear, compelling values based reason for consumer preference. We have defined 37 different consumer values (such as ambition, authenticity or friendship) to establish a connection between consumers and our products. The value-based brands approach first involves the determination of consumer portraits, secondly brand attributes (that is, tangible characteristics of the brand that support the brand’s positioning) and brand personality (that is, the way the brand would behave as a person) are defined, and finally a positioning statement to help ensure the link between the consumer and the brand is made. Once this link has been established, a particular brand can either be developed (brand innovation) or relaunched (brand renovation or line extension from the existing brand portfolio) to meet the customers’ needs. We apply zero-based planning principles to yearly budget decisions and for ongoing investment reviews and reallocations. We invest in each brand in line with its local or global strategic priority and, taking into account its local circumstances, seek to maximize profitable and sustainable growth.

We own the rights to our principal brand names and trademarks in perpetuity for the main countries where these brands are currently commercialized.

 

10. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY; RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Innovation is one of the key factors enabling us to achieve our strategy. We seek to combine technological know-how with market understanding to develop a healthy innovation pipeline in terms of production process, product and packaging features as well as branding strategy. In addition, as beer markets mature, innovation plays an increasingly important role by providing differentiated products with increased value to consumers.

 

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Intellectual Property

Our intellectual property portfolio mainly consists of trademarks, patents, registered designs, copyright, know-how and domain names. This intellectual property portfolio is managed by our internal legal department, in collaboration with a selected network of external intellectual property advisors. We place importance on achieving close cooperation between our intellectual property team and our marketing and research and development teams. An internal stage gate process promotes the protection of our intellectual property rights, the swift progress of our innovation projects and the development of products that can be launched and marketed without infringing any third-party’s intellectual property rights. A project can only move on to the next step of its development after the necessary verifications (for example, availability of trademark, existence of prior technology/earlier patents and freedom to market) have been carried out. This internal process is designed to ensure that financial and other resources are not lost due to oversights in relation to intellectual property protection during the development process.

Our patent portfolio is carefully built to gain a competitive advantage and support our innovation and other intellectual assets. We currently have more than 100 patent families for which patents are pending or registered; that means we have or are seeking to obtain patent protection for more than 100 different technological inventions. The extent of the protection differs between technologies, as some patents are protected in many jurisdictions, while others are only protected in one or a few jurisdictions. Our patents may relate, for example, to brewing processes, improvements in production of fermented malt-based beverages, treatments for improved beer flavor stability, non-alcoholic beer development, filtration processes, beverage dispensing systems and devices or beer packaging.

We license in limited technology from third parties. We also license out certain of our intellectual property to third parties, for which we receive royalties.

Research and Development

Given our focus on innovation, we place a high value on research and development (“ R&D ”). In 2013, we spent USD 185 million (USD 182 million in 2012 and USD 175 million in 2011) in the area of market research and on innovation in the areas of process optimization and product development at our Belgian R&D center and across our business segments.

R&D in process optimization is primarily aimed at capacity increase (plant debottlenecking and addressing volume issues, while minimizing capital expenditure), quality improvement and cost efficiency, and at pursuing our Better World commitments to reduce our packaging material, energy and water consumption. Newly developed processes, materials and/or equipment are documented in best practices and shared across business segments. Current projects range from malting to bottling of finished products.

R&D in product innovation covers liquid, packaging and draft innovation. Product innovation consists of breakthrough innovation, incremental innovation and renovation (that is, implementation of existing technology). The main goal for the innovation process is to provide consumers with better products and experiences. This includes launching new liquids, new packaging and new draft products that deliver better performance both for the consumer and in terms of financial results, by increasing our competitiveness in the relevant markets. With consumers comparing products and experiences offered across very different beverage categories and with choice increasing, our R&D efforts also require an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of other beverage categories, spotting opportunities for beer and developing consumer solutions (products) that better address consumer needs and deliver better experiences. This requires first understanding consumer emotions and expectations in order to guide our innovation efforts. Sensory experience, premiumization, convenience, sustainability and design are all central to our R&D efforts.

Knowledge management and learning make up an integral part of R&D. We seek to continuously increase our knowledge through collaborations with universities and other industries.

Our R&D team is briefed annually on our business segments’ priorities and approves concepts which are subsequently prioritized for development. Launch time, depending on complexity and prioritization, usually falls within the next calendar year.

 

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In November 2006, we opened our Global Innovation and Technology Centre in Leuven, Belgium. This state of the art building accommodates the Packaging, Product, Process Development teams and facilities such as Labs, Experimental Brewery and the European Central Lab, which also includes Sensory Analysis.

In addition to our Global Innovation and Technology Centre, we also have Product, Packaging and Process development teams located in each of our zones focusing on the short-term needs of such regions.

 

11. REGULATIONS AFFECTING OUR BUSINESS

Our worldwide operations are subject to extensive regulatory requirements regarding, among other things, production, distribution, importation, marketing, promotion, labeling, advertising, labor, pensions and public health, consumer protection and environmental issues. For example, in the United States, federal and state laws regulate most aspects of the brewing, sale, marketing, labeling and wholesaling of our products. At the federal level, the Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department oversees the industry, and each state in which we sell or produce products, and some local authorities in jurisdictions in which we sell products, also have regulations that affect the business conducted by us and other brewers and wholesalers. It is our policy to abide by the laws and regulations around the world that apply to us or to our business. We rely on legal and operational compliance programs, as well as local in-house and external counsel, to guide businesses in complying with applicable laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate.

See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—Certain of our operations depend on independent distributors or wholesalers to sell our products,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—Negative publicity, perceived health risks and associated government regulation may harm our business,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We could incur significant costs as a result of compliance with, and/or violations of or liabilities under, various regulations that govern our operations,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—Our operations are subject to environmental regulations, which could expose us to significant compliance costs and litigation relating to environmental issues,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We operate a joint venture in Cuba, in which the Government of Cuba is our joint venture partner. Cuba has been identified by the U.S. Department of State as a state sponsor of terrorism and is targeted by broad and comprehensive economic and trade sanctions of the United States. Our operations in Cuba may adversely affect our reputation and the liquidity and value of our securities,” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—A. Key Factors Affecting Results of Operations—Governmental Regulations.”

Production, advertising, marketing and sales of alcoholic beverages are subject to various restrictions around the world. These range from a complete prohibition of alcohol in certain countries and cultures through the prohibition of the import of alcohol, to restrictions on the advertising style, media and messages used. In a number of countries, television is a prohibited medium for advertising alcohol products, and in other countries, television advertising, while permitted, is carefully regulated. Media restrictions may constrain our brand building potential. Labeling of our products is also regulated in certain markets, varying from health warning labels to importer identification, alcohol strength and other consumer information. Specific warning statements related to the risks of drinking alcohol products, including beer, have also become prevalent in recent years. Introduction of smoking bans in pubs and restaurants may have negative effects on on-trade consumption (that is, beer purchased for consumption in a pub or restaurant or similar retail establishment), as opposed to off-trade consumption (that is, beer purchased at a retail outlet for consumption at home or another location).

The distribution of our beer products may also be regulated. In certain markets, alcohol may only be sold through licensed outlets, varying from government or state operated monopoly outlets (for example, in the off-trade channel of certain Canadian provinces) to the common system of licensed on-trade outlets (for example, licensed bars and restaurants) which prevails in many countries (for example, in much of the European Union). In the United States, states operate under a three-tier system of regulation for beer products from brewer to wholesaler to retailer, meaning that we must work with licensed third-party distributors to distribute our products to the points of connection.

In the United States, both federal and state laws generally prohibit us from providing anything of value to retailers, including paying slotting fees or holding ownership interests in retailers. Some states prohibit us from

 

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being licensed as a wholesaler for our products. State laws also regulate the interactions among us, our wholesalers and consumers by, for example, limiting merchandise that can be provided to consumers or limiting promotional activities that can be held at retail premises. If we were found to have violated applicable federal or state alcoholic beverage laws, we could be subject to a variety of sanctions, including fines, equitable relief and suspension or permanent revocation of our licenses to brew or sell our products.

Governments in most of the countries in which we operate also establish minimum legal drinking ages, which generally vary from 16 to 21 years, impose minimum prices on beer products or impose other restrictions on sales, which affect demand for our products. Moreover, governments may respond to public pressure to curtail alcohol consumption by raising the legal drinking age, further limiting the number, type or operating hours of retail outlets or expanding retail licensing requirements. We work both independently and together with other brewers and alcoholic beverage companies to limit the negative consequences of inappropriate use of alcohol products and actively promote responsible sales and consumption.

Similarly, we may need to respond to new legislation curtailing soft drink consumption at schools and other government-owned facilities.

We are subject to antitrust and competition laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate and may be subject to regulatory scrutiny in certain of these jurisdictions. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We are exposed to antitrust and competition laws in certain jurisdictions and the risk of changes in such laws or in the interpretation and enforcement of existing antitrust and competition laws.”

In many jurisdictions, excise and other indirect duties, including legislation regarding minimum alcohol pricing, make up a large proportion of the cost of beer charged to customers. In the United States, for example, the brewing industry is subject to significant taxation. The United States federal government currently levies an excise tax of USD 18 per barrel (equivalent to 1.1734776 hectoliters) of beer sold for consumption in the United States. All states also levy excise taxes on alcoholic beverages. Proposals have been made to increase the federal excise tax as well as the excise taxes in some states. In the past few years, Belgium, Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Russia and Ukraine have all adopted proposals to increase beer excise taxes. Rising excise duties can drive up our pricing to the consumer, which in turn could have a negative impact on our results of operations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—The beer and beverage industry may be subject to adverse changes in taxation.”

Our products are generally sold in glass or PET bottles or aluminum or steel cans. Legal requirements apply in various jurisdictions in which we operate, requiring that deposits or certain ecotaxes or fees are charged for the sale, marketing and use of certain non-refillable beverage containers. The precise requirements imposed by these measures vary. Other types of beverage container-related deposit, recycling, ecotax and/or extended producer responsibility statutes and regulations also apply in various jurisdictions in which we operate.

We are subject to different environmental legislation and controls in each of the countries in which we operate. Environmental laws in the countries in which we operate mostly relate to (i) the conformity of our operating procedures with environmental standards regarding, among other things, the emission of gas and liquid effluents, (ii) the disposal of one-way (that is, non-returnable) packaging and (iii) noise. We believe that the regulatory climate in most countries in which we operate is becoming increasingly strict with respect to environmental issues and expect this trend to continue in the future. Achieving compliance with applicable environmental standards and legislation may require plant modifications and capital expenditures. Laws and regulations may also limit noise levels and the disposal of waste, as well as impose waste treatment and disposal requirements. Some of the jurisdictions in which we operate have laws and regulations that require polluters or site owners or occupants to clean up contamination.

The amount of dividends payable to us by our operating subsidiaries is, in certain countries, subject to exchange control restrictions of the respective jurisdictions where those subsidiaries are organized and operate. See also “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—G. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Transfers from Subsidiaries”, “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors.”

 

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12. INSURANCE

We maintain comprehensive insurance policies with respect to casualty, property and certain specialized coverage. Our insurance program is mainly divided into two general categories:

 

   

Assets: these insurance policies cover our physical properties and include global property and business interruption; and

 

   

Liabilities: these insurance policies cover losses due to damages caused to third parties and include general and product liability, executive risks (risks related to our board and management) and driver’s insurance (which is taken out in accordance with local requirements).

We believe we have adequate insurance cover taking into account our market capitalization and our worldwide presence. We further believe that the level of insurance we maintain is appropriate for the risks of our business and is comparable to that maintained by other companies in its industry. In addition to these insurance policies, we also use self-insurance in certain areas.

 

13. SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY MATTERS

Our dream is to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World. In all we do, we strive to ensure that we produce the highest quality products, provide the best consumer experience, and maximize shareholder value by building the strongest competitive and financial position. We aim to use this increasing financial capacity and our global reach to deliver on our Better World commitment. Our Better World actions focus on three key areas — responsible drinking, environment and community.

Responsible Drinking

As a leader in the beer industry, our primary responsibility is to provide the highest-quality products and to encourage consumers to enjoy them responsibly at all times. That means we are adamantly opposed to the harmful use of alcohol, including drunk driving, underage drinking and excessive or abusive drinking.

We promote responsible drinking and discourage alcohol abuse by informing and educating consumers through focused campaigns and marketing activities that support our position on responsible drinking. These programs include:

 

   

Communicating regularly on topics such as the importance of designated drivers, the role parents play in helping prevent underage drinking by talking with their children, and encouraging young people to respect drinking-age laws.

 

   

Promoting our position and beliefs internally through our employee responsible drinking policies.

 

   

Promoting education for bar, restaurant and store staff to help them learn how to properly check a patron’s age to prevent underage sales and to discourage binge drinking.

 

   

Supporting the enforcement of blood alcohol content (BAC) laws to help prevent drunk driving around the world.

In 2013, we continued to develop, promote and expand responsible drinking programs in our key markets around the world. Where possible, we established partnerships with governments, community organizations, educators and law enforcement agencies, focusing on preventing drunk driving, high-risk drinking and underage drinking to maximize these efforts. In 2011, we issued global responsible drinking goals to be achieved by the end of 2014. In September 2013, we reported our progress:

 

   

We have exceeded our goal to reach at least 100 million adults with programs that help parents talk to their children about underage drinking, reaching almost 145 million adults.

 

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In the first two years, we provided ID-checking materials to almost 450,000 bars and other retailers, about 93 percent our target of at least 500,000.

 

   

In 2011 and 2012, we trained almost 228,000 bartenders, waiters, grocery store clerks, servers and sellers of alcohol on responsible beverage sales. We aim to train a total of at least one million people who serve or sell alcohol by the end of 2014.

 

   

We have resoundingly spread the word about the importance of using a designated driver or safe ride home. In 2011 and 2012, we had reached more than 748 million legal-age consumers, exceeding our target of reaching at least 500 million consumers.

 

   

We invested more than USD 112 million in 2011 and 2012 combined in responsible drinking advertising and programs. We aim to invest at least USD 300 million by the end of 2014.

 

   

We have committed to celebrating Global Be(er) Responsible Day annually to promote the importance of responsible drinking among employees, partners and consumers.

Environment

Beer is a product of natural ingredients, and the stewardship of our natural environment—land, water and air—is fundamental to the quality of our brands in the long term. To be a responsible and resource-efficient global brewer, we must continually look for ways to incorporate practices that help us make the most of our raw materials, while also reducing the impact of our packaging and transportation on the environment.

Environmental key performance indicators and targets are fully integrated into our VPO global management system. It is designed to bring greater efficiency to our brewery operations, generate cost savings and improve environmental management, in accordance with our Environmental Policy and Strategy.

In 2010, we announced global companywide targets on key environmental measures covering water and energy use, carbon emission reductions, and waste and byproduct recycling. All targets were met by the end of 2012.

In 2013, we announced seven new global goals that focus on operational efficiencies and key areas outside the brewery walls that are vital to our business and our stakeholders. We aim to reach the goals by the end of 2017. The new global environmental goals are as follows:

 

1. Reduce water risks and improve water management in 100% of our key barley growing regions in partnership with local stakeholders

 

2. Engage in watershed protection measures at 100% of our facilities located in key areas in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Mexico, Peru and the United States, in partnership with local stakeholders

 

3. Reduce global water usage to a leading-edge 3.2 hectoliters of water per hectoliter of production,

 

4. Reduce global greenhouse gas emissions per hectoliter of production by 10%, including a 15% reduction per hectoliter in China

 

5. Reduce global energy usage per hectoliter of production by 10%, which is equivalent to the amount of electricity needed to light about a quarter of a million night football matches

 

6. Reduce packaging materials by 100,000 tons, which is equivalent to the weight of about a quarter of a billion full cans of beer

 

7. Reach a 70% global average of eco-friendly cooler purchases annually

Progress on our environmental goals is reported annually in our Global Citizenship Report, which is released in April each year.

Beyond operations management, we are also engaged with the international community and local groups to support key environmental initiatives. We are a signatory to the CEO Water Mandate, a public-private initiative of the United Nations Global Compact, which focuses on developing corporate strategies to address global water

 

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issues. We actively work to better understand and manage climate change and water risks across our supply chain and publicly report our risks and opportunities to the Carbon Disclosure Project. We are members of the Sustainable Agricutlure Initiative, a global food industry organization that supports the development of sustainable agriculture through the involvement of food chain stakeholders. We were also active participants in the United Nations Environment Program’s annual World Environment Day, through which we engaged with many community stakeholders around the world.

Energy conservation has been a strategic focus for us for many years, especially with the unpredictable cost of energy and evolving climate change regulations. Our continued progress is based on the importance we place on sharing best technical and management practices across our operations. We publicly report our risks and opportunities related to climate change to the Carbon Disclosure Project.

We work with suppliers, wholesalers and procurement companies, as well as packaging experts, to help make decisions that minimize the cost and environmental impact of packaging materials. We use many types of product packaging, from bulk packaging ( i.e. , beer kegs, crates and pallets), which is almost always returnable and reusable, to cardboard boxes, glass bottles, aluminum cans and PET bottles, which are recyclable. We also continue the light-weighting of packaging to reduce material costs, minimize the use of natural resources, reduce waste and lessen our transportation fuel consumption. We are continually exploring new forms of packaging that meet consumer needs with fewer resources.

Operating ethically is also part of our environmental mission. We have a Responsible Sourcing Policy, as well as a Human Rights Policy, that include standards on labor issues and business conduct. We are committed to operating ethically and with high integrity, maintaining our commitment to quality, and encouraging similar conduct for our business partners. We are a member of AIM-Progress, a global forum of consumer goods companies sponsored by the European Brands Association and the Grocery Manufacturers Association. The group’s purpose is to promote responsible supply chain and sourcing standards covering labor practices, health and safety, environmental management and business integrity. As a member, we report audits of our suppliers to AIM-Progress. We are also members of SEDEX, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to driving visibility in ethical and responsible business practices in global supply chains.

Community

We make significant contributions to the well-being of the communities where we do business, around the world. This occurs through the jobs we provide, the salaries and wages we pay, the taxes we contribute to local, regional and national governments, and the community support we provide in the form of donations and volunteer activities. For example, we have been involved in supporting Hope Schools for elementary school children in poverty-stricken areas in China, constructing temporary houses in Uruguay and Paraguay, supporting education and community development programs in Argentina and Russia, and providing canned drinking water to victims in disaster stricken areas in Canada, Europe and the United States.

Our People

It takes great people to build a great company. That is why we focus on attracting and retaining the best talent. Our approach is to enhance our people’s skills and potential through education and training, competitive compensation and a culture of ownership that rewards people for taking responsibility and producing results. Our ownership culture unites our people, providing the necessary energy, commitment and alignment needed to pursue our dream—to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World.

Having the right people in the right roles at the right time—aligned through a clear goal-setting and rewards process—improves productivity and enables us to continue to invest in our business and strengthen our social responsibility initiatives.

 

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C. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Anheuser Busch InBev S.A./N.V. is the parent company of the AB InBev Group. Our most significant subsidiaries (as of 31 December 2013) are:

 

Subsidiary Name

   Jurisdiction of
incorporation
or residence
   Proportion of
ownership
interest
    Proportion
of voting
rights held
 

Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC

       

One Busch Place

   Delaware,     

St. Louis, MO 63118

   U.S.A.      100     100

Ambev S.A.

       

Rua Dr. Renato Paes de Barros 1017

       

3° Andar Itaim Bibi

       

São Paulo

   Brazil      62     62

Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V.

       

Javier Barros Sierra No. 555 Piso 3

       

Zedec Santa Fe, 01210 Mexico, DF

   Mexico      96     96

For a more comprehensive list of our most important financing and operating subsidiaries see note 36 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31  December 2013.

D. PROPERTY, PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT

For a further discussion of property, plants and equipment, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Our operations are subject to environmental regulations, which could expose us to significant compliance costs and litigation relating to environmental issues”, “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—6. Brewing Process; Raw Materials and Packaging; Production Facilities; Logistics—Capacity Expansion,” “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—G. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Capital Expenditures” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—J. Outlook and Trend Information.”

 

ITEM 4A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

 

ITEM 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW

The following is a review of our financial condition and results of operations as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, and of the key factors that have affected or are expected to be likely to affect our ongoing and future operations. You should read the following discussion and analysis in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Form 20-F.

Some of the information contained in this discussion, including information with respect to our plans and strategies for our business and our expected sources of financing, contain forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties. You should read “Forward-Looking Statements” for a discussion of the risks related to those statements. You should also read “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” for a discussion of certain factors that may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have prepared our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board and in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (“ IFRS ”). The financial information and related discussion and analysis contained in this item are presented in U.S. dollars except as otherwise specified. Unless otherwise specified the financial information analysis in this Form 20-F is based on our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

 

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See “Presentation of Financial and Other Data” for further information on our presentation of financial information.

A. KEY FACTORS AFFECTING RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

We consider acquisitions, divestitures and other structural changes, economic conditions and pricing, consumer preferences, our product mix, raw material and transport prices, the effect of our distribution arrangements, excise taxes, the effect of governmental regulations, foreign currency effects and weather and seasonality to be the key factors influencing the results of our operations. The following sections discuss these key factors.

Acquisitions, Divestitures and Other Structural Changes

We regularly engage in acquisitions, divestitures and investments. We also engage in start-up or termination of activities and may transfer activities between business segments. Such events have had and are expected to continue to have a significant effect on our results of operations and the comparability of period-to-period results. Significant acquisitions, divestitures, investments and transfers of activities between business segments in the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011 are described below.

Events in the year ended 31 December 2013 that have scope effects on our results include:

 

   

On 4 June 2013 we announced the completion of our combination with Grupo Modelo. The combination was a natural next step given our economic stake of more than 50% in Grupo Modelo prior to the transaction and the successful long-term partnership between the two companies. The combination was completed through a series of steps that simplified Grupo Modelo’s corporate structure, followed by an all-cash tender offer for all outstanding Grupo Modelo shares that we did not own at that time for USD 9.15 per share. By 4 June 2013 and following the settlement of the tender offer, we owned approximately 95% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares. We established and funded a trust to accept further tender of shares by Grupo Modelo shareholders at a price of USD 9.15 per share over a period of up to 25 months from the completion of the combination. On 7 June 2013, in a transaction related to the combination, Grupo Modelo completed the sale of its business in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam to Constellation Brands, Inc. for approximately USD 4.75 billion, in aggregate, subject to a post-closing adjustment, which will be paid by Constellation Brands, Inc. no later than 7 June 2014. The post-closing adjustment is approximately USD 558 million. In a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo, select Grupo Modelo shareholders purchased a deferred share entitlement to acquire the equivalent of approximately 23.1 million AB InBev shares, to be delivered within five years, for consideration of approximately USD 1.5 billion. This investment occurred on 5 June 2013. As of 31 December 2013, we owned approximately 96% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares. Please refer to note 6 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

 

   

On 27 April 2013, we completed a transaction to acquire four breweries in China with a total capacity of approximately 9 million hectoliters. The aggregate purchase price was approximately USD 439 million.

Events in the year ended 31 December 2012 that have scope effects on our results include:

 

   

On 11 May 2012, we announced that Ambev and E. León Jimenes S.A. (“ ELJ ”), which owned 83.5% of CND, entered into a transaction to form a strategic alliance to create the leading beverage company in the Caribbean through the combination of their businesses in the region. Ambev’s initial indirect interest in CND was acquired through a cash payment of USD 1.0 billion and the contribution of Ambev Dominicana. Separately, Ambev Brazil acquired an additional stake in CND of 9.3%, which was owned

 

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by Heineken N.V., for USD 237 million at the closing date. During 2012 and 2013, as part of the same transaction, Ambev acquired an additional stake from other minority holders. As of 31 December 2013, Ambev owned a total indirect interest of approximately 55.0% in CND.

Events in the year ended 31 December 2011 that have scope effects on our results include:

 

   

On 28 February 2011, we closed a transaction with Dalian Daxue Group Co. Ltd and Kirin (China) Investment Co. Ltd to acquire a 100% equity interest in Liaoning Dalian Daxue Brewery Co. Ltd., which is among the top three breweries in Liaoning province. Daxue brews, markets and distributes major beer brands including “Daxue,” “Xiao Bang” and “Da Bang” which are popular beer brands in the south of Liaoning province.

 

   

On 1 May 2011, we acquired Fulton Street Brewery LLC, also known as Goose Island, a Midwest craft brewer in the United States. Goose Island brews ales, such as 312 Urban Wheat Ale, Honkers Ale, India Pale Ale, Matilda, Pere Jacques, Sofie and a wide variety of seasonal draft only and barrel-aged releases, including Bourbon County Stout, the original bourbon barrel-aged beer.

 

   

On 31 May 2011, we closed an agreement with Henan Weixue Beer Group Co. Ltd (China) to acquire its brands (Weixue and JiGongshan), assets and business, including its Xinyang brewery, Zhengzhou brewery and Gushi Brewery.

 

   

On 30 December 2011, we acquired Premium Beers of Oklahoma distributor in Oklahoma City, United States, a major wholesaler in that territory.

In addition to the acquisitions and divestitures described above, we may acquire, purchase or dispose of further assets or businesses in our normal course of operations. Accordingly, the financial information presented in this Form 20-F may not reflect the scope of our business as it will be conducted in the future.

Economic Conditions and Pricing

General economic conditions in the geographic regions in which we sell our products, such as the level of disposable income, the level of inflation, the rate of economic growth, the rate of unemployment, exchange rates and currency devaluation or revaluation, influence consumer confidence and consumer purchasing power. These factors, in turn, influence the demand for our products in terms of total volumes sold and the price that can be charged. This is particularly true for developing countries in our Latin America North, Latin America South, Mexico, Central & Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific zones, which tend to have lower disposable income per capita and may be subject to greater economic volatility than our markets in North America and Western Europe. The level of inflation has been particularly significant in our Latin America North, Latin America South and Central & Eastern Europe zones. For instance, Brazil has periodically experienced extremely high rates of inflation. In 1993, the annual rate of inflation, as measured by the National Consumer Price Index ( Indice Nacional de Preços ao Consumidor ), reached a hyper-inflationary peak of 2,489%. As measured by the same index, Brazilian inflation was 5.6% in 2013. Similarly, Russia and Argentina have, in the past, experienced periods of hyper-inflation. Due to the decontrol of prices in 1992, retail prices in Russia increased by 2,520% in that year, as measured by the Russian Federal State Statistics Service. Argentine inflation in 1989 was 4,924% according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos . As measured by these institutes, in 2013, Russian inflation was 6.5% and Argentine inflation was 10.9%. Consequently, a central element of our strategy for achieving sustained profitable volume growth is our ability to anticipate changes in local economic conditions and their impact on consumer demand in order to achieve the optimal combination of pricing and sales volume.

In addition to affecting demand for our products, the general economic conditions described above may cause consumer preferences to shift between on-trade consumption channels, such as restaurants and cafés, bars, sports and leisure venues and hotels, and off-trade consumption channels, such as traditional grocery stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets and discount stores. Products sold in off-trade consumption channels typically generate higher volumes and lower margins per retail outlet than those sold in on-trade consumption channels, although on-trade consumption channels typically require higher levels of investment. The relative profitability of on-trade and

 

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off-trade consumption channels varies depending on various factors, including costs of invested capital and the distribution arrangements in the different countries in which we operate. A shift in consumer preferences towards lower margin products may adversely affect our price realization and profit margins.

Consumer Preferences

We are a consumer products company, and our results of operations largely depend on our ability to respond effectively to shifting consumer preferences. Consumer preferences may shift due to a variety of factors, including changes in demographics, changes in social trends, such as consumer health concerns, product attributes and ingredients, changes in travel, vacation or leisure activity patterns, weather or negative publicity resulting from regulatory action or litigation.

Product Mix

The results of our operations are substantially affected by our ability to build on our strong family of brands by relaunching or reinvigorating existing brands in current markets, launching existing brands in new markets and introducing brand extensions and packaging alternatives for our existing brands, as well as our ability to both acquire and develop innovative local products to respond to changing consumer preferences. Strong, well-recognized brands that attract and retain consumers, for which consumers are willing to pay a premium, are critical to our efforts to maintain and increase market share and benefit from high margins. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—2. Principal Activities and Products—Beer” for further information regarding our brands.

Raw Material and Transport Prices

We have significant exposure to fluctuations in the prices of raw materials, packaging materials, energy and transport services, each of which may significantly impact our cost of sales or distribution expenses. Increased costs or distribution expenses will reduce our profit margins if we are unable to recover these additional costs from our customers through higher prices (see “—Economic Conditions and Pricing”).

The main raw materials used in our beer production are malted barley, corn grits, corn syrup, rice, hops and water, while those used in our non-beer production are flavored concentrate, fruit concentrate, sugar, sweetener and water. In addition to these inputs into our products, delivery of our products to consumers requires extensive use of packaging materials, such as glass, PET and aluminum bottles, aluminum or steel cans and kegs, labels, plastic crates, metal and plastic closures, folding cartons, cardboard products and plastic films.

The price of the raw and packaging materials that we use in our operations is determined by, among other factors, the level of crop production (both in the countries in which we are active and elsewhere in the world), weather conditions, supplier’s capacity utilization, end user demand, governmental regulations, and legislation affecting agriculture and trade. We are also exposed to increases in fuel and other energy prices through our own and third party distribution networks and production operations. Furthermore, we are exposed to increases in raw material transport costs charged by suppliers. Increases in the prices of our products could affect demand among consumers, and thus, our sales volumes and revenue. Even though we seek to minimize the impact of such fluctuations through financial and physical hedging, the results of our hedging activities may vary across time.

As further discussed under “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments,” we use both fixed-price purchasing contracts and commodity derivatives to minimize our exposure to commodity price volatility when practicable. Fixed-price contracts generally have a term of one to two years although a small number of contracts have a term up to five years. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—6. Brewing Process; Raw Materials and Packaging; Production Facilities; Logistics—Raw Materials and Packaging” for further details regarding our arrangements for sourcing of raw and packaging materials.

 

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Distribution Arrangements

We depend on effective distribution networks to deliver our products to our customers. Generally, we distribute our products through (i) own distribution, in which we deliver to points of sale directly, and (ii) third party distribution networks, in which delivery to points of sale occurs through wholesalers and independent distributors. Third party distribution networks may be exclusive or non-exclusive and may, in certain business segments, involve use of third-party distribution while we retain the sales function through an agency framework. We use different distribution networks in the markets in which we operate, as appropriate, based on the structure of the local retail sectors, local geographic considerations, scale considerations, regulatory requirements, market share and the expected added-value and capital returns.

Although specific results may vary depending on the relevant distribution arrangement and market, in general, the use of own distribution or third party distribution networks will have the following effects on our results of operations:

 

   

Revenue . Revenue per hectoliter derived from sales through own distribution tends to be higher than revenue derived from sales through third parties. In general, under own distribution, we receive a higher price for our products since we are selling directly to points of sale, capturing the margin that would otherwise be retained by intermediaries;

 

   

Transportation costs . In our own distribution networks, we sell our products to the point of sale and incur additional freight costs in transporting those products between our plant and such points of sale. Such costs are included in our distribution expenses under IFRS. In most of our own distribution networks, we use third-party transporters and incur costs through payments to these transporters, which are also included in our distribution expenses under IFRS. In third party distribution networks, our distribution expenses are generally limited to expenses incurred in delivering our products to relevant wholesalers or independent distributors in those circumstances in which we make deliveries; and

 

   

Sales expenses. Under fully third party distribution systems, the salesperson is generally an employee of the distributor, while under our own distribution and indirect agency networks, the salesperson is generally our employee. To the extent that we deliver our products to points of sale through direct or indirect agency distribution networks, we will incur additional sales expenses from the hiring of additional employees (which may offset to a certain extent increased revenue gained as a result of own distribution).

In addition, in certain countries, we enter into exclusive importer arrangements and depend on our counterparties to these arrangements to market and distribute our products to points of sale. To the extent that we rely on counterparties to distribution agreements to distribute our products in particular countries or regions, the results of our operations in those countries and regions will, in turn, be substantially dependent on our counterparties’ own distribution networks operating effectively.

Excise Taxes

Taxation on our beer and non-beer products in the countries in which we operate is comprised of different taxes specific to each jurisdiction, such as excise and other indirect taxes. In many jurisdictions, such excise and other indirect taxes make up a large proportion of the cost of beer charged to customers. Increases in excise and other indirect taxes applicable to our products either on an absolute basis or relative to the levels applicable to other beverages tend to adversely affect our revenue or margins, both by reducing overall consumption and by encouraging consumers to switch to lower-taxed categories of beverages. These increases also adversely affect the affordability of our products and our ability to raise prices. For example, see the discussion of taxes in the United States, Russia and Ukraine in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—The beer and beverage industry may be subject to adverse changes in taxation.”

 

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Governmental Regulations

Governmental restrictions on beer consumption in the markets in which we operate vary from one country to another, and in some instances, within countries. The most relevant restrictions are:

 

   

Legal drinking ages;

 

   

Global and national alcohol policy reviews and the implementation of policies aimed at preventing the harmful effects of alcohol misuse (including, among others, relating to underage drinking, drunk driving and excessive or abusive drinking);

 

   

Restrictions on sales of alcohol generally or beer specifically, including restrictions on distribution networks, restrictions on certain retail venues, requirements that retail stores hold special licenses for the sale of alcohol, restrictions on times or days of sale and minimum alcohol pricing requirements;

 

   

Advertising restrictions, which affect, among other things, the media channels employed, the content of advertising campaigns for our products and the times and places where our products can be advertised, including in some instances, sporting events;

 

   

Restrictions imposed by antitrust or competition laws;

 

   

Deposit laws (including those for bottles, crates and kegs);

 

   

Heightened environmental regulations and standards, including regulations addressing emissions of gas and liquid effluents and the disposal of waste and one-way packaging, compliance with which imposes costs; and

 

   

Litigation associated with any of the above.

Please refer to “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—11. Regulations Affecting Our Business” for a fuller description of the key laws and regulations to which our operations are subject.

Foreign Currency

Our financial statements presentation and reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. A number of our operating companies have functional currencies (that is, in most cases, the local currency of the respective operating company) other than our reporting currency. Consequently, foreign currency exchange rates have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements. In particular:

 

   

Changes in the value of our operating companies’ functional currencies against other currencies in which their costs and expenses are priced may affect those operating companies’ cost of sales and operating expenses, and thus negatively impact their operating margins in functional currency terms. Foreign currency transactions are accounted for at exchange rates prevailing at the date of the transactions, while monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the balance sheet date. Except for exchange differences on transactions entered into in order to hedge certain foreign currency risk and exchange rate differences on monetary items that form part of the net investment in the foreign operations, gains and losses resulting from the settlement of foreign currency transactions and from the translation of monetary assets and liabilities in currencies other than an operating company’s functional currency are recognized in the income statement. Historically, we have been able to raise prices and implement cost saving initiatives to partly offset cost and expense increases due to exchange rate volatility. We also have hedge policies designed to manage commodity price and foreign currency risks to protect our exposure to currencies other than our operating companies’ respective functional currencies. Please refer to “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk—Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments” for further detail on our approach to hedging commodity price and foreign currency risk.

 

   

Any change in the exchange rates between our operating companies’ functional currencies and our reporting currency affects our consolidated income statement and consolidated statement of financial position when the results of those operating companies are translated into the reporting currency for reporting purposes. Assets and liabilities of foreign operations are translated to the reporting currency at foreign exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet date. Income statements of foreign operations are translated to the reporting currency at exchange rates for the year approximating the foreign exchange rates prevailing at the dates of transactions. The components of shareholders’ equity are translated at historical rates. Exchange differences arising from the translation of shareholders’ equity into the reporting currency at year-end are taken to other comprehensive income (that is, in a translation reserve). Decreases in the value of our operating companies’ functional currencies against the reporting currency tend to reduce their contribution to, among other things, our consolidated revenue and profit.

 

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For further details regarding the currencies in which our revenue is realized and the effect of foreign currency fluctuations on our results of operations see “—F. Impact of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates” below.

Weather and Seasonality

Weather conditions directly affect consumption of our products. High temperatures and prolonged periods of warm weather favor increased consumption of our products, while unseasonably cool or wet weather, especially during the spring and summer months, adversely affects our sales volumes and, consequently, our revenue. Accordingly, product sales in all of our business segments are generally higher during the warmer months of the year (which also tend to be periods of increased tourist activity) as well as during major holiday periods.

Consequently, for most countries in the Latin America North and Latin America South zones (particularly Argentina and most of Brazil), volumes are usually stronger in the first and fourth quarters due to year-end festivities and the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere, while for countries in North America, Mexico, Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific zones, volumes tend to be stronger during the spring and summer seasons in the second and third quarters of each year.

Based on 2013 information, for example, we realized 55% of our total 2013 volumes in Western Europe in the second and third quarters, compared to 45% in the first and fourth quarters of the year, whereas in Latin America South, we realized 43% of our sales volume in second and third quarters, compared to 57% in the first and fourth quarters.

Although such sales volume figures are the result of a range of factors in addition to weather and seasonality, they are nevertheless broadly illustrative of the historical trend described above.

B. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ SEC ”) has defined a critical accounting policy as a policy for which there is a choice among alternatives available, and for which choosing a legitimate alternative would yield materially different results. We believe that the following are our critical accounting policies. We consider an accounting policy to be critical if it is important to our financial condition and results of operations and requires significant or complex judgments and estimates on the part of our management. For a summary of all of our significant accounting policies, see note 3 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 included in this Form 20-F.

Although each of our significant accounting policies reflects judgments, assessments or estimates, we believe that the following accounting policies reflect the most critical judgments, estimates and assumptions that are important to our business operations and the understanding of its results: revenue recognition, accounting for business combinations and impairment of goodwill and intangible assets; pension and other post-retirement benefits; share-based compensation; contingencies; deferred and current income taxes; and accounting for derivatives. Although we believe that our judgments, assumptions and estimates are appropriate, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

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Summary of Changes in Accounting Policies

The following standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board became effective for annual periods beginning on 1 January 2013:

IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements, which provides a single consolidation model that identifies control as the basis for consolidation for all types of entities.

IFRS 11 Joint Arrangements, which establishes principles for the financial reporting by parties to a joint arrangement and replaces the current proportionate consolidation method by the equity method.

IFRS 12 Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities, which combines, enhances and replaces the disclosure requirements for subsidiaries, joint arrangements, associates and unconsolidated structured entities.

IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement, which does not establish new requirements for when fair value is required but provides a single source of guidance on how fair value is measured.

IAS 19 Employee Benefits (Revised 2011):

The amendments that caused the most significant impacts on our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013:

 

   

Expected returns on plan assets are no longer recognized in profit or loss. Expected returns are replaced by recording interest income in profit or loss. This interest is calculated using the discount rate used to measure the pension obligation.

 

   

Unvested past service costs can no longer be deferred and recognized over the future vesting period. Instead, all past service costs are recognized at the earlier of when the amendment/curtailment occurs or when we recognize related restructuring or termination costs.

Except for IAS 19 (Revised 2011), the standards above did not have a significant impact on our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 upon initial application.

IAS 19 (Revised 2011) requires retrospective application. Accordingly, the comparative figures in our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 have been adjusted as if IAS 19 (Revised 2011) had always applied.

Similar to the 2012 version of IAS 19, IAS 19 (Revised 2011) does not specify where in profit of loss an entity should present the net interest on net defined benefit liabilities. As a consequence, we have determined that, upon initial application of IAS 19 (Revised 2011), the net interest component will be presented as part of our net finance cost. This change in presentation is in line with IAS 1, which permits entities to provide disaggregated information in the performance statements.

With the retrospective application of IAS 19 (Revised 2011) and our decision to present the net interest component as part of our net finance cost as described above, the 2012 full year adjusted total pre-tax pension expense is USD 146 million higher than previously reported, with profits from operations and net finance costs higher by USD 14 million and USD 160 million, respectively and the 2011 full year adjusted total pre-tax pension expense is USD 130 million higher than previously reported, with profits from operations and net finance costs higher by USD 17 million and USD 147 million, respectively. The impact is mainly caused by the change in the calculation of returns on assets mentioned above. The impact of the retrospective application of IAS 19 (Revised 2011) on the net benefit obligation was a decrease in the liability of approximately USD 12 million as at 31 December 2012 and 2011 and as at 1 January 2011.

 

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The adjusted figures upon implementation of IAS 19 (Revised 2011) and the previously reported figures are demonstrated below:

Audited consolidated income statement as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013:

 

For the period ended

(USD million)

   31 December  2012
(adjusted)
    31 December  2012
(reported)
    31 December  2011
(adjusted)
    31 December  2011
(reported)
 

Revenue

     39,758        39,758        39,046        39,046   

Cost of sales

     (16,422     (16,447     (16,610     (16,634

Distribution expenses

     (3,787     (3,785     (3,315     (3,313

Sales and marketing expenses

     (5,254     (5,258     (5,133     (5,143

Administrative expenses

     (2,200     (2,187     (2,057     (2,043

Other operating income/(expenses)

     684        684        694        694   

Exceptional items

     (32     (32     (278     (278

Profit from operations (EBIT)

     12,747        12,733        12,346        12,329   

Net finance cost

     (2,366     (2,206     (3,284     (3,137

Share of result of associates

     624        624        623        623   

Profit before tax

     11,005        11,151        9,685        9,815   

Income tax expense

     (1,680     (1,717     (1,826     (1,856

Profit

     9,325        9,434        7,859        7,959   

Audited consolidated balance sheet as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 and as of 1 January 2012 and 2011:

 

As at

(USD million)

   31 December  2012
(adjusted)
     31 December  2012
(reported)
     1 January  2012
(adjusted)
     1 January  2011
(adjusted)
 

Equity

     45,453         45,441         41,056         38,811   

Non-current liabilities

     56,760         56,772         51,727         59,811   

Employee benefits

     3,687         3,699         3,428         2,734   

A number of other new standards, amendment to standards and new interpretations became mandatory for the first time for the financial year beginning 1 January 2013, and have not been listed in this Form 20-F because of either their non-applicability or their immateriality to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

Effective 1 January 2013, we transferred management responsibility for Ecuador and Peru to the Zone Latin America South. These countries were previously reported within the Zone Latin America North. The 2012 Latin America South and Latin America North information have been adjusted in this Form 20-F for comparative purposes.

Revenue Recognition

Our products are sold for cash or on credit terms. In relation to the sale of beverages and packaging, we recognize revenue when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred to the buyer, and no

 

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significant uncertainties remain regarding recovery of the consideration due, associated costs or the possible return of goods, and there is no continuing management involvement with the goods. Our sales terms do not allow for a right of return.

Our customers can earn certain incentives, which are treated as deductions from revenue. These incentives primarily include volume-based incentive programs, free beer and cash discounts. In preparing the financial statements, management must make estimates related to the contractual terms, customer performance and sales volume to determine the total amounts recorded as deductions from revenue. Management also considers past results in making such estimates. The actual amounts ultimately paid may be different from our estimates. Such differences are recorded once they have been determined and have historically not been significant.

In many jurisdictions, excise taxes make up a large proportion of the cost of beer charged to our customers. The aggregate deductions from revenue recorded by us in relation to these taxes was approximately USD 10.6 billion, USD 10.1 billion and USD 10.1 billion for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012, and 2011, respectively.

Accounting for Business Combinations and Impairment of Goodwill and Intangible Assets

We have made acquisitions that included a significant amount of goodwill and other intangible assets, including the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch and Grupo Modelo.

As of 31 December 2013, our total goodwill amounted to USD 70.0 billion and our intangible assets with indefinite life amounted to USD 27.6 billion.

We apply the purchase method of accounting to account for acquisition of business. The cost of an acquisition is measured as the aggregate of the fair values at the date of exchange of the assets given, liabilities incurred and equity instruments issued. Identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities acquired or assumed are measured separately at their fair value as of the acquisition date. The excess of the cost of the acquisition over our interest in the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired is recoded as goodwill. If the business combination is achieved in stages, the acquisition date carrying value of our previously held interest in the acquiree is re-measured to fair value at the acquisition date; any gains or losses arising from such re-measurement are recognized in profit or loss. We exercise significant judgment in the process of identifying tangible and intangible assets and liabilities, valuing such assets and liabilities and in determining their remaining useful lives. We generally engage third-party valuation firms to assist in valuing the acquired assets and liabilities. The valuation of these assets and liabilities is based on the assumptions and criteria which include, in some cases, estimates of future cash flows discounted at the appropriate rates. The use of different assumptions used for valuation purposes including estimates of future cash flows or discount rates may have resulted in different estimates of value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Although we believe that the assumptions applied in the determination are reasonable based on information available at the date of acquisition, actual results may differ from the forecasted amounts and the difference could be material.

We test our goodwill and other long-lived assets for impairment annually or whenever events and circumstances indicate that the recoverable amount, determined as the higher of the asset’s fair value less cost to sell and value in use, of those assets is less than their carrying amount. The testing methodology consists of applying a discounted free cash flow approach based on acquisition valuation models for our major business units and the business units showing a high invested capital to EBITDA, as defined, multiple, and valuation multiples for our other business units. Our cash flow estimates are based on historical results adjusted to reflect our best estimate of future market and operating conditions. Our estimates of fair values used to determine the resulting impairment loss, if any, represent our best estimate based on forecasted cash flows, industry trends and reference to market rates and transactions. Impairments can also occur when we decide to dispose of assets.

The key judgments, estimates and assumptions used in the discounted free cash flow calculations are as follows:

 

   

The first year of the model is based on management’s best estimate of the free cash flow outlook for the current year;

 

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In the second to fourth years of the model, free cash flows are based on our strategic plan as approved by key management. Our strategic plan is prepared per country and is based on external sources in respect of macroeconomic assumptions, industry, inflation and foreign exchange rates, past experience and identified initiatives in terms of market share, revenue, variable and fixed cost, capital expenditure and working capital assumptions;

 

   

For the subsequent six years of the model, data from the strategic plan is extrapolated generally using simplified assumptions such as constant volumes and variable cost per hectoliter and fixed cost linked to inflation, as obtained from external sources;

 

   

Cash flows after the first ten-year period are extrapolated generally using expected annual long-term consumer price indices, based on external sources, in order to calculate the terminal value, considering sensitivities on this metric. For the three main cash generating units, the terminal growth rate applied ranged between 0.0% and 2.3% for the United States, 0.0% and 3.3% for Brazil and 0.0% and 2.6% for Mexico;

 

   

Projections are made in the functional currency of the business unit and discounted at the unit’s weighted average cost of capital (“ WACC ”), considering sensitivities on this metric. The WACC ranged primarily between 7% and 30% in U.S. dollar nominal terms for goodwill impairment testing conducted for 2013. For the three main cash generating units, the WACC applied in U.S. dollar nominal terms ranged between 7% and 9% for the United States, 9% and 11% for Brazil, and 8% and 10% for Mexico; and

 

   

Cost to sell is assumed to reach 2% of the entity value based on historical precedents.

The above calculations are corroborated by valuation multiples, quoted share prices for publicly-traded subsidiaries or other available fair value indicators.

Impairment testing of intangible assets with an indefinite useful life is based on the same methodology and assumptions as described above.

For additional information on goodwill, intangible assets, tangible assets and impairments, see notes 13, 14 and 15 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

Pension and Other Post-Retirement Benefits

We sponsor various post-employment benefit plans worldwide. These include pension plans, both defined contribution plans, and defined benefit plans, and other post-employment benefits. Usually, pension plans are funded by payments made both by us and our employees, taking into account the recommendations of independent actuaries. We maintain funded and unfunded plans.

Defined contribution plans

Contributions to these plans are recognized as expenses in the period in which they are incurred.

Defined benefit plans

For defined benefit plans, liabilities and expenses are assessed separately for each plan using the projected unit credit method. The projected unit credit method takes into account each period of service as giving rise to an additional unit of benefit to measure each unit separately. Under this method, the cost of providing pensions is charged to the income statement during the period of service of the employee. The amounts charged to the income statement consist of current service cost, net interest cost/(income), past service costs and the effect of any settlements and curtailments. Past service costs are recognized at the earlier of when the amendment / curtailment occurs or when we recognize related restructuring or termination costs.

 

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The net defined benefit plan liability recognized in the statement of financial position is measured as the current value of the estimated future cash outflows using a discount rate equivalent to high quality corporate bond yields with maturity terms similar to those of the obligation, less the fair value of any plan assets. Where the calculated amount of a defined benefit plan liability is negative (an asset), we recognize such asset to the extent that economic benefits are available to us either from refunds or reductions in future contributions.

Assumptions used to value defined benefit liabilities are based on actual historical experience, plan demographics, external data regarding compensation and economic trends. While we believe that our assumptions are appropriate, significant differences in our actual experience or significant changes in our assumptions may materially affect our pension obligation and our future expense. Re-measurements, comprising actuarial gains and losses, the effect of the asset ceiling (excluding net interest) and the return on plan assets (excluding net interest) are recognized in full in the period in which they occur in the statement of comprehensive income. For further information on how changes in these assumptions could change the amounts recognized see the sensitivity analysis within note 25 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

A significant portion of our plan assets is invested in equity and debt securities. The equity and debt markets have experienced volatility in the recent past, which has affected the value of our pension plan assets. This volatility may impact the long-term rate of return on plan assets. Actual asset returns that differ from the interest income recognized in our income statement are fully recognized in other comprehensive income.

Other post-employment obligations

We and our subsidiaries provide health care benefits and other benefits to certain retirees. The expected costs of these benefits are recognized over the period of employment, using an accounting methodology similar to that used for defined benefit plans.

Share-Based Compensation

We have various types of equity settled share-based compensation schemes for employees. Employee services received, and the corresponding increase in equity, are measured by reference to the fair value of the equity instruments as of the date of grant. Fair value of stock options is estimated by using the binomial Hull model on the date of grant based on certain assumptions. Those assumptions are described in note 26 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 included in this Form 20-F and include, among others, the dividend yield, expected volatility and expected life of the stock options. The binomial Hull model assumes that all employees would immediately exercise their options if our share price were 2.5 times above the option exercise price. As a consequence, no single expected option life applies, whereas the assumption of the expected volatility has been set by reference to the implied volatility of our shares in the open market and in light of historical patterns of volatility. In the determination of the expected volatility, we excluded the volatility measured during the period 15 July 2008 to 30 April 2009 given the extreme market conditions experienced during that period.

Contingencies

The preparation of our financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions regarding contingencies which affect the valuation of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the revenue and expenses during the reported period.

We disclose material contingent liabilities unless the possibility of any loss arising is considered remote, and material contingent assets where the inflow of economic benefits is probable. We discuss our material contingencies in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

Under IFRS, we record a provision for a loss contingency when it is probable that a future event will confirm that a liability has been incurred at the date of the financial statements, and the amount of the loss can be

 

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reasonably estimated. By their nature, contingencies will only be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur and typically those events will occur over a number of years in the future. The accruals are adjusted as further information becomes available.

As discussed in “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal and Arbitration Proceedings,” and in note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, legal proceedings covering a wide range of matters are pending or threatened in various jurisdictions against us. We record provisions for pending litigation when we determine that an unfavorable outcome is probable and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Due to the inherent uncertain nature of litigation, the ultimate outcome or actual cost of settlement may materially vary from estimates.

Deferred and Current Income Taxes

We recognize deferred tax effects of tax loss carry-forwards and temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of our assets and liabilities. We estimate our income taxes based on regulations in the various jurisdictions where we conduct business. This requires us to estimate our actual current tax exposure and to assess temporary differences that result from different treatment of certain items for tax and accounting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which we record on our consolidated balance sheet. We regularly review the deferred tax assets for recoverability and will only recognize these if we believe that it is probable that there will be sufficient taxable profit against any temporary differences that can be utilized, based on historical taxable income, projected future taxable income, and the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences.

The carrying amount of a deferred tax asset is reviewed at each balance sheet date. We reduce the carrying amount of a deferred tax asset to the extent that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable profit will be available to allow the benefit of part or all of that deferred tax asset to be utilized. Any such reduction is reversed to the extent that it becomes probable that sufficient taxable profit will be available. If the final outcome of these matters differs from the amounts initially recorded, differences may positively or negatively impact the income tax and deferred tax provisions in the period in which such determination is made.

We are subject to income tax in numerous jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining the worldwide provision for income tax. There are some transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Some of our subsidiaries are involved in tax audits and local enquiries usually in relation to prior years. Investigations and negotiations with local tax authorities are ongoing in various jurisdictions at the balance sheet date and, by their nature, these can take considerable time to conclude. In assessing the amount of any income tax provisions to be recognized in the financial statements, estimation is made of the expected successful settlement of these matters. Estimates of interest and penalties on tax liabilities are also recorded. Where the final outcome of these matters is different from the amounts that were initially recorded, such differences will impact the current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities in the period such determination is made.

Accounting for Derivatives

Our risk management strategy includes the use of derivatives. The main derivative instruments we use are foreign currency rate agreements, exchange traded foreign currency futures, interest rate swaps and options, cross currency interest rate swaps and forwards, exchange traded interest rate futures, commodity swaps, exchange traded commodity futures and equity swaps. Our policy prohibits the use of derivatives in the context of speculative trading.

Derivative financial instruments are recognized initially at fair value. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

Subsequent to initial recognition, derivative financial instruments are re-measured to fair value at balance sheet date. For derivative financial instruments that qualify for hedge accounting, we apply the following policy: for

 

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fair value hedges, changes in fair value are recorded in the income statement and for cash flow and net investment hedges, changes in fair value are recognized in the other comprehensive income and/or in the income statement for the effective and/or ineffective portion of the hedge relationship, respectively.

The estimated fair value amounts have been determined by us using available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies. However, considerable judgment is necessarily required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. The fair values of financial instruments that are not traded in an active market (for example, unlisted equities, currency options, embedded derivatives and over-the-counter derivatives) are determined using valuation techniques. We use judgment to select an appropriate valuation methodology and underlying assumptions based principally on existing market conditions. Changes in these assumptions may cause us to recognize impairments or losses in future periods.

Although our intention is to maintain these instruments through maturity, they may be realized at our discretion. Should these instruments be settled only on their respective maturity dates, any effect between the market value and estimated yield curve of the instruments would be eliminated.

C. BUSINESS SEGMENTS

Both from an accounting and managerial perspective, we are organized according to business segments, which, with the exception of Global Export & Holding Companies, correspond to geographic regions in which our operations are based, and which we call “zones”. The Global Export & Holding Companies segment includes our headquarters and the countries in which our products are sold only on an export basis and in which we do not otherwise have any operations or production activities.

On 31 December 2013, our eight business segments were: North America, Mexico, Latin America North (including Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala), Latin America South (including Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Peru), Western Europe (including Cuba), Central & Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific and Global Export & Holding Companies.

On 1 January 2013, Peru and Ecuador became part of Latin America South. Later in 2013, Mexico became a separate business segment upon completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo.

The Grupo Modelo operations are reported according to their geographical presence in the following segments: the Mexico beer and packaging businesses are reported in the new Zone Mexico, the Spanish business is reported in the Zone Europe and the Export business is reported in the Global Export and Holding Companies segment.

Effective 1 January 2014, we created a single Europe zone by combining the Western Europe Zone and the Central & Eastern Europe Zone. As part of this process, we have transferred the responsibility of our Spanish operations from Global Export and Holding Companies to the Europe zone, transferred the export of Corona to a number of European countries, and transferred the management responsibility for our joint venture in Cuba to the Zone Latin America North. Accordingly, as of the date of filing this Form 20-F, our seven business segments are: North America, Mexico, Latin America North (which includes Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Cuba), Latin America South (which includes Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Peru), Europe, Asia Pacific and Global Export & Holding Companies.

The financial performance of each business segment, including its sales volume and revenue, is measured based on our product sales within the countries that comprise that business segment rather than based on products manufactured within that business segment but sold elsewhere. The Global Export & Holding Companies business segment includes our headquarters and the countries in which our products are sold only on an export basis and in which we do not otherwise have any operations or production activities, as well as certain intra-group transactions.

In 2013, North America accounted for 28.7% of our consolidated volumes, Latin America North for 28.0%, Asia Pacific for 15.4%, Latin America South for 8.7%, Western Europe for 6.7%, Mexico for 5.3%, Central & Eastern Europe for 4.5% and Global Export & Holding Companies for 2.7%. A substantial portion of our operations is carried out through our three largest subsidiaries, Anheuser-Busch (wholly owned), Ambev (62% owned as of 31 December 2013) and Grupo Modelo (96% owned as of 31 December 2013) and their respective subsidiaries.

 

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Throughout the world, we are primarily active in the beer business. However, we also have non-beer activities (primarily consisting of soft drinks), within certain countries in Latin America, in particular, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay and Argentina. Both the beer and non-beer volumes comprise sales of brands that we own or license, third-party brands that we brew or otherwise produce as a subcontractor and third-party products that we sell through our distribution network.

D. EQUITY INVESTMENTS

The 2013 combination with Grupo Modelo was completed through a series of steps that simplified Grupo Modelo’s corporate structure, followed by an all-cash tender offer for all outstanding Grupo Modelo shares that we did not own at that time for USD 9.15 per share. By 4 June 2013 and following the settlement of the tender offer, we owned approximately 95% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares. Thereafter, we established and funded a trust to accept further tender of shares by Grupo Modelo shareholders at a price of USD 9.15 per share over a period of up to 25 months from the completion of the combination. As of 31 December 2013, we held approximately 96% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares.

Following the 2013 combination with Grupo Modelo, we are fully consolidating Grupo Modelo in our consolidated financial statements as of 4 June 2013, which resulted in the derecognition of the investment in associates previously held in Grupo Modelo as of that date. See note 16 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for further details on our investments in associates.

For further details of the combination with Grupo Modelo, see “Item 10. Additional Information—C. Material Contracts—Grupo Modelo Transaction Agreement.” and note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

E. RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Year Ended 31 December 2013 Compared to the Year Ended 31 December 2012

Volumes

Our reported volumes include both beer and non-beer (primarily carbonated soft drinks) volumes. In addition, volumes include not only brands that we own or license, but also third-party brands that we brew or otherwise produce as a subcontractor and third-party products that we sell through our distribution network, particularly in Western Europe. Volumes sold by the Global Export & Holding Companies businesses are shown separately. The Grupo Modelo volumes are reported in our volumes as from 4 June 2013.

The table below summarizes the volume evolution by business segment.

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
     Change  
     (thousand hectoliters)      (%) (1)  

North America

     122,116         125,139         (2.4

Mexico

     22,366         —           —     

Latin America North

     119,128         122,382         (2.7

Latin America South

     36,918         38,097         (3.1

Western Europe

     28,385         29,531         (3.9

Central & Eastern Europe

     19,185         22,785         (15.8

Asia Pacific

     65,787         57,667         14.1   

Global Export & Holding Companies

     12,054         7,030         71.5   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     425,939         402,631         5.8   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our consolidated volumes were 426 million hectoliters for the year ended 31 December 2013. This represented an increase of 23.3 million hectoliters, or 5.8%, as compared to our consolidated volumes for the year ended 31 December 2012. The results for the year ended 31 December 2013 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions we undertook in 2012 and 2013.

 

   

The 2012 acquisitions relates to the acquisition in Dominican Republic of CND. This transaction impacted positively our volumes by 0.8 million hectoliters for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

   

The 2013 combination with Grupo Modelo, which was included as from 4 June 2013 within our consolidated scope for the year ended 31 December 2013, increased our volumes by 28.2 million hectoliters. The acquisition primarily affects the Mexican zone and, to a lesser degree, our Western Europe and Global Export & Holding Companies volumes.

 

   

The 2013 acquisition of four breweries in China impacted positively our volumes by 2.9 million hectoliters for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

For further details of these acquisitions and disposals, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—A. Key Factors affecting Results of Operations—Acquisitions, Divestitures and Other Structural Changes.” See also note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 included in this Form 20-F.

Excluding volume changes attributable to the acquisitions described above, our total volumes decreased 2.0% in the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the same period 2012. On the same basis, our own beer volumes and non-beer volumes decreased 2.0% and 2.2%, respectively. Our focus brands volumes declined by 0.9%, driven by challenging macro-economic conditions in a number of our markets. Our global brands grew by 4.7% in 2013, led by growth in Budweiser and Corona.

North America

In the year ended 31 December 2013, our volumes in North America decreased by 3.0 million hectoliters or 2.4% compared to the year ended 31 December 2012. We estimate that industry beer sales-to-retailers adjusted for the number of selling days declined by 1.8% during the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the same period last year. On the same basis, our shipment volumes in the United States declined 2.7% and domestic United States beer sales-to-retailers adjusted for the number of selling days declined by 2.9%. The decline is mainly due to pressure on consumer disposable income. We estimate that our U.S. market share declined during the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to 31 December 2012, mainly due to the mix shift to the high end, where we under index versus the industry. We estimate that Budweiser and Bud Light families lost market share, despite strong performances from line extensions. We estimate that the Rita’s family, Budweiser Black Crown, Michelob Ultra, Shock Top, Stella Artois and our other high end brands gained market share in 2013.

 

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In Canada, our beer volumes declined by 2.3% during the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the same period last year, due to industry decline as a result of higher taxes and pressure on consumer disposable income. We estimate that our market share was down, with a strong performance by Bud Light which grew both volume and share.

Mexico

Our volumes in Mexico were 22.4 million hectoliters in the year ended 31 December 2013 following the inclusion of Grupo Modelo volumes in our results as from 4 June 2013.

Latin America North

In the year ended 31 December 2013, our volumes in Latin America North decreased by 3.3 million hectoliters, or 2.7%, compared to the same period in 2012. Excluding the acquisitions described above, our total volumes would have decreased by 3.3% over the same period, with our beer volumes and soft drinks decreasing 3.9% and 1.7%, respectively.

In Brazil, beer volumes declined by 4.3%. The beer industry in Brazil faced a challenging 2013, driven mainly by poor weather and high food inflation putting pressure on consumer disposable income. We estimate that Brazil beer industry volumes declined by 3.5% during the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the same period last year. We estimate that our market share declined in 2013, ending the year with an average estimated market share of 67.9%, while premium brands continued to grow ahead of the rest of our portfolio.

Latin America South

Latin America South volumes for the year ended 31 December 2013 decreased by 1.2 million hectoliters, or 3.1%, with beer and non-beer volumes declining 2.8% and 3.5%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2012. On the same basis, our beer volumes in Argentina decreased by 1.9%, as a result of a difficult economic environment in 2013 with high inflationary pressure. However, we estimate that strong performances of Stella Artois and Brahma led to continued market share growth during the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to 31 December 2012.

Western Europe

Our volumes, including subcontracted volumes, for the year ended 31 December 2013 decreased by 1.1 million hectoliters, or 3.9%, compared to the same period in 2012. Excluding the acquisitions described above, our beer volumes would have declined 4.3% over the same period. Own beer volumes in Belgium declined 3.0% in the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, mainly driven by a weak weather-related industry performance in the first half of the year. On the same basis, in Germany, own beer volumes decreased 7.1%, as a result of a weak industry and market share decline due to a challenging pricing environment. In the United Kingdom, own product volumes including cider declined 3.0% in the year ended 31 December 2013.

Central & Eastern Europe

Our volumes for the year ended 31 December 2013 decreased by 3.6 million hectoliters, or 15.8%, compared to the year ended 31 December 2012. On the same basis, in Russia, our beer volumes fell 13.6%, driven by industry weakness following significant regulatory changes, and market share loss in the value segment in line with our premiumization strategy.

In Ukraine, our beer volumes declined 18.9% for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, impacted by a volume decline of 41.3% during the fourth quarter of 2013, with the instability in the country significantly impacting beer consumption.

 

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Asia Pacific

For the year ended 31 December 2013, our volumes grew 8.1 million hectoliters, or 14.1%, compared to the same period in 2012. Excluding the acquisitions described above, our total volumes would have increased by 9.0% in the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the same period in 2012. On the same basis, our beer volumes in China grew by 8.9%, driven by estimated industry growth and market share gains, as a result of strong organic volume growth by our focus brands strategy, and geographic expansion.

Global Export & Holding Companies

For the year ended 31 December 2013, Global Export & Holding Companies volumes increased by 5.0 million hectoliters, or 71.5%, compared to the same period in 2012. Excluding the transfer of activities from North America and the acquisitions described above, volumes for the year ended 31 December 2013 would have decreased by 4.1%.

Revenue

Revenue refers to turnover less excise taxes and discounts. See “—A. Key Factors Affecting Results of Operations—Excise Taxes.”

The following table reflects changes in revenue across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to our revenue for the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
     Change  
     (USD million)      (%) (1)  

North America

     16,023         16,028         —     

Mexico

     2,769         —           —     

Latin America North

     10,877         11,268         (3.5

Latin America South

     3,269         3,209         1.9   

Western Europe

     3,620         3,625         (0.1

Central & Eastern Europe

     1,445         1,668         (13.4

Asia Pacific

     3,354         2,690         24.7   

Global Export & Holding Companies

     1,839         1,270         44.8   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     43,195         39,758         8.6   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our consolidated revenue was USD 43,195 million for the year ended 31 December 2013. This represented an increase of USD 3,437 million, or 8.6%, as compared to our consolidated revenue for the year ended 31 December 2012. The results for the year ended 31 December 2013 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions we undertook in 2012 and 2013 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 acquisition in the Dominican Republic of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana (“CND”) and the 2013 acquisition of four breweries in China (further referred to as “2012 and 2013 acquisitions”) positively impacted our consolidated revenue by USD 241 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

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The 2013 combination with Grupo Modelo, which was included within our consolidated scope as from 4 June 2013, positively impacted our consolidated revenue by USD 3,401 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

   

Our consolidated revenue for the year ended 31 December 2013 also reflects an unfavorable currency translation impact of USD 1,466 million mainly arising from currency translation effects in Latin America North and Latin America South.

Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions described above and currency translation effects, our revenue would have increased 3.2% for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012. Our consolidated revenue for the year ended 31 December 2013 was partly impacted by the developments in volumes discussed above. On the same basis, our revenue per hectoliter improved as a result of favorable brand mix and revenue management best practices.

The main business segments contributing to growth in our consolidated revenues were (i) Latin America North, due to our revenue management initiatives, positive premium mix and increased weight of own distribution; (ii) Latin America South, due to revenue management initiatives; and (iii) Asia Pacific driven mainly by volume and geographic expansion.

Cost of Sales

The following table reflects changes in cost of sales across our zones for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2012:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
    Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     (6,519     (6,615     1.5   

Mexico

     (869     —          —     

Latin America North

     (3,494     (3,519     0.7   

Latin America South

     (1,185     (1,244     4.7   

Western Europe

     (1,544     (1,550     0.4   

Central & Eastern Europe

     (776     (914     15.1   

Asia Pacific

     (1,885     (1,565     (20.4

Global Export & Holding Companies

     (1,323     (1,015     (30.3
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (17,594     (16,422     (7.1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our consolidated cost of sales was USD 17,594 million for the year ended 31 December 2013. This represented an increase of USD 1,172 million or 7.1%, as compared to our consolidated cost of sales for the year ended 31 December 2012. The results for the year ended 31 December 2013 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions we undertook in 2012 and 2013 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 and 2013 acquisitions negatively impacted our consolidated cost of sales by USD 117 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

   

The 2013 combination with Grupo Modelo negatively impacted our consolidated cost of sales by USD 1,268 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

   

Our consolidated cost of sales for the year ended 31 December 2013 also reflects a positive currency translation impact of USD 465 million mainly arising from currency translation effects in Latin America North and Latin America South.

 

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Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions described above, currency translation effects, our cost of sales would have increased by 1.5%. Our consolidated cost of sales for the year ended 31 December 2013 was partly impacted by the developments in volumes discussed above. Our cost of sales on a per hectoliter basis for the year ended 31 December 2013 increased, due to unfavorable foreign exchange transactional impact, unfavorable package mix and higher depreciation, partly offset by lower commodity costs, in Brazil, high cost inflation in Latin America South, while cost pressures in North America eased as a result of an improved production footprint for our innovations.

Operating Expenses

The discussion below relates to our operating expenses, which equal the sum of our distribution expenses, sales and marketing expenses, administrative expenses and other operating income and expenses (net), for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2012. Our operating expenses do not include exceptional charges, which are reported separately.

Our operating expenses for the year ended 31 December 2013 were USD 11,398 million, representing an increase of USD 841 million, or 8.0% compared to our operating expenses for the same period 2012.

Distribution expenses

The following table reflects changes in distribution expenses across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2012:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
    Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     (1,235     (1,319     6.4   

Mexico

     (232     —          —     

Latin America North

     (1,338     (1,277     (4.8

Latin America South

     (309     (296     (4.4

Western Europe

     (364     (364     —     

Central & Eastern Europe

     (146     (184     20.7   

Asia Pacific

     (302     (235     (28.5

Global Export & Holding Companies

     (135     (111     (21.6
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (4,061     (3,787     (7.2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our consolidated distribution expenses were USD 4,061 million for the year ended 31 December 2013. This represented an increase of USD 274 million, or 7.2%, as compared to the year ended 31 December 2012. The results for the year ended 31 December 2013 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions we undertook in 2012 and 2013 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 and 2013 acquisitions negatively impacted our consolidated distribution expenses by USD 28 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

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The 2013 combination with Grupo Modelo negatively impacted our consolidated distribution expenses by USD 254 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

   

Our consolidated distribution expenses for the year ended 31 December 2013 also reflect a positive currency translation impact of USD 180 million.

Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions and the currency translation effects described above, the increase in distribution expenses would have been 4.5%, with lower distribution expenses in the United States offset by increased own distribution in Brazil, higher labor and transportation costs in Argentina, and geographic expansion in China.

Sales and marketing expenses

Marketing expenses include all costs relating to the support and promotion of brands, including operating costs (such as payroll and office costs) of the marketing departments, advertising costs (such as agency costs and media costs), sponsoring and events and surveys and market research. Sales expenses include all costs relating to the selling of products, including operating costs (such as payroll and office costs) of the sales department and sales force.

The following table reflects changes in sales and marketing expenses across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2012:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
    Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     (1,908     (1,794     (6.4

Mexico

     (484     —          —     

Latin America North

     (1,145     (1,204     4.9   

Latin America South

     (346     (336     (3.0

Western Europe

     (673     (650     (3.5

Central & Eastern Europe

     (378     (400     5.5   

Asia Pacific

     (833     (670     (24.3

Global Export & Holding Companies

     (191     (200     4.5   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (5,958     (5,254     (13.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our consolidated sales and marketing expenses were USD 5,958 million for the year ended 31 December 2013. This represented an increase of USD 704 million, or 13.4%, as compared to our sales and marketing expenses for the year ended 31 December 2012. The results for the year ended 31 December 2013 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions we undertook in 2012 and 2013 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 and 2013 acquisitions negatively impacted our consolidated sales and marketing expenses by USD 32 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

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The 2013 combination with Grupo Modelo negatively impacted our consolidated sales and marketing expenses by USD 513 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

   

Our consolidated sales and marketing expenses for the year ended 31 December 2013 also reflect a positive currency translation impact of USD 138 million.

Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions described above and currency translation effects, our overall sales and marketing expenses for the year ended 31 December 2013 would have increased 5.7% due to higher investments behind our brands and innovations.

Administrative expenses

The following table reflects changes in administrative expenses across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2012:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
    Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     (497     (452     (10.0

Mexico

     (234     —          —     

Latin America North

     (589     (612     3.8   

Latin America South

     (112     (108     (3.7

Western Europe

     (264     (257     (2.7

Central & Eastern Europe

     (98     (113     13.3   

Asia Pacific

     (317     (274     (15.7

Global Export & Holding Companies

     (429     (382     (12.3
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (2,539     (2,200     (15.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our consolidated administrative expenses were USD 2,539 million for the year ended 31 December 2013. This represented an increase of USD 339 million, or 15.4%, as compared to our consolidated administrative expenses for the year ended 31 December 2012. The results for the year ended 31 December 2013 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions we undertook in 2012 and 2013 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 and 2013 acquisitions negatively impacted our consolidated administrative expenses by USD 20 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

   

The 2013 combination with Grupo Modelo negatively impacted our consolidated administrative expenses by USD 239 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

   

Our consolidated administrative expenses for the year ended 31 December 2013 also reflect a positive currency translation impact of USD 54 million.

 

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Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions and the currency translation effects described above, administrative expenses would have increased by 6.2% as a result of higher variable compensation expenses, and geographic expansion in China.

Other operating income/(expense)

The following table reflects changes in other operating income and expenses across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2012:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
    Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
     Change  
     (USD million)      (%) (1)  

North America

     67        64         4.7   

Mexico

     104        —           —     

Latin America North

     807        426         89.4   

Latin America South

     (5     4         —     

Western Europe

     27        24         12.5   

Central & Eastern Europe

     3        5         (40.0

Asia Pacific

     109        121         (9.9

Global Export & Holding Companies

     48        40         20.0   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     1,160        684         69.6   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

 

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The net positive effect of our other operating income and expenses for the year ended 31 December 2013 was USD 1,160 million. This represented an increase of USD 476 million, or 69.6%, compared to the year ended 31 December 2012. The results for the year ended 31 December 2013 reflect a negative translation impact of USD 82 million.

Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions and the currency translation effects described above, the net positive effect of our other operating income and expenses would have increased by 78.0% for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to the same period in 2012 mainly due to higher government incentives linked to our investments in Brazil, and a one-time gain of USD 143 million related to the recovery of restricted funds in Brazil.

Exceptional Items

Exceptional items are items which, in our management’s judgment, need to be disclosed separately by virtue of their size and incidence in order to obtain a proper understanding of our financial information. We consider these items to be significant in nature, and accordingly, our management has excluded these items from their segment measure of performance.

For the year ended 31 December 2013, exceptional items consisted of restructuring charges, fair value adjustments, business and asset disposal and acquisition costs of business combinations. Exceptional items were as follows for the year ended 31 December 2013 and 2012:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
    Year ended
31 December 2012
 
     (USD million)  

Restructuring (including impairment losses)

     (118     (36

Fair value adjustments

     6,410        —     

Business and asset disposal (including impairment losses)

     30        58   

Acquisition costs business combinations

     (82     (54
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     6,240        (32
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Restructuring

Exceptional restructuring charges (including impairment losses) amounted to a net cost of USD 118 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to a net cost of USD 36 million for the year ended 31 December 2012. The 2013 charges primarily relate to the integration of Grupo Modelo, the integration of CND and to organizational alignments in China, Europe, North America and Latin America. These changes aim to eliminate overlap or duplicated processes, taking into account the right match of employee profiles with the new organizational requirements. These one-time expenses, as a result of the series of decisions, provide us with a lower cost base in additional to a stronger focus on our core activities, quicker decision-making and improvements to efficiency, service and quality.

Fair value adjustments

Fair value adjustments recognized during the year ended 31 December 2013 of USD 6,410 million mainly relate to the exceptional, non-cash impact of revaluing the initial investment held in Grupo Modelo and the recycling to the consolidated income statement of amounts related to the investment, previously recognized in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income in line with IFRS 3. Please refer to note 6 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

Business and asset disposal

Business and asset disposals (including impairment losses) amounted to a net benefit of USD 30 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to a net benefit of USD 58 million for the same period 2012. The 2013 net benefit results mainly from additional proceeds from the 2009 sale of the Central European operations to CVC Capital Partners.

 

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Acquisitions costs business combinations

Acquisition costs of USD 82 million for the year ended 31 December 2013 relate to costs incurred for the combination with Grupo Modelo on 4 June 2013 and the acquisition of four breweries in China on 27 April 2013.

 

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Profit from Operations

The following table reflects changes in profit from operations across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2012:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     5,927         5,957        (0.5

Mexico

     1,000         —          —     

Latin America North

     5,112         5,055        1.1   

Latin America South

     1,306         1,228        6.4   

Western Europe

     770         825        (6.7

Central & Eastern Europe

     46         57        (19.3

Asia Pacific

     101         69        46.4   

Global Export & Holding Companies

     6,181         (445     1,489.0   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     20,443         12,747        60.4   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our profit from operations amounted to USD 20,443 million for year ended 31 December 2013. This represented an increase of USD 7,696 million, or 60.4%, as compared to our profit from operations for the year ended 31 December 2012. The results for year ended 31 December 2013 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions we undertook in 2012 and 2013, currency translation effects and the effects of certain exceptional items as described above.

 

   

The 2013 and 2012 acquisitions described above and the combination with Grupo Modelo positively impacted our consolidated profit from operations by USD 1,135 million (net) for the year ended 31 December 2013 compared to the year ended 31 December 2012.

 

   

Our consolidated profit from operations for the year ended 31 December 2013 also reflects a negative currency translation impact of USD 491 million.

 

   

Our profit from operations for the year ended 31 December 2013 was positively impacted by USD 6,240 million of certain exceptional items, as compared to a negative impact of USD 32 million for the year ended 31 December 2012. See “—Exceptional Items” above for a description of the exceptional items during the Year ended 31 December 2013 and 2012.

 

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EBITDA, as defined

The following table reflects changes in our EBITDA, as defined, for the year ended 31 December 2013 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2012:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
    Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

Profit

     16,518        9,325        77.1   

Net finance cost

     2,203        2,366        6.9   

Income tax expense

     2,016        1,680        (20.0

Share of result of associates

     (294     (624     (52.9
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Profit from operations

     20,443        12,747        60.4   

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     2,985        2,747        (8.7
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA, as defined

     23,428        15,493        51.2   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

A performance measure such as EBITDA, as defined, is a non-IFRS measure. The financial measure most directly comparable to EBITDA, as defined, presented in accordance with IFRS in our consolidated financial statements, is profit. EBITDA, as defined, is a measure used by our management to evaluate our business performance and is defined as profit from operations before depreciation, amortization and impairment. EBITDA, as defined, is a key component of the measures that are provided to senior management on a monthly basis at the group level, the zone level and lower levels. We believe EBITDA, as defined, is useful to investors for the following reasons.

We believe EBITDA, as defined, facilitates comparisons of our operating performance across our zones from period to period. In comparison to profit, EBITDA, as defined, excludes items which do not impact the day-to-day operation of our primary business (that is, the selling of beer and other operational businesses) and over which management has little control. Items excluded from EBITDA, as defined, are our share of results of associates, depreciation and amortization, impairment, financial charges and corporate income taxes, which management does not consider to be items that drive our company’s underlying business performance. Because EBITDA, as defined, includes only items management can directly control or influence, it forms part of the basis for many of our performance targets. For example, certain options under our share-based compensation plan were granted such that they vest only when certain targets derived from EBITDA, as defined, are met.

We further believe that EBITDA, as defined, and measures derived from it, are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in their evaluation of our company and in comparison to other companies, many of which present an EBITDA performance measure when reporting their results.

EBITDA, as defined, does, however, have limitations as an analytical tool. It is not a recognized term under IFRS and does not purport to be an alternative to profit as a measure of operating performance, or to cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity. As a result, you should not consider EBITDA, as defined, in isolation from, or as a substitute analysis for, our results of operations. Some limitations of EBITDA, as defined, are:

 

   

EBITDA, as defined, does not reflect the impact of financing costs on our operating performance. Such costs are significant in light of our increased debt;

 

   

EBITDA, as defined, does not reflect depreciation and amortization, but the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future;

 

   

EBITDA, as defined, does not reflect the impact of charges for existing capital assets or their replacements;

 

   

EBITDA, as defined, does not reflect our tax expense; and

 

   

EBITDA, as defined, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies because not all companies use identical calculations.

 

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Additionally, EBITDA, as defined, is not intended to be a measure of free cash flow for management’s discretionary use, as it is not adjusted for all non-cash income or expense items that are reflected in our consolidated statement of cash flows.

We compensate for these limitations, in addition to using EBITDA, as defined, by relying on our results calculated in accordance with IFRS.

Our EBITDA, as defined, amounted to USD 23,428 million for the year ended 31 December 2013. This represented an increase of USD 7,935 million, or 51.2%, as compared to our EBITDA, as defined, for the year ended 31 December 2012. The results for the year ended 31 December 2013 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of the acquisitions we undertook in 2012 and 2013 discussed above and currency translation effects. Furthermore, our EBITDA, as defined, was positively impacted by USD 6,240 million (before impairment losses) of certain exceptional items in the year ended 31 December 2013, as compared to a negative impact of USD 32 million during the year ended 31 December 2012. See “—Exceptional Items” above for a description of the exceptional items during the year ended 31 December 2013 and 2012.

Net Finance Cost

Our net finance cost items were as follows for the years ended 31 December 2013 and 2012:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2013
    Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

Net interest expense

     (1,719     (1,802     4.6   

Net interest on net defined benefit liabilities

     (156     (160     2.5   

Accretion expense

     (360     (270     (33.3

Other financial results

     (251     (116     (116.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net finance cost before exceptional items

     (2,486     (2,348     (5.9

Mark-to-market adjustment on derivatives

     384        —          —     

Other financial results

     (101     (18     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Exceptional finance income/(cost)

     283        (18     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net finance costs

     (2,203     (2,366     6.9   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our net finance cost for the year ended 31 December 2013 was USD 2,203 million, as compared to USD 2,366 million for the year ended 31 December 2012, representing a decrease of USD 163 million.

Other financial results in the year ended 31 December 2013 includes USD 456 million gains from derivatives related to our share-based payment programs. These gains were offset by negative currency results and the payment of bank fees and taxes in the normal course of business. Other financial results in the year ended 31 December 2012 included a USD 372 million gains from such hedges.

 

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Exceptional net finance income was USD 283 million resulting from USD 101 million cost related to utilization fees and accelerated accretion expenses related to the 2012 Facilities Agreement and USD 384 million gain related to mark-to-market adjustments on derivative instruments entered into to hedge the deferred share instrument issued in a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo. By 31 December 2013, 100% of the deferred share instrument had been hedged at an average price of approximately EUR 68 per share (USD 94).

Share of result of associates

Our share of result of associates for the year ended 31 December 2013 was USD 294 million as compared to USD 624 million for the year ended 31 December 2012, attributable mainly to the results of Grupo Modelo in Mexico. Following our combination with Grupo Modelo, we are fully consolidating Grupo Modelo in our financial statements as from 4 June 2013, and stopped reporting Grupo Modelo’s results as results from associates as of that date.

Income Tax Expense

Our total income tax expense for the year ended 31 December 2013 amounted to USD 2,016 million, with an effective tax rate of 11.1%, as compared to an income tax expense of USD 1,680 *1  million and an effective tax rate of 16.2% *1 for the year ended 31 December 2012. The decrease in the effective tax rate mainly results from the non-taxable nature of the non-recurring gain related to the fair value adjustment on the initial investment held in Grupo Modelo, gains from derivatives related to our share-based payment programs, a shift in profit mix to countries with lower marginal tax rates, including the combination with Grupo Modelo, as well as incremental tax benefits.

In 2013 and 2012 we recognized the benefit at the Ambev level from the impact of interest on equity payments and tax deductible goodwill resulting from the merger between InBev Holding Brasil S.A. and Ambev in July 2005 and the acquisition of Quinsa in August 2006. See “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions—Ambev Special Goodwill Reserve.” The impact of the tax deductible goodwill resulting from the merger between InBev Holding Brasil S.A. and Ambev in July 2005 was to reduce income tax expense for the year ended 31 December 2013 by USD 135 million, and the impact of the tax deductible goodwill resulting from the acquisition of Quinsa in August 2006 was to reduce income tax expense for the year end 2013 by USD 50 million. In December 2011, Ambev received a tax assessment related to the goodwill amortization resulting from the merger between InBev Holding Brasil S.A. and Ambev. In the event Ambev is required to pay these amounts, we shall reimburse Ambev the amount proportional to the benefit received by us pursuant to the merger protocol, as well as the respective costs. In October 2013, Ambev received a tax assessment related to the goodwill amortization resulting from the merger of Quinsa into Ambev. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal and Arbitration Proceedings—Ambev and its Subsidiaries—Special Goodwill Reserve” for further information.

Profit Attributable to Non-Controlling Interests

The profit attributable to non-controlling interests was USD 2,124 million for the Year ended 31 December 2013, a decrease of USD 41 million from USD 2,165 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2012, as an improved operating performance in Ambev was offset by currency translation effects.

Profit Attributable to Our Equity Holders

Profit attributable to our equity holders for the year ended 31 December 2013 was USD 14,394 million (compared to USD 7,160 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2012) with basic earnings per share of USD 8.90, based on 1,617 million shares outstanding, representing the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the year ended 31 December 2013. For the definition of weighted average number of shares outstanding, see footnote 2 of the table in “Item 3. Key Information—A. Selected Financial Data.” The increase in profit attributable to our equity holders during the year ended 31 December 2013 is mainly driven by the exceptional gain related to the fair value adjustment on the initial investment held in Grupo Modelo.

 

*1 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and/or on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies.”

 

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Excluding the after-tax exceptional items discussed above, profit attributable to our equity holders for the year ended 31 December 2013 would have been USD 7,936 million and basic earnings per share would have been USD 4.91.

Year Ended 31 December 2012 Compared to the Year Ended 31 December 2011

Volumes

Our reported volumes include both beer and non-beer (primarily carbonated soft drinks) volumes. In addition, volumes include not only brands that we own or license, but also third-party brands that we brew or otherwise produce as a subcontractor and third-party products that we sell through our distribution network, particularly in Western Europe. Volumes sold by the Global Export & Holding Companies businesses are shown separately. Our pro rata share of volumes in Grupo Modelo is not included in the reported volumes.

The table below summarizes the volume evolution by business segment.

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
     Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
     Change  
     (thousand hectoliters)      (%) (1)  

North America

     125,139         124,899         0.2   

Latin America North

     122,382         116,306         5.2   

Latin America South

     38,097         38,599         (1.3

Western Europe

     29,531         30,887         (4.4

Central & Eastern Europe

     22,785         25,690         (11.3

Asia Pacific

     57,667         55,980         3.0   

Global Export & Holding Companies

     7,030         7,004         0.4   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     402,631         399,365         0.8   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our consolidated volumes were 402.6 million hectoliters for the year ended 31 December 2012. This represented an increase of 3.3 million hectoliters, or 0.8%, as compared to our consolidated volumes for the year ended 31 December 2011. The results for the year ended 31 December 2012 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions and disposals we undertook in 2011 and 2012.

 

   

The 2011 acquisitions include the acquisitions in China of Liaoning Dalian Daxue Brewery Co. Ltd (“ Daxue ”) and Henan Weixue Beer Group Co. Ltd (“ Weixue ”), and the acquisitions in the United States of Fulton Street Brewery LLC (“ Goose Island ”) and certain distribution rights. Furthermore, our volumes were impacted by the progressive termination of the transitional supply agreement to brew and supply Labatt branded beer to KPS Capital Partners, L.P. (“ KPS ”) following the disposal of InBev USA in 2009 and the termination of certain Staropramen brewing and distribution rights in 2011 (collectively, the “ 2011 acquisitions and disposals ”). The 2012 acquisitions include the acquisition in Dominican Republic of CND (the “ 2012 acquisitions ,” together with the 2011 acquisitions and disposals, the “ 2012 and 2011 acquisitions and disposals ”). The 2012 and 2011 acquisitions and disposals impacted positively our volumes by 2.1 million hectoliters (net) for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the year ended 31 December 2011. For further details of these acquisitions and disposals, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—A. Key Factors affecting Results of Operations—Acquisitions, Divestitures and Other Structural Changes.”

 

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Excluding volume changes attributable to the acquisitions and disposals described above, our total volumes increased 0.3% in the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period 2011. On the same basis, our own beer volumes and non-beer volumes increased 0.1% and 2.2%, respectively. Our focus brands, which represent approximately 70% of our total global beer volumes, grew 1.5% in the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the same period in 2011, with our three global brands, Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s growing by 4.1%.

North America

In the year ended 31 December 2012, our volumes in North America increased by 0.2% compared to the year ended 31 December 2011. Excluding the acquisitions and disposals described above, our total volumes would have increased by 0.6% over the same period. Our shipment volumes in the United States grew 0.7% and domestic United States beer sales-to-retailers grew 0.4% for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period 2011.

We estimate that our market share trends continued to show improvement in the United States, declining by less than 20 bps in the year ended 31 December 2012, with significant improvements in the premium-plus category following the roll-out of Bud Light Platinum and Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita . We estimate that these innovations helped to grow the market share of the Bud Light Family by approximately 70 bps in the year ended 31 December 2012. Michelob Ultra, Shock Top, Stella Artois and our other high-end brands also grew share, while our market share remained under pressure as a result of softness in Budweiser and our pricing strategy of closing the gap between our sub-premium and premium brands within our portfolio.

In Canada, our beer volumes increased by 0.1% during the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the year ended 31 December 2011, mostly driven by a tough comparison in terms of industry and the ice hockey lock-out. We estimate that our market share for the year ended 31 December 2012 was 40.6%.

 

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Latin America North

In the year ended 31 December 2012, our volumes in Latin America North increased by 6.1 *1  million hectoliters, or 5.2% *1 , compared to the same period in 2011. Excluding the acquisitions and disposals described above, our total volumes would have increased by 3.3% *1 over the same period, with beer volumes increasing 2.8% *1 and soft drink volumes increasing 4.6% *1 on the same basis.

In Brazil, our beer volumes increased 2.5% during the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, benefiting from an estimated industry growth of 3.2%, a strong 2012 Carnival execution, the positive effect of higher consumer disposable income in 2012, additional price promotions in the fourth quarter of 2012 following the partial postponement of the tax increase announced on September 2012, as well as strong execution of our commercial initiatives. However, the year over year volume growth was also impacted by an earlier than normal price increase taken during the third quarter of 2012. Our premium brands continued to grow ahead of the rest of our portfolio. We estimate that Budweiser, which has been in the market over a year, became the largest international premium brand in Brazil during the fourth quarter of 2012. Stella Artois is also growing quickly with over 45% volume growth during the year ended 31 December 2012, compared to the same period last year. We estimate that our market share was down by 50 bps during the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, reaching an average of 68.5%, primarily due to price increases in the third quarter of 2012.

Latin America South

Latin America South volumes for the year ended 31 December 2012 decreased by 0.5 *1  million hectoliters, or 1.3% *1 , with beer volumes increasing 0.1% *1 and non-beer volumes decreasing by 3.0% *1 , compared to the same period in 2011. Our beer volumes in Argentina declined 0.4% in the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period in 2011 driven by an uncertain consumer environment and a weak industry. However, a strong performance from Quilmes and Stella Artois led to continued strong market share performance.

Western Europe

Our volumes, including subcontracted volumes, for the year ended 31 December 2012 decreased by 1.4 million hectoliters, or 4.4%, compared to the same period 2011. Excluding the acquisitions and disposals described above, our volumes would have decreased by 4.2% over the same period. Own beer volumes for the year ended 31 December 2012 decreased 3.5% compared to the same period 2011. On the same basis, total own products, including cider, declined by 3.0%.

In Belgium, own beer volumes decreased 4.1% in the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, driven by a weak weather-related industry performance in the first half of 2012. We estimate that market share was stable at 56.3% for the full year. In Germany, own beer volumes decreased 1.4% in the year ended 31 December 2012. We estimate that our market share was ahead during the year ended 31 December 2012, driven by a strong performance of our focus brands Beck’s and Hasseröder. In the United Kingdom, own product volumes decreased 8.2% in the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, mainly driven by a weak industry and market share pressure due to competitive activity in the off-trade channel.

Central & Eastern Europe

Our volumes for the year ended 31 December 2012 decreased by 2.9 million hectoliters, or 11.3%, compared to the year ended 31 December 2011. In Russia, our beer volumes fell 12.0% over the same period driven by industry weakness following regulatory changes. Market share loss was driven by the implementation of tax-related and other selective price increases ahead of competitors, and promotional pressure in key account channels. However, we continued to make progress with the optimization of our brand portfolio, with our premium brands, including Sibirskaya Korona, Bud, Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Löwenbräu gaining an estimated 90 bps share, and now representing 35% of total volumes. We estimate that Bud achieved an estimated market share of 1.4%.

 

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In Ukraine, our beer volumes decreased 10.3% for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period in 2011, driven by a weak industry and market share loss. However, Bud achieved an estimated market share of 1% during the nine months since launch.

Asia Pacific

For the year ended 31 December 2012, our volumes grew 1.7 million hectoliters, or 3.0%, compared to the same period in 2011. Excluding the acquisitions described above, our total volumes would have increased by 1.9% in the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period in 2011. On the same basis, our beer volumes in China grew 1.9% as industry volumes in our footprint declined by almost 12% during the last quarter of 2012 due to severe cold and wet weather. In China, our focus brands Budweiser, Harbin and Sedrin grew 8.1% in the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period in 2011. We estimate that we gained market share in the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.

Global Export & Holding Companies

For the year ended 31 December 2012, Global Export & Holding Companies remained fundamentally unchanged, compared to the same period in 2011. Excluding the acquisitions and disposals described above, our volumes would have increased by 3.6%.

Revenue

Revenue refers to turnover less excise taxes and discounts. See “—A. Key Factors Affecting Results of Operations—Excise Taxes.”

The following table reflects changes in revenue across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to our revenue for the year ended 31 December 2011.

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
     Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
     Change  
     (USD million)      (%) (1)  

North America

     16,028         15,304         4.7   

Latin America North

     11,268         11,350         (0.7

Latin America South

     3,209         2,878         11.5   

Western Europe

     3,625         3,945         (8.1

Central & Eastern Europe

     1,668         1,755         (5.0

Asia Pacific

     2,690         2,317         16.1   

Global Export & Holding Companies

     1,270         1,496         (15.1
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     39,758         39,046         1.8   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

 

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Our consolidated revenue was USD 39,758 million for the year ended 31 December 2012. This represented an increase of USD 712 million, or 1.8%, as compared to our consolidated revenue for the year ended 31 December 2011. The results for the year ended 31 December 2012 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions and disposals we undertook in 2011 and 2012 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 and 2011 acquisitions and disposals (defined above) positively impacted our consolidated revenue by USD 312 million (net) for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the year ended 31 December 2011.

 

   

Our consolidated revenue for the year ended 31 December 2012 also reflects an unfavorable currency translation impact of USD 2,421 million mainly arising from currency translation effects in Latin America North, Latin America South and Western Europe.

Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions and disposals described above and currency translation effects, our revenue would have increased 7.2% for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the year ended 31 December 2011. Our consolidated revenue for the year ended 31 December 2012 was partly impacted by the developments in volumes discussed above. On the same basis, revenue per hectoliter improved 7.8%, resulting from favorable brand mix and revenue management best practices.

The main business segments contributing to growth in our consolidated revenues were North America, driven by the benefit of the price increase implemented at the end of 2011, as well as positive brand mix; Latin America North, due to the price increases implemented the third quarter of 2012, positive premium brand mix and higher own distribution, partly offset by higher taxes; Latin America South, as a result of revenue growth offsetting high cost inflation; and Asia Pacific driven by volume, brand mix and selective price increases.

Cost of Sales

The following table reflects changes in cost of sales across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     (6,615     (6,706     1.4   

Latin America North

     (3,519     (3,625     2.9   

Latin America South

     (1,244     (1,151     (8.1

Western Europe

     (1,550     (1,654     6.3   

Central & Eastern Europe

     (914     (985     7.2   

Asia Pacific

     (1,565     (1,318     (18.7

Global Export & Holding Companies

     (1,015     (1,171     13.3   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (16,422     (16,610     1.1   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our consolidated cost of sales was USD 16,422 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2012. This represented a decrease of USD 188 *1  million, or 1.1%, compared to our consolidated cost of sales for the year ended 31 December 2011. The results for the year ended 31 December 2012 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions and disposals we undertook in 2011 and 2012 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 and 2011 acquisitions and disposals described above negatively impacted our consolidated cost of sales by USD 95 million (net) for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the year ended 31 December 2011.

 

   

Our consolidated cost of sales for the year ended 31 December 2012 also reflects a positive currency translation impact of USD 762 million mainly arising from currency translation effects in Latin America North, Latin America South and Western Europe.

 

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It should also be noted that the U.S. distribution system was amended at the start of 2012, from a freight pass-through to a delivered price model. Consequently, in 2012, our cost of sales decreased and our distribution expenses increased, with no net impact on EBITDA, as defined. The adjustment for the year ended 31 December 2012, therefore, includes a scope adjustment between cost of sales and distribution expenses of approximately 6% of 2011 North America cost of sales.

Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions and disposals described above, currency translation effects, and the effects of the amendment of the distribution system in the United States from a freight pass through system to a delivered price model as described above, our cost of sales would have increased by 5.4%. Our consolidated cost of sales for the year ended 31 December 2012 was partly impacted by the developments in volumes discussed above. On the same basis, cost of sales increased 7.0% on a per hectoliter basis as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011, primarily driven by higher commodity costs in most zones, higher labor costs in Latin America South, and brand mix in North America and China.

Operating Expenses

The discussion below relates to our operating expenses, which equal the sum of our distribution expenses, sales and marketing expenses, administrative expenses and other operating income and expenses (net), for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011. Our operating expenses do not include exceptional charges, which are reported separately.

Our operating expenses for the year ended 31 December 2012 were USD 10,557 *1  million, representing an increase of USD 746 *1  million, or 7.6% compared to our operating expenses for the same period 2011.

Distribution expenses

The following table reflects changes in distribution expenses across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     (1,319     (808     (63.2

Latin America North

     (1,277     (1,301     1.8   

Latin America South

     (296     (259     (14.3

Western Europe

     (364     (409     11   

Central & Eastern Europe

     (184     (224     17.9   

Asia Pacific

     (235     (193     (21.8

Global Export & Holding Companies

     (111     (120     7.5   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (3,787     (3,315     (14.2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

 

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Our consolidated distribution expenses were USD 3,787 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2012. This represented an increase of USD 472 million, or 14.2%, as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011. The results for the year ended 31 December 2012 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions and disposals we undertook in 2011 and 2012 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 and 2011 acquisitions and disposals described above negatively impacted our consolidated distribution expenses by USD 24 million (net) for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the year ended 31 December 2011.

 

   

Our consolidated distribution expenses for the year ended 31 December 2012 also reflect a positive currency translation impact of USD 279 million.

Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions and disposals, the currency translation effects described above, and the effects of the amendment of the distribution system in the United States from a freight pass through system to a delivered price model as described above, the increase in distribution expenses for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the same period in 2011 would have been 8.9%, driven by (i) higher transportation costs and additional own distribution operations in both the United States and Brazil; (ii) the roll-out of our innovations in the United States, particularly Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita ; and (iii) higher labor and transportation costs in Argentina and China.

Sales and marketing expenses

Marketing expenses include all costs relating to the support and promotion of brands, including operating costs (such as payroll and office costs) of the marketing departments, advertising costs (such as agency costs and media costs), sponsoring and events and surveys and market research. Sales expenses include all costs relating to the selling of products, including operating costs (such as payroll and office costs) of the sales department and sales force.

The following table reflects changes in sales and marketing expenses across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     (1,794     (1,631     (10.0

Latin America North

     (1,204     (1,229     2.0   

Latin America South

     (336     (305     (10.2

Western Europe

     (650     (761     14.6   

Central & Eastern Europe

     (400     (420     4.8   

Asia Pacific

     (670     (588     (13.9

Global Export & Holding Companies

     (200     (199     (0.5
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (5,254     (5,133     (2.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

 

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Our consolidated sales and marketing expenses were USD 5,254 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2012. This represented an increase of USD 121 *1  million, or 2.4% *1 , as compared to our consolidated sales and marketing expenses for the year ended 31 December 2011. The results for the year ended 31 December 2012 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions and disposals we undertook in 2011 and 2012 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 and 2011 acquisitions and disposals described above negatively impacted our consolidated sales and marketing expenses by USD 50 million (net) for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the year ended 31 December 2011.

 

   

Our consolidated sales and marketing expenses for the year ended 31 December 2012 also reflect a positive currency translation impact of USD 286 million.

Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions and disposals described above and currency translation effects, our overall sales and marketing expenses for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the same period in 2011 would have increased 6.8% due to higher investments behind our brands and innovations.

Administrative expenses

The following table reflects changes in administrative expenses across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     (452     (467     3.2   

Latin America North

     (612     (554     (10.5

Latin America South

     (108     (99     (9.1

Western Europe

     (257     (298     13.8   

Central & Eastern Europe

     (113     (108     (4.6

Asia Pacific

     (274     (221     (24.0

Global Export & Holding Companies

     (382     (310     (23.2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (2,200     (2,057     (7.0
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our consolidated administrative expenses were USD 2,200 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2012. This represented an increase of USD 143 *1  million, or 7.0%, as compared to our consolidated administrative expenses for the year ended 31 December 2011. The results for the year ended 31 December 2012 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions and disposals we undertook in 2011 and 2012 and currency translation effects.

 

   

The 2012 and 2011 acquisitions and disposals described above negatively impacted our consolidated administrative expenses by USD 41 million (net) for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the year ended 31 December 2011.

 

   

Our consolidated administrative expenses for the year ended 31 December 2012 also reflect a positive currency translation impact of USD 151 million.

Excluding the effects of the business acquisitions and disposals and the currency translation effects described above, administrative expenses would have increased by 12.4% for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the same period in 2011 with higher variable compensation accruals in most zones, as well as geographic expansion costs in China, partly offset by tight cost management in North America and Western Europe.

 

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Other operating income/(expense)

The following table reflects changes in other operating income and expenses across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
     Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
     Change  
     (USD million)      (%) (1)  

North America

     64         54         18.5   

Latin America North

     426         462         (7.8

Latin America South

     4         2         100.0   

Western Europe

     24         36         (33.3

Central & Eastern Europe

     5         2         150.0   

Asia Pacific

     121         90         34.4   

Global Export & Holding Companies

     40         47         (14.9
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     684         694         (1.4
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

The net positive effect of our other operating income and expenses for the year ended 31 December 2012 was USD 684 million. This represented a decrease of USD 10 million, or 1.4%, compared to the year ended 31 December 2011. The results for the year ended 31 December 2012 reflect a negative translation impact of USD 73 million.

Excluding the effects of currency translation effects, the net positive effect of our other operating income and expenses would have increased by 8.3% for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the same period in 2011.

Exceptional Items

Exceptional items are items which, in our management’s judgment, need to be disclosed separately by virtue of their size and incidence in order to obtain a proper understanding of our financial information. We consider these items to be of significance in nature, and accordingly, our management has excluded these items from their segment measures of performance.

For the year ended 31 December 2012, exceptional items consisted of restructuring charges, business and asset disposals, and acquisition costs of business combinations. Exceptional items were as follows for the year ended 31 December 2012 and 2011:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
 
     (USD million)  

Restructuring (including impairment losses)

     (36     (351

Business and asset disposal (including impairment losses)

     58        78   

Acquisitions costs business combinations

     (54     (5
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     (32     (278
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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Restructuring

Exceptional restructuring charges (including impairment losses) amounted to a net cost of USD 36 million for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to a net cost of USD 351 million for the year ended 31 December 2011. The 2012 charges are primarily related to organizational alignments in North America and Europe and to the integration of CND in order to eliminate overlap or duplicated processes. These one-time expenses as a result of the series of decisions provide us with a lower cost base in addition to a stronger focus on our core activities, quicker decision-making and improvements to efficiency, service and quality.

Business and asset disposal

Business and asset disposals (including impairment losses) amounted to a net benefit of USD 58 million for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to a net benefit of USD 78 million for the same period in 2011. The 2012 net benefit relates mainly to the sale of certain non-core assets, with a net gain of USD 51 million, and USD 7 million reversal of provisions for contractual exposures related to divestitures of previous years.

Acquisition costs business combinations

Acquisition costs of USD 54 million for the year ended 31 December 2012 relate to costs incurred for the combination with Grupo Modelo announced on 29 June 2012 and the acquisition of CND on 11 May 2012.

Profit from Operations

The following table reflects changes in profit from operations across our business segments for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

North America

     5,958        5,558        7.2   

Latin America North

     5,055        5,124        (1.3

Latin America South

     1,228        1,059        16.0   

Western Europe

     825        737        11.9   

Central & Eastern Europe

     57        22        159.1   

Asia Pacific

     69        77        (10.4

Global Export & Holding Companies

     (445     (231     (92.6
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     12,747        12,346        3.2   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting and on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our profit from operations increased to USD 12,747 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2012. This represented an increase of USD 401 million, or 3.2%, as compared to our profit from operations for the year ended 31 December 2011. The results for the year ended 31 December 2012 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of certain acquisitions and disposals we undertook in 2011 and 2012, currency translation effects and the effects of certain exceptional items as described above.

 

   

The 2012 and 2011 acquisitions and disposals described above positively impacted our consolidated profit from operations by USD 89 million (net) for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to the year ended 31 December 2011. For further details of these acquisitions and disposals, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—A. Key Factors Affecting Results of Operations—Acquisitions, Divestitures and Other Structural Changes.”

 

   

Our consolidated profit from operations for the year ended 31 December 2012 also reflects a negative currency translation impact of USD 1,070 million.

 

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Our profit from operations for the year ended 31 December 2012 was negatively impacted by USD 32 million of certain exceptional items, as compared to a negative impact of USD 278 million for the year ended 31 December 2011. See “—Exceptional Items” above for a description of the exceptional items during the years ended 31 December 2012 and 2011.

EBITDA, as defined

The following table reflects changes in our EBITDA, as defined, for the year ended 31 December 2012 as compared to the year ended 31 December 2011:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

Profit

     9,325        7,859        18.7   

Net finance cost

     2,366        3,284        28.0   

Income tax expense

     1,680        1,826        8.0   

Share of result of associates

     (624     (623     0.2   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Profit from operations

     12,747        12,346        3.2   

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     2,747        2,783        1.3   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA, as defined

     15,493        15,129        2.4   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

See “—Year Ended 31 December 2013 Compared to the Year Ended 31 December 2012—EBITDA, as defined” above for more information about our definition of EBITDA, as defined.

Our EBITDA, as defined, increased to USD 15,493 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2012. This represented an increase of USD 364 *1  million, or 2.4%, as compared to our EBITDA, as defined, for the year ended 31 December 2011. The results for the year ended 31 December 2012 reflect the performance of our business after the completion of the acquisitions and disposals we undertook in 2011 and 2012 discussed above and currency translation effects. Furthermore, our EBITDA, as defined, was negatively impacted by USD 32 million (before impairment losses) of certain exceptional items in the year ended 31 December 2012, as compared to a negative impact of USD 245 million during the year ended 31 December 2011. See “—Exceptional Items” above for a description of the exceptional items during the years ended 31 December 2012 and 2011.

 

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Net Finance Cost

Our net finance cost items were as follows for the years ended 31 December 2012 and 2011:

 

     Year ended
31 December 2012 (2)
    Year ended
31 December 2011 (2)
    Change  
     (USD million)     (%) (1)  

Net interest expense

     (1,802     (2,333     22.8   

Net interest on net defined benefit liabilities

     (160     (147     (8.8

Accretion expense

     (270     (209     (29.2

Other financial results

     (116     (55     (110.9
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net finance costs before exceptional finance cost

     (2,348     (2,744     14.4   

Mark-to-market adjustment on derivatives

     —          (246     —     

Other financial results

     (18     (294     93.9   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Exceptional net finance cost

     (18     (540     96.7   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net finance costs

     (2,366     (3,284     28.0   

 

Note:

 

(1) The percentage change reflects the improvement (or worsening) of results for the period as a result of the change in each item.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

Our net finance cost for the year ended 31 December 2012 was USD 2,366 *1  million, as compared to USD 3,284 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2011, or a decrease of USD 918 *1 million.

Net interest expenses reached USD 1,802 million for the year ended 31 December 2012 compared to USD 2,333 million for the same period in 2011, mainly as a result of reduced net debt levels and the lower coupon resulting from the debt refinancing and repayments which occurred in 2011.

Other financial results for the year ended 31 December 2012 amount to a net cost of USD 116 million primarily due to non-cash unrealized foreign exchange translation losses on intercompany payables and loans, costs of currency and commodity hedges, the payment of bank fees and taxes on financial transactions in the normal course of business, partially offset by gains from derivative contracts to hedge risks associated with different share-based compensation programs. Accretion expense of USD 270 million in the year ended 31 December 2012 increased primarily due to the IFRS accounting treatment for the put option associated with our investment in CND in Dominican Republic, following the closing of the transaction in May 2012. This non-cash expense will be approximately USD 30 million in a full quarter.

In light of the proposed acquisition of the remaining stake in Grupo Modelo, we recognized an exceptional finance cost of USD 18 million during the year ended 31 December 2012 related to commitment fees for the 2012 facilities agreement we entered into to fund the acquisition. Such commitment fees accrue and are payable periodically on the aggregate undrawn but available funds under these facilities.

Share of result of associates

Our share of result of associates for the year ended 31 December 2012 was USD 624 million as compared to USD 623 million for the year ended 31 December 2011, attributable to the results of our investment in Grupo Modelo in Mexico.

 

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Income Tax Expense

Our total income tax expense for the year ended 31 December 2012 amounted to USD 1,680 *1  million, with an effective tax rate of 16.2% *1 (as compared to 20.2% *1 for the year ended 31 December 2011). The decrease in the effective tax rate mainly results from a shift in profit mix to countries with lower marginal tax rates, incremental tax benefits, the non-taxable nature of gains from certain derivatives related to the hedging of share-based payment programs, as well as the favorable outcomes of tax claims and uncertain tax positions recognized in prior years amounting to USD 203 million.

In 2012 and 2011 we recognized the benefit at the Ambev level from the impact of interest on equity payments and tax deductible goodwill resulting from the merger between InBev Holding Brasil S.A. and Ambev in July 2005 and the acquisition of Quinsa in August 2006. See “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions—Ambev Special Goodwill Reserve.” The impact of the tax deductible goodwill resulting from the merger between InBev Holding Brasil S.A. and Ambev in July 2005 was to reduce income tax expense for the year ended 31 December 2012 by USD 180 million, and the impact of the tax deductible goodwill resulting from the acquisition of Quinsa in August 2006 was to reduce income tax expense for the year end 2012 by USD 55 million. In December 2011, Ambev received a tax assessment related to the goodwill amortization resulting from the merger between InBev Holding Brasil S.A. and Ambev. In the event Ambev is required to pay these amounts, we shall reimburse Ambev the amount proportional to the benefit received by us pursuant to the merger protocol, as well as the respective costs. . In October 2013, Ambev received a tax assessment related to the goodwill amortization resulting from the merger of Quinsa into Ambev. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal and Arbitration Proceedings—Ambev and its Subsidiaries—Special Goodwill Reserve” for further information.

Profit Attributable to Non-Controlling Interests

The profit attributable to non-controlling interests was USD 2,165 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2012, an increase of USD 85 *1  million from USD 2,080 *1  million for the year ended 31 December 2011, as improved operating performance in Ambev was partially reduced by currency translation effects.

Profit Attributable to Our Equity Holders

Profit attributable to our equity holders for the year ended 31 December 2012 was USD 7,160 *1  million with basic earnings per share of USD 4.48 *1 , based on 1,600 million shares outstanding, representing the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the year ended 31 December 2012. For the definition of weighted average number of shares outstanding, see footnote 2 of the table in “Item 3. Key Information—A. Selected Financial Data.” Excluding the exceptional items discussed above, profit attributable to our equity holders for the year ended 31 December 2012 would have been USD 7,201 *1  million and basic earnings per share would have been USD 4.50 *1 .

F. IMPACT OF CHANGES IN FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES

Foreign exchange rates have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements. The following table sets forth the percentage of our revenue realized by currency for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011:

 

     Year ended 31 December,  
     2013     2012     2011  

U.S. dollar

     35.3     38.3     37.5

Brazilian real

     23.8     27.1     28.7

Mexican peso

     7.9     —          —     

Chinese yuan

     7.7     6.7     5.9

Euro

     6.4     7.0     7.8

Canadian dollar

     4.6     5.2     5.4

Argentinean peso

     4.6     4.9     4.2

Russian ruble

     2.4     3.0     3.3

Other

     7.3     7.8     7.2

 

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As a result of the fluctuation of foreign exchange rates for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011:

 

   

We recorded a negative translation impact of USD 1,373 million on our 2013 revenue (as compared to a negative impact of USD 2,421million in 2012 and a positive impact of USD 1,137 million in 2011) and a negative translation impact of USD 491 million on our 2013 profit from operations (as compared to a negative impact of USD 1,070 million in 2012 and a positive impact of USD 401 million in 2011).

 

   

Our 2013 reported profit (after tax) was negatively affected by a USD 389 million translation impact (as compared to a negative translation impact of USD 950 million in 2012 and a positive translation impact of USD 312 million in 2011), while the negative translation impact on our 2013 earnings per share base (profit attributable to our equity holders) was USD 167 million or USD 0.10 per share (as compared to a negative impact of USD 648 million in 2012 or USD 0.40 per share and a positive impact of 200 million or USD 0.13 per share in 2011).

 

   

Our net debt increased by USD 606 million in 2013 as a result of translation impacts (as compared to an increase of USD 494 million in 2012 and a decrease of USD 262 million in 2011).

 

   

Our equity decreased by USD 3,109 million in 2013 as a result of translation impacts (as compared to a decrease of USD 271 million in 2012 and a decrease of 1,764 million in 2011).

G. LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

General

Our primary sources of cash flow have historically been cash flows from operating activities, the issuance of debt, bank borrowings and the issuance of equity securities. Our material cash requirements have included the following:

 

   

Debt service;

 

   

Capital expenditures;

 

   

Investments in companies participating in the brewing, carbonated soft drinks and malting industries;

 

   

Increases in ownership of our subsidiaries or companies in which we hold equity investments;

 

   

Share buyback programs; and

 

   

Payments of dividends and interest on shareholders’ equity.

We are of the opinion that our working capital, as an indicator of our ability to satisfy our short-term liabilities, is, based on our expected cash flow from operations for the coming 12 months, sufficient for the 12 months following the date of this Form 20-F. Over the longer term, we believe that our cash flows from operating activities, available cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, along with our derivative instruments and our access to borrowing facilities, will be sufficient to fund our capital expenditures, debt service and dividend payments going forward. As part of our cash flow management, we manage capital expenditures by optimizing use of our existing brewery capacity and standardizing operational processes to make our capital investments more efficient. We are also attempting to improve operating cash flow through procurement initiatives designed to leverage economies of scale and improve terms of payment to suppliers.

 

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Equity attributable to our equity holders and non-controlling interests amounted to USD 55.3 billion as of 31 December 2013 (USD 45.4 billion as of 31 December 2012 and USD 41.0 billion as of 31 December 2011) and our net debt amounted to USD 38.8 billion as of 31 December 2013 (USD 30.1 billion as of 31 December 2012 and USD 34.7 billion as of 31 December 2011). Our overriding objectives when managing capital resources are to safeguard the business as a going concern and to optimize our capital structure so as to maximize shareholder value while keeping the desired financial flexibility to execute strategic projects.

To finance the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch in 2008, we entered into a USD 45 billion senior facilities agreement (of which USD 44 billion was ultimately drawn) and a USD 9.8 billion bridge facility agreement, enabling us to consummate the acquisition. During 2008, 2009 and 2010, we fully refinanced and repaid our obligations under these debt facilities by using the proceeds from a rights offering in 2008, cash generated from operating activities, proceeds from the disposal of activities, drawdowns from existing loan facilities, proceeds of capital market offerings and the proceeds from a new senior credit facility entered into in April 2010 (the “ 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement ”). The terms of the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement, as well as its intended use, are described under “Item 10. Additional Information—C. Material Contracts.” Over the course of 2010, we made a number of repayments to the 2010 senior facilities. Effective 25 July 2011, we amended the terms of the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement. The amendment provided for an extension of the USD 8.0 billion five-year revolving credit facility maturing in April 2015 with a revised maturity of July 2016, as well as a reduced margin grid. In connection with the amendment, we fully prepaid and terminated the USD 5.0 billion three-year term facility maturing in April 2013. During 2011, we continued to refinance and repay our obligations under the 2010 senior facilities by using cash generated from operating activities, drawdowns from existing loan facilities and by using the proceeds of capital market offerings. Effective 20 August 2013, we amended the terms of the USD 8.0 billion five-year revolving credit facility extending the provision of USD 7.2 billion to a revised maturity of July 2018. As of 31 December 2013, there were no amounts drawn under the amended USD 8.0 billion multi-currency revolving credit facility. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—H. Contractual Obligations and Contingencies—Contractual Obligations.”

To facilitate the combination with Grupo Modelo, we entered into a USD 14.0 billion long-term bank financing, dated as of 20 June 2012. The new USD 14.0 billion facilities agreement (“ 2012 Facilities Agreement ”) comprised of “Facility A,” a term facility with a maximum maturity of two years from the funding date for up to USD 6.0 billion principal amount and “Facility B,” a three-year term facility for up to USD 8.0 billion principal amount bearing interest at a floating rate equal to LIBOR, plus margins. In November 2012, the principal amount of “Facility A” was reduced to USD 5.1 billion, following a voluntary cancellation option under the 2012 Facilities Agreement and on 31 May 2013, we opted to cancel the remaining commitments under “Facility A”. On 3 June 2013, we drew down USD 8.0 billion under “Facility B” to finance the Grupo Modelo combination. In June 2013, we fully repaid the portion of the 2012 Facilities Agreement that was drawn for the combination and terminated the 2012 Facilities Agreement. As of 31 December 2013, no amount remained outstanding under the 2012 Facilities Agreement. See “Item 10. Additional Information—C. Material Contracts.”

Our ability to manage the maturity profile of our debt and repay our outstanding indebtedness in line with management plans will nevertheless depend upon market conditions. If such uncertain market conditions as experienced in the period between late 2007 and early 2009 and again in 2011 continue in the future, our financing costs could increase beyond what is currently anticipated. Such costs could have a material adverse impact on our cash flows, results of operations or both. In addition, an inability to refinance all or a substantial amount of our debt obligations when they become due would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We may not be able to obtain the necessary funding for our future capital or refinancing needs and we face financial risks due to our level of debt and uncertain market conditions.”

Our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments in debt securities less bank overdrafts as of 31 December 2013 amounted to USD 9,956 million. As of 31 December 2013, we had total liquidity of USD 17,956 million, which consisted of USD 8.0 billion of commitments under the 2010 senior facilities, and USD 9,956 million of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments in debt securities less bank overdrafts. Although we may borrow such amounts to meet our liquidity needs, we principally rely on cash flows from operating activities to fund our continuing operations.

 

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Cash Flow

The following table sets forth our consolidated cash flows for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011:

 

     Year ended 31 December
(audited)
 
     2013     2012 (2)     2011 (2)  
     (USD million)  

Cash flow from operating activities

     13,864        13,268        12,486   

Cash flow from (used in) investing activities

     (10,281     (11,341     (2,731

Cash flow from (used in) financing activities

     341        162        (8,996
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     3,924        2,089        759   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flow from operating activities

Our cash flows from operating activities for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December
(audited)
 
     2013     2012 (2)     2011 (2)  
     (USD million)  

Profit (including non-controlling interests)

     16,518        9,325        7,859   

Revaluation of initial investment Grupo Modelo

     (6,415     —          —     

Interest, taxes and non-cash items included in profit

     7,135        6,403        7,520   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flow from operating activities before changes in working capital and provisions

     17,238        15,728        15,379   

Change in working capital (1)

     866        1,099        1,409   

Pension contributions and use of provisions

     (653     (621     (710

Interest and taxes (paid)/received

     (4,193     (3,658     (3,998

Dividends received

     606        720        406   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flow from operating activities

     13,864        13,268        12,486   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) For purposes of the table above, working capital includes inventories, trade and other receivables and trade and other payables, both current and non-current.
(2) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits. See “—Summary of Changes in Accounting Policies” above.

Non-cash items included in profit include: depreciation, amortization and impairments, including impairment losses on receivables and inventories; additions and reversals in provisions and employee benefits; losses and gains on sales of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, subsidiaries and assets held for sale; equity share-based payment expenses; share of result of associates; net finance cost; income tax expense and other non-cash items included in profit. Please refer to our consolidated cash flow statement in our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for a more comprehensive overview of our cash flow from operating activities.

Our primary source of cash flow for our ongoing activities and operations is our cash flow from operating activities. For extraordinary transactions (such as the 2008 Anheuser-Busch acquisition and the 2013 Modelo combination), we may, from time to time, also rely on cash flows from other sources. See “—Cash Flow from Investing Activities” and “—Cash Flow from Financing Activities,” below.

 

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Net cash from operating activities in 2013 increased by USD 596 million, or 4.5%, from USD 13,268 million in 2012 to USD 13,864 million in 2013. The increase mainly results from higher profits generated in 2013. The combination with Grupo Modelo resulted in approximately USD 400 million working capital improvements by the end of 2013, from the USD 500 million synergies expected in the first two years after the closing of the transaction and previously announced.

We devote substantial efforts to the efficient use of our working capital, especially those elements of working capital that are perceived as ‘core’ (including trade receivables, inventories and trade payables). The initiatives to improve our working capital include the implementation of best practices on collection of receivables and inventory management, such as optimizing our inventory levels per stock taking unit, improving the batch sizes in our production process and optimizing the duration of overhauls. Similarly, we aim to efficiently manage our payables by reviewing our standard terms and conditions on payments and resolving, where appropriate, the terms of payment within 120 days upon receipt of invoice. Changes in working capital contributed USD 866 million to operational cash flow in 2013. This contribution includes USD 51 million cash outflow from derivatives. Excluding the impact of derivatives, working capital management would have resulted in a positive USD 917 million cash impact.

Net cash from operating activities in 2012 increased by USD 782 million, or 6.3%, from USD 12,486 million in 2011 to USD 13,268 million in 2012. The increase mainly results from higher profits generated in 2012. The working capital improvements reflected primarily the results of on-going payables initiatives. In addition, trade payables increased at year end 2011 and 2012 due to capital expenditures, these payables having on average longer payment terms.

Cash Flow from Investing Activities

Our cash flows from investing activities for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December
(audited)
 
     2013     2012     2011  
     (USD million)  

Net capital expenditure (1)

     (3,612     (3,089     (3,256

Acquisition and sale of subsidiaries and associates, net of cash acquired/disposed of (2)

     (17,397     (1,412     (25

Proceeds from the sale of / (investment in) short-term debt securities

     6,707        (6,702     529   

Proceeds from the sale of assets held for sale (3)

     4,002        (3     —     

Other (2)

     19        (135     21   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flow from (used in) investing activities

     (10,281     (11,341     (2,731
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Notes:

 

(1) Net capital expenditure consists of acquisitions of plant, property and equipment and of intangible assets, minus proceeds from sale.
(2) Reclassified to conform to the 2012 presentation.
(3) Reclassified to conform to the 2013 presentation.

Net cash used in investing activities was USD 10,281 million in 2013 as compared to USD 11,341 million in 2012. The evolution of the cash used in investment activities in 2013 is mainly explained by the combination with Grupo Modelo and the sale by Grupo Modelo of its business in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam to Constellation Brands, Inc. See note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 included in this Form 20-F.

 

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Please also refer to notes 17, 21 and 24 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

Our net capital expenditures amounted to USD 3,612 million in 2013 and USD 3,089 million in 2012. Out of the total capital expenditures of 2013, approximately 57% was used to improve our production facilities while 34% was used for logistics and commercial investments. Approximately 9% was used for improving administrative capabilities and purchase of hardware and software.

Net cash used in investing activities was USD 11,341 million in 2012 as compared to USD 2,731 million in 2011. During 2012, we raised a series of bonds and accumulated liquidity to support the Modelo acquisition. The excess liquidity was mainly invested in short-term debt securities and short-term U.S. Treasury Bills pending the closing of the combination with Grupo Modelo. The increase in net cash used in investing activities is further explained by the acquisition of CND in Dominican Republic in May 2012.

Cash Flow from Financing Activities

Our cash flows from financing activities for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December
(audited)
 
     2013     2012     2011  
     (USD million)  

Dividends paid (1)  

     (6,253     (3,632     (3,088

Net (payments on) / proceeds from borrowings  

     4,458        3,649        (4,558

Net proceeds from the issue of share capital

     73        102        155   

Cash received for deferred shares instrument

     1,500        —          —     

Other (including net financing costs other than interest)

     563        43        (1,505
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flow from (used in) financing activities

     341        162        (8,996
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) Dividends paid in 2013 consisted primarily of USD 4,821 million paid by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and USD 1,281 million paid by Ambev. Dividends paid in 2012 consisted primarily of USD 2,730 million paid by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and USD 1,101 million paid by Ambev. Dividends paid in 2011 consisted primarily of USD 1,771 million paid by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and USD 1,256 million paid by Ambev.

Cash inflow from financing activities amounted to USD 341 million in 2013, as compared to a cash inflow of USD 162 million in 2012. The 2013 cash flow from financing activities reflects the funding of the combination with Grupo Modelo, higher dividend pay outs as compared to 2012 and the cash proceeds from the deferred share instruments issued in a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo. Please refer to notes 17, 21 and 24 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

See “—Borrowings” below for details of long-term debt we entered into during 2013.

Cash flows used in financing activities amounted to USD 162 million in 2012, as compared to cash used in financing activities for the year ended 31 December 2011 of USD 8,996 million. During 2012, in order to support the Modelo acquisition, we raised a series of bonds. The excess liquidity resulting from these bonds were mainly invested in short-term debt securities and short-term U.S. Treasury Bills pending the closing of the Modelo acquisition.

 

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Transfers from Subsidiaries

The amount of dividends payable by our operating subsidiaries to us is subject to, among other restrictions, general limitations imposed by the corporate laws, capital transfer restrictions and exchange control restrictions of the respective jurisdictions where those subsidiaries are organized and operate. For example, in Brazil, which accounted for 24.1% of our actual reported profit from operations for the year ended 31 December 2013, current legislation permits the Brazilian government to impose temporary restrictions on remittances of foreign capital abroad in the event of a serious imbalance or an anticipated serious imbalance in Brazil’s balance of payments. For approximately six months in 1989 and early 1990, the Brazilian government froze all dividend and capital repatriations held by the Central Bank that were owed to foreign equity investors in order to conserve Brazil’s foreign currency reserves.

Dividends paid to us by certain of our subsidiaries are also subject to withholding taxes. Withholding tax, if applicable, generally does not exceed 10%.

Capital transfer restrictions are also common in certain developing countries, and may affect our flexibility in implementing a capital structure we believe to be efficient. For example, China has very specific approval regulations for all capital transfers to or from the country and certain capital transfers to and from Ukraine are subject to obtaining a specific permit.

Funding Sources

Funding Policies

We aim to secure committed credit lines with financial institutions to cover our liquidity risk on a 12-month and 24-month basis. Liquidity risk is identified using both the budget and strategic planning process input of the group on a consolidated basis. Depending on market circumstances and the availability of local debt capital markets, we may decide, based on liquidity forecasts, to secure funding on a medium- and long-term basis.

We also seek to continuously optimize our capital structure targeting to maximizing shareholder value while keeping desired financial flexibility to execute strategic projects. Our capital structure policy and framework aims to optimize shareholder value through cash flow distribution to us from our subsidiaries, while maintaining an investment-grade rating and minimizing investments with returns below our weighted average cost of capital.

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

Our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments less bank overdrafts at each of 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December
(audited)
 
     2013     2012      2011  
     (USD million)  

Cash and cash equivalents

     9,839        7,051         5,320   

Bank overdrafts

     (6     —           (8

Investment in short-term debt securities

     123        6,827         103   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

     9,956        13,878         5,415   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Borrowings

To finance the Anheuser-Busch acquisition, we entered into the 2008 Senior Facilities Agreement of which USD 44 billion was ultimately drawn. During 2009 and 2010, we refinanced and repaid our obligations under the 2008 Senior Facilities Agreement by using cash generated from operating activities, proceeds from our disposal program, drawdowns from existing loan facilities, proceeds of debt capital market offerings and proceeds from the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement we entered into on 26 February 2010 (of which USD 10.1 billion was ultimately drawn). The 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement comprised a USD 5.0 billion term loan maturing in 2013 and a USD 8.0 billion multi-currency revolving credit facility maturing in 2015.

 

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Effective 25 July 2011, we amended the terms of the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement. The amendment provides an extension of the USD 8.0 billion five-year revolving credit facility maturing in April 2015 with a revised maturity of July 2016, as well as a reduced margin grid. In connection with the amendment, we fully prepaid and terminated the USD 5.0 billion three-year term facility maturing in April 2013. The amendment further extended our debt maturities and, as evidenced by the improved margin grid, materializes our enhanced credit profile. Effective 20 August 2013, we amended the terms of the USD 8.0 billion five-year revolving credit facility extending the provision of USD 7.2 billion to a revised maturity of July 2018. The terms of the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement, its amendments, as well as its intended use, are described under “Item 10. Additional Information—C. Material Contracts.”

In addition, during 2013, we continued to refinance and repay our obligations under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement by using cash generated from operations, drawdowns from existing loan facilities and by using the proceeds of debt capital market offerings. As of 31 December 2013, there were no amounts drawn under the amended USD 8.0 billion multi-currency revolving credit facility.

To facilitate the combination with Grupo Modelo, we entered into a USD 14.0 billion long-term bank financing, dated as of 20 June 2012. The new USD 14.0 billion facilities agreement (“ 2012 Facilities Agreement ”) comprised of “Facility A,” a term facility with a maximum maturity of two years from the funding date for up to USD 6.0 billion principal amount and “Facility B,” a three-year term facility for up to USD 8.0 billion principal amount bearing interest at a floating rate equal to LIBOR, plus margins. In November 2012, the principal amount of “Facility A” was reduced to USD 5.1 billion, following a voluntary cancellation option under the 2012 Facilities Agreement and on 31 May 2013, we opted to cancel the remaining commitments under “Facility A”. On 3 June 2013, we drew down USD 8.0 billion under “Facility B” to finance the combination with Grupo Modelo. In June 2013, we fully repaid the portion of the 2012 Facilities Agreement that was drawn for the combination and terminated the 2012 Facilities Agreement. As of 31 December 2013, no amount remained outstanding under the 2012 Facilities Agreement. See “Item 10. Additional Information—C. Material Contracts.”

Furthermore, in 2013 and in 2014 to date, we completed the following debt capital market offerings:

 

   

On 17 January 2013, we issued USD 4.0 billion aggregate principal amount of notes, consisting of USD 1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2016, USD 1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2018, USD 1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2023 and USD 750 million aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2043. The notes bear interest at an annual rate of 0.800% for the 2016 notes, 1.250% for the 2018 notes, 2.625% for the 2023 notes and 4.000% for the 2043 notes. The notes will mature on 15 January 2016 in the case of the 2016 notes, on 17 January 2018 in the case of the 2018 notes, on 17 January 2023 in the case of the 2023 notes and 17 January 2043 in the case of the 2043 notes. The net proceeds of the offering were used for general corporate purposes.

 

   

On 23 January 2013, we issued EUR 500 million (USD 690 million) aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due in 2033 and bearing interest at an annual rate of 3.250%. The net proceeds of the offering were used for general corporate purposes.

 

   

On 25 January 2013, we issued a private offering of notes in an aggregate principal amount of CAD 1.2 billion (USD 1.1 billion), consisting of CAD 600 million (USD 564 million) aggregate principal amount of notes with a fixed interest rate of 2.375% per annum and maturity date of 25 January 2018 and CAD 600 million (USD 564 million) aggregate principal amount of notes with a fixed interest rate of 3.375% per annum and maturity date of 25 January 2023. The notes were offered only to accredited investors resident in Canadian provinces via an Offering Memorandum dated 17 January 2013. The net proceeds of the offering were used for general corporate purposes.

 

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On 24 September 2013, we issued EUR 750 million (USD 1,034 million) aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due in 2020 bearing interest at an annual rate of 2.250% and GBP 500 million (USD 827 million) aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due in 2025 bearing interest at an annual rate of 4.000%. The use of the proceeds of such issuance was for general corporate purposes.

 

   

On 27 January 2014, we issued USD 5.25 billion aggregate principal amount of notes, consisting of USD 1.2 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2017; USD 300 million aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2017; USD 1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2019; USD 250 million aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2019; USD 1.4 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2024; and USD 850 million aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2044. The fixed rate notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 1.125% for the 2017 notes; 2.150% for the 2019 notes; 3.700% for the 2024 notes; and 4.625% for the 2044 notes. The floating rate notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 19.00 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the 2017 floating rate notes and 40.00 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the 2019 floating rate notes. The use of the proceeds of such issuance was for general corporate purposes and pre-funding of financing related to the announced reacquisition of Oriental Brewery.

Further to the above, during 2013, we early redeemed USD 22 million aggregate principal amount of Anheuser-Busch fixed rate notes with maturities in 2034 and 2041.

Most of our other interest-bearing loans and borrowings are for general corporate purposes, based upon strategic capital structure concerns, although certain borrowings are incurred to fund significant acquisitions of subsidiaries, such as the borrowings to fund the combination with Grupo Modelo. Although seasonal factors affect the business, they have little effect on our borrowing requirements.

We have a Belgian commercial paper program under which Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and Cobrew NV may issue and have outstanding at any time commercial paper notes up to a maximum aggregate amount of EUR 1.0 billion (USD 1.3 billion) or its equivalent in alternative currencies. The proceeds from the issuance of any such notes may be used for general corporate purposes. The notes may be issued in two tranches: Tranche A has a maturity of not less than seven and not more than 364 days from and including the day of issue; Tranche B has a maturity of not less than one year. As of 31 December 2013, we had borrowed approximately USD 1.1 billion under the program. Our ability to borrow additional amounts under the program is subject to investor demand.

In June 2011, we also established a U.S. commercial paper program for an aggregate outstanding amount not exceeding USD 3.0 billion. We use the net proceeds from this program, before expenses, for general corporate purposes. As of 31 December 2013, the total outstanding commercial paper under this program amounted to USD 999 million. If we are ever unable to refinance under this commercial program as it becomes due, we have access to funding through the use of our committed lines of credit.

At the time of the Anheuser-Busch acquisition, the interest rate for an amount of up to USD 34.5 billion had effectively been fixed through a series of hedge arrangements at a weighted average rate of 3.875% per annum (plus applicable fixed spreads) for the period 2009 to 2011 and a portion of the hedging arrangements had been successively extended for an additional two-year period. Following the repayment and refinancing activities performed throughout 2009, 2010 and 2011, we entered into new interest rate swaps to unwind the ones that became freestanding as a result of these repayments. As of 31 December 2013, there are no remaining open positions covering the interest exposure on the outstanding balance drawn under the 2010 senior facilities. As a result of the partial prepayment of amounts drawn under the 2008 and 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement during 2009, 2010 and 2011, we recognized an exceptional finance cost of USD 474 million in 2009, of USD 733 million in 2010 and of USD 235 million in 2011 in hedging losses, as the interest rate swaps hedging the repaid parts of the 2008 and 2010 Senior Facilities Agreements were no longer effective.

Furthermore, during 2013, we had interest rate swaps for a total notional of USD 6.4 billion and Treasury lock interest rate derivatives for a total amount of USD 1.0 billion in order to pre-hedge future bond issuances. These interest rate swaps and Treasury lock interest rate swaps were settled in 2013. As of 31 December 2013, there were no remaining pre-hedge position outstanding.

 

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Please refer to note 29 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments.”

Our borrowings are linked to different interest rates, both variable and fixed. As of 31 December 2013, after certain hedging and fair value adjustments, USD 4.4 billion, or 8.9%, of our interest-bearing financial liabilities (which include loans, borrowings and bank overdrafts) bore a variable interest rate, while USD 44.7 billion, or 91.1%, bore a fixed interest rate. Our net debt is denominated in various currencies, though primarily in the U.S. dollar, the euro, the Brazilian real, the pound sterling and the Canadian dollar. Our policy is to proactively address and manage the relationship between our various borrowing currency liabilities and our functional currency cash flows, through long-term or short-term borrowing arrangements, either directly in their functional currencies or indirectly through hedging arrangements.

The currency of borrowing is driven by various factors in the different countries of operation, including a need to hedge against functional currency inflation, currency convertibility constraints, or restrictions imposed by exchange control or other regulations. In accordance with our policy aimed at achieving an optimal balance between cost of funding and volatility of financial results, we seek to proactively address and manage the relationship between borrowing liabilities and functional currency cash flow, and we may enter into certain financial instruments in order to mitigate currency risk. We have also entered into certain financial instruments in order to mitigate interest rate risks. For further details on our approach to hedging foreign currency and interest rate risk, please refer to note 29 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, and “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments.”

We use a hybrid currency matching model pursuant to which we may (i) match net debt currency exposure to cash flows in such currency, measured on the basis of EBITDA, as defined, adjusted for exceptional items, by swapping a significant portion of U.S. dollar debt to other currencies, such as Brazilian real (with a higher coupon), although this would negatively impact our profit and earnings due to the higher Brazilian real interest coupon, and (ii) use U.S. dollar cash flows to service interest payments under our debt obligations. Please refer to note 29 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, and “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments—Foreign Currency Risk” for further details of our hedging arrangements. For our definition of EBITDA, as defined, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—E. Results of Operations—Year Ended 31 December 2013 Compared to the Year Ended 31 December 2012—EBITDA, as defined.”

We were in compliance with all our debt covenants as of 31 December 2013. The 2012 and 2010 Senior Facility Agreements do not include restrictive financial covenants. For further details regarding our total current and non-current liabilities, please refer to note 24 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

The following table sets forth the level of our current and non-current interest-bearing loans and borrowings as of 31 December 2013 and 2012:

 

     Year ended 31 December (audited)  
     2013      2012  
     (USD million)  

Secured bank loans

     286         151   

Commercial papers

     2,065         2,088   

Unsecured bank loans

     694         1,040   

Unsecured bond issues

     45,853         40,828   

Secured other loans

     —           5   

Unsecured other loans

     87         88   

Finance lease liabilities

     135         141   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     49,120         44,341   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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The following table sets forth the contractual maturities of our interest-bearing liabilities as of 31 December 2013:

 

     Carrying
Amount (1)
     Less than
1  year
     1 - 2 years      2 - 3 years      3 - 5 years      More than
5 years
 
            (USD million)  

Secured bank loans

     286         94         81         46         30         35   

Commercial papers

     2,065         2,065         —           —           —           —     

Unsecured bank loans

     694         345         170         142         37         —     

Unsecured bond issues

     45,853         5,327         4,587         2,465         8,677         24,797   

Unsecured other loans

     87         12         22         15         10         28   

Finance lease liabilities

     135         3         3         4         7         118   

Total

     49,120         7,846         4,863         2,672         8,761         24,978   

 

Notes:

 

(1) “Carrying Amounts” refers to net book value as recognized on the balance sheet at 31 December 2013.

Please refer to note 29 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for a description of the currencies of our financial liabilities and a description of the financial instruments we use to hedge our liabilities.

Credit Rating

As of 31 December 2013, our credit rating from Standard & Poor’s was A for long-term obligations and A-1 for short-term obligations, with a stable outlook, and our credit rating from Moody’s Investors Service was A3 for long-term obligations and P-2 for short-term obligations, with a positive outlook. On 20 March 2014, our credit rating from Moody’s Investors Service was upgraded to A2 for long-term obligations and P-1 for short-term obligations, with a positive outlook. Credit ratings may be changed, suspended or withdrawn at any time and are not a recommendation to buy, hold or sell any of our or our subsidiaries’ securities. Any change in our credit ratings could have a significant impact on the cost of debt capital to us and/or our ability to raise capital in the debt markets.

Capital Expenditures

We spent USD 3,612 million during 2013 on acquiring capital assets (net of proceeds from the sale of property, plant, equipment and intangible assets). The increase compared to 2012 is mainly explained by the combination with Grupo Modelo. Out of the total capital expenditures of 2013, approximately 57% was used to improve our production facilities while 34% was used for logistics and commercial investments. Approximately 9% was used for improving administrative capabilities and purchase of hardware and software. Our capital expenditures are primarily funded through cash from operating activities.

We spent USD 3,089 million during 2012 on acquiring capital assets (net of proceeds from the sale of property, plant, equipment and intangible assets). The decrease compared to 2011 was primarily related to currency devaluation in Brazil, translating into lower investments in U.S. dollars. Out of the total capital expenditures of 2012 approximately 56% was used to improve our production facilities, while 35% was used for logistics and commercial investments. Approximately 9% was used for improving administrative capabilities and purchase of hardware and software.

We spent USD 3,256 million during 2011 on acquiring capital assets (net of proceeds from the sale of property, plant, equipment and intangible assets). The increase in comparison with 2010 primarily relates to investments in capacity expansion in Brazil and China in order to meet demand in these growth markets. Of our total capital expenditures in 2011, approximately 57% was used to improve our production facilities while 33% was used for logistics and commercial investments. Approximately 10% was used for improving administrative capabilities and purchase of hardware and software.

 

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Research and Development

In 2013, we spent USD 185 million (USD 182 million in 2012 and USD 175 million in 2011) on research and development at our Belgian R&D center and across our zones. Part of this was spent in the area of market research, but the majority is related to innovation in the areas of process optimization and product development. For further information, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—10. Intellectual Property; Research and Development—Research and Development.”

Investments and Disposals

On 11 May 2012, we announced that Ambev and E. León Jimenes S.A. (“ ELJ ”), which owned 83.5% of CND, entered into a transaction to form a strategic alliance to create the leading beverage company in the Caribbean through the combination of their businesses in the region. Ambev’s initial indirect interest in CND was acquired through a cash payment of USD 1.0 billion and the contribution of Ambev Dominicana. Separately, Ambev Brazil acquired an additional stake in CND of 9.3%, which was owned by Heineken N.V., for USD 237 million at the closing date. During 2012 and 2013, as part of the same transaction, Ambev acquired an additional stake from other minority holders. As of 31 December 2013, Ambev owned a total indirect interest of approximately 55.0% in CND.

On 27 April 2013, we completed a transaction to acquire four breweries in China with a total capacity of approximately 9 million hectoliters. The aggregate purchase price was approximately USD 439 million.

On 4 June 2013 we announced the completion of our combination with Grupo Modelo. The combination was a natural next step given our economic stake of more than 50% in Grupo Modelo prior to the transaction and the successful long-term partnership between the two companies. The combination was completed through a series of steps that simplified Grupo Modelo’s corporate structure, followed by an all-cash tender offer for all outstanding Grupo Modelo shares that we did not own at that time for USD 9.15 per share. By 4 June 2013 and following the settlement of the tender offer, we owned approximately 95% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares. We established and funded a trust to accept further tender of shares by Grupo Modelo shareholders at a price of USD 9.15 per share over a period of up to 25 months from the completion of the combination. On 7 June 2013, in a transaction related to the combination, Grupo Modelo completed the sale of its business in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam to Constellation Brands, Inc. for approximately USD 4.75 billion, in aggregate, subject to a post-closing adjustment, which will be paid by Constellation Brands, Inc. no later than 7 June 2014. The post-closing adjustment is approximately USD 558 million. In a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo, select Grupo Modelo shareholders purchased a deferred share entitlement to acquire the equivalent of approximately 23.1 million AB InBev shares, to be delivered within five years, for consideration of approximately USD 1.5 billion. This investment occurred on 5 June 2013. As of 31 December 2013, we owned approximately 96% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares. Please refer to note 6 of our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013. During 2013, we acquired different distributors in Brazil and in the United States for a total consideration of USD 96 million.

On 20 January 2014, we announced an agreement whereby we will reacquire Oriental Brewery, the leading brewer in South Korea, from KKR and Affinity Equity Partners. The enterprise value for the transaction is USD 5.8 billion. As a result of an agreement entered into with KKR and Affinity Equity Partners in 2009, we will receive approximately USD 320 million in cash at closing from this transaction, subject to closing adjustments according to the terms of the transaction. This agreement returns Oriental Brewery to our portfolio after we sold the company in July 2009, following the combination of InBev and Anheuser-Busch in support of the company’s deleveraging target. We will reacquire Oriental Brewery earlier than July 2014, as we were originally entitled to do under the terms of the 2009 transaction. The closing of this transaction is subject to regulatory approval in South Korea as well as other customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the first half of 2014.

 

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Net Debt and Equity

We define net debt as non-current and current interest-bearing loans and borrowings and bank overdrafts minus debt securities and cash. Net debt is a financial performance indicator that is used by our management to highlight changes in our overall liquidity position. We believe that net debt is meaningful for investors as it is one of the primary measures our management uses when evaluating our progress towards deleveraging.

The following table provides a reconciliation of our net debt to the sum of current and non-current interest bearing loans and borrowings as of the dates indicated:

 

     31 December (audited)  
     2013     2012  
     (USD million)  

Non-current interest bearing loans and borrowings

     41,274        38,951   

Current interest bearing loans and borrowings

     7,846        5,390   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     49,120        44,341   

Bank overdrafts

     6        —     

Cash and cash equivalents

     (9,839     (7,051

Interest-bearing loans granted (included within Trade and other receivables)

     (310     (324

Debt securities (included within Investment securities) (1)

     (146     (6,852
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total net debt

     38,831        30,114   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) See note 24 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

Net debt as of 31 December 2013 was USD 38.8 billion, an increase of USD 8.7 billion as compared to 31 December 2012. Apart from operating results net of capital expenditures, the net debt is mainly impacted by the payment associated with the Modelo combination net of the cash acquired and the proceeds from the sales to Constellation Brands, Inc. (USD 13.0 billion), the proceeds from the deferred share instruments (USD 1.5 billion), dividend payments to shareholders of AB InBev and Ambev (USD 6.3 billion), the payment of interests and taxes (USD 4.2 billion) and the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates (USD 606 million increase of net debt). See note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 included in this Form 20-F.

Net debt as of 31 December 2012 was USD 30.1 billion, a reduction of USD 4.6 billion as compared to 31 December 2011. Apart from operating results net of capital expenditures, our net debt was mainly impacted by dividend payments to our shareholders and to Ambev shareholders (USD 3.6 billion), the payment of interest and taxes (USD 3.7 billion), the payment associated with the strategic alliance with CND (USD 1.3 billion), and the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates (USD 494 million increase of net debt).

Consolidated equity attributable to equity holders of AB InBev as at 31 December 2013 was USD 50,365 million, compared to USD 41,154* 1 million as at 31 December 2012. The combined effect of the weakening of mainly the closing rates of the Brazilian real, the Argentinean peso, the Mexican peso and the Russian ruble and the strengthening of mainly the closing rates of the euro, the pound sterling and the Chinese yuan resulted in a negative foreign exchange translation adjustment of USD 3,109 million.

Consolidated equity attributable to our equity holders as of 31 December 2012 was USD 41,154* 1  million, compared to USD 37,504* 1  million at the end of 2011. The combined effect of the weakening of mainly the closing rates of the Brazilian real and the Argentinean peso and the strengthening of mainly the closing rates of the euro, the pound sterling, the Mexican peso, the Russian ruble and the Chinese yuan resulted in a negative foreign exchange translation adjustment of USD 271 million.

 

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Further details on equity movements can be found in our consolidated statement of changes in equity to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended, 31 December 2013.

See “—Borrowings” above for details of long-term debt we entered into during 2013.

H. CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND CONTINGENCIES

Contractual Obligations

The following table reflects certain of our contractual obligations, and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods, as of 31 December 2013:

 

                   Payment Due By Period  

Contractual Obligations

   Contractual
cash  flows (2)
     Less than
1 year
     1-2 years      2-3 years      3-5 years      More than
5 years
 
            (USD million)  

Secured bank loans

     312         104         86         50         34         38   

Commercial papers

     2,066         2,066         —           —           —           —     

Unsecured bank loans

     774         374         206         156         38         —     

Unsecured bond issues

     65,215         6,590         6,391         4,138         11,758         36,338   

Unsecured other loans

     160         20         27         19         16         78   

Finance lease liabilities

     256         14         13         14         28         187   

Bank overdraft

     6         6         —           —           —           —     

Operating lease liabilities

     1,210         136         109         84         130         751   

Purchase commitments

     10,321         4,449         2,420         1,700         1,730         22   

Trade and other payables

     19,121         15,841         1,806         271         260         943   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total (1)

     99,441         29,600         11,058         6,432         13,994         38,357   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Notes:

 

(1) “Total” amounts refer to non-derivative financial liabilities including interest payments.
(2) The loan and bond issue contractual cash flow amounts presented above differ from the carrying amounts for these items in our financial statements in that they include our best estimates of future interest payable (not yet accrued) in order to better reflect our future cash flow position.

Please refer to “—Item G. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Funding Sources—Borrowings” for further information regarding our short-term borrowings and long-term debt.

Please refer to note 29 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013, and in particular to the discussions therein on “Liquidity Risk,” for more information regarding the maturity of our contractual obligations, including interest payments and derivative financial assets and liabilities.

Please refer to note 30 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for more information regarding our operating lease obligations.

Information regarding our pension commitments and funding arrangements is described in our Significant Accounting Policies and in note 25 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013. The level of contributions to funded pension plans is determined according to the relevant legislation in each jurisdiction in which we operate. In some countries there are statutory minimum funding requirements while in others we have developed our own policies, sometimes in agreement with the local trustee bodies. The size and timing of contributions will usually depend upon the performance of investment markets. Depending on the country and plan in question, the funding level will be monitored periodically and the contribution amount amended appropriately. Consequently, it is not possible to predict with any certainty the amounts that might become payable from 2014 onwards. In 2013, our employer

 

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contributions to defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans amounted to USD 441 million. Contributions to defined benefit pension plans for 2014 are estimated to be approximately USD 270 million for our funded defined benefit plans, and USD 84 million in benefit payments to our unfunded defined benefit plans and post-retirement medical plans. Please refer to note 25 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for further information on our employee benefit obligations.

Collateral and Contractual Commitments

The following table reflects our collateral and contractual commitments for the acquisition of property, plant and equipment, loans to customers and other commitments, as of 31 December 2013 and 2012:

 

     Year ended 31 December
(audited)
 
     2013      2012  
     (USD million)  

Collateral given for own liabilities

     559         628   

Collateral and financial guarantees received for own receivables and loans to customers

     57         36   

Contractual commitments to purchase property, plant and equipment

     591         415   

Contractual commitments to acquire loans to customers

     26         23   

Other commitments

     1,021         867   

As at 31 December 2013, the following M&A related commitments existed with respect to the combination with Grupo Modelo:

 

   

In a transaction related to the combination of AB InBev and Grupo Modelo select Grupo Modelo shareholders purchased a deferred share entitlement to acquire the equivalent of approximately 23.1 million AB InBev shares, to be delivered within five years, for consideration of approximately USD 1.5 billion. This investment occurred on 5 June 2013. Pending the delivery of the AB InBev shares, we will pay a coupon on each undelivered AB InBev share, pursuant to the terms of the deferred share instrument, so that the deferred share instrument holders are compensated on an after tax basis, for the dividends they would have received had the AB InBev shares been delivered to them prior to the record date for such dividend.

 

   

On 7 June 2013, in a transaction related to the Grupo Modelo Combination, AB InBev and Constellation Brands, Inc. have entered into a three-year transition services agreement by virtue of which Grupo Modelo or its affiliates will provide certain transition services to Constellation Brands, Inc. to ensure a smooth operational transition of the Piedras Negras brewery. AB InBev and Constellation Brands, Inc. have also entered into a temporary supply agreement for an initial three-year term, whereby Constellation Brands, Inc. can purchase inventory from Grupo Modelo or its affiliates under a specified pricing while the Piedras Negras brewery business acquires the necessary capacity to fulfill 100 percent of the US demand.

Please refer to note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for more information regarding collateral and contractual commitments for the acquisition of property, plant and equipment, loans to customers and other.

Contingencies

We are subject to various contingencies with respect to tax, labor, distributors and other claims. Due to their nature, such legal proceedings and tax matters involve inherent uncertainties including, but not limited to, court rulings, negotiations between affected parties and governmental actions. To the extent that we believe these contingencies will probably be realized, a provision has been recorded in our balance sheet.

To the extent that we believe that the realization of a contingency is possible (but not probable) and is above certain materiality thresholds, we have disclosed those items in note 32 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

 

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I. OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a material current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors. Please refer to “—H. Contractual Obligations and Contingencies—Collateral and Contractual Commitments” for a description of certain collateral and contractual commitments to which we are subject. Please also refer to note 31 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

We intend to enter into stock lending arrangements for up to 20 million of our ordinary shares, in the medium term, in order to fulfill our commitments under the various outstanding stock option plans.

J. OUTLOOK AND TREND INFORMATION

In terms of the volume outlook for 2014, we expect United States industry volumes to be marginally down, with a stronger economy being partly offset by challenging winter weather in the first quarter of 2014. We expect the Mexican beer industry to return to growth, driven by stronger economic growth than in 2013, as well as our own commercial programs. We expect Brazil beer industry volumes to grow by low to mid single digits, helped by the 2014 FIFA World Cup. We expect a year of solid industry volume growth in China.

We expect revenue per hectoliter to grow organically in line with inflation, on a constant geographic basis, as a result of continued improvement in mix and revenue management initiatives.

We expect cost of sales per hectoliter to increase organically by low single digits, on a constant geographic basis, driven by mix and unfavorable foreign exchange transactional impact (primarily with regards to the Brazilian real and the U.S. dollar), partly offset by favorable global commodity costs, procurement savings and efficiency gains.

We expect distribution expenses per hectoliter to increase organically by low single digits.

We expect a low teens percentage increase in our sales and marketing investments as we continue to drive top-line performance by investing behind our brands. This increase includes investment behind our innovations, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the scaling up of proven trade marketing programs. We expect the increase in sales & marketing expenses to be weighted towards the first half of the year.

We expect the average coupon on net debt to be in the range of 4.3% to 4.8%. Net pension interest expense and accretion expenses are expected to be approximately USD 40 million and USD 75 million per quarter, respectively. Other financial results will continue to be impacted by gains and losses related to the hedging of our share-based payment programs.

Our guidance for net capital expenditure in 2014 is approximately USD 4.0 billion, with the increase being driven mainly by consumer and commercial investments linked to our strong innovation pipeline and market programs.

We expect to reach our optimal capital structure of a net debt to EBITDA, as defined (adjusted for exceptional items) ratio of approximately 2.0x in the medium term, although we are prepared to exceed this level as and when appropriate M&A opportunities arise. Approximately one third of our gross debt is denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, principally the Euro.

 

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ITEM 6. DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES

A. DIRECTORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Administrative, Management, Supervisory Bodies and Senior Management Structure

Our management structure is a “one-tier” governance structure composed of our Board, a Chief Executive Officer responsible for our day-to-day management and an executive board of management chaired by our Chief Executive Officer. Since 1 January 2011, our Board is assisted by four main committees: the Audit Committee, the Finance Committee, the Remuneration Committee and the Nomination Committee. See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—C. Board Practices—Information about Our Committees.”

Board of Directors

Role and Responsibilities, Composition, Structure and Organization

The role and responsibilities of our Board, its composition, structure and organization are described in detail in our corporate governance charter (“ Corporate Governance Charter ”), which is available on our website: http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/corporate_ governance/corporate_governance_charter.

Our Board may be composed of a maximum of 14 members. There are currently 11 directors, all of whom are non-executives. The renewal of Mr. Storm’s mandate for an additional period of one year was approved by the shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting on 24 April 2013. Further to the completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo S.A.B. de CV on 4 June 2013, it was announced that María Asuncion Aramburuzabala and Valentín Diez Morodo will join our Board as non-executive, non-independent directors, subject to the approval of the shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014.

Pursuant to a shareholders’ agreement in which certain of our key shareholders agree to hold certain of their interests in us through Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev, a foundation organized under the laws of the Netherlands (the “ Stichting ”), the holder of the class A Stichting certificates and the holder of the class B Stichting certificates each have the right to nominate four of our directors (see “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—A. Major Shareholders”). The Stichting board of directors (which consists of eight directors, four of whom are appointed by the holder of the class A certificates, and four of whom are appointed by the holder of the class B certificates) may nominate four to six directors to our Board who are independent of shareholders, based on recommendations of our Nomination Committee.

As a consequence, our Board is currently composed of four members nominated by Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A. (which represents Interbrew’s founding Belgian families and holds the class A Stichting certificates), four members nominated by BRC S.à.R.L. (which represents the Brazilian families that were previously the controlling shareholders of Ambev and holds the class B Stichting certificates) and three independent directors. The independent directors are recommended by our Nomination Committee, nominated by the Stichting board and subsequently elected at our shareholders’ meeting (at which the Stichting, together with its related parties, has the majority of the votes). Directors are appointed for a maximum term of four years. The upper age limit for the directors is 70, although exceptions can be made in special circumstances.

Independent directors on our Board are required to meet the following requirements of independence pursuant to our current Corporate Governance Charter. Such requirements are derived from but not fully identical to the requirements of Belgian company law (when legally required, we shall apply the criteria of independence provided by Belgian company law). Based on the provisions of the Belgian Corporate Governance Code of March 2009 and the Belgian Company Code, the requirements of independence contained in our Corporate Governance Charter are the following:

 

   

the director is not an executive or managing director of us or an associated company, and has not been in such a position for the previous five years;

 

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the director has not served for more than three successive terms as a non-executive director on our board, or for a total term of more than 12 years;

 

   

the director is not an employee of us or an associated company and has not been in such a position for the previous three years;

 

   

the director does not receive significant additional remuneration or benefits from us or an associated company apart from a fee received as non-executive director;

 

   

the director is not the representative of a controlling shareholder or a shareholder with a shareholding of more than 10%, or a director or executive officer of such a shareholder;

 

   

the director does not have or has not had within the financial reported year, a significant business relationship with us or an associated company, either directly or as a partner, shareholder, director or senior employee of a body that has such a relationship;

 

   

the director is not or has not been within the last three years, a partner or an employee of our external auditor or the external auditor of an associated company; and

 

   

the director is not a close family member of an executive or managing director or of persons in the situations described above.

When an independent director has served on the Board for three terms, any proposal to renew his mandate as independent director must expressly indicate why the Board considers that his independence as a director is preserved.

Independent directors on our Board who serve on our Audit Committee are also required to meet the criteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act of 1934.

The appointment and renewal of all of our directors is based on a recommendation of the Nomination Committee, and is subject to approval by our shareholders’ meeting.

Our Board is our ultimate decision-making body, except for the powers reserved to our shareholders’ meeting by law, or as specified in the articles of association.

Our Board meets as frequently as our interests require. In addition, special meetings of our Board may be called and held at any time upon the call of either the chairman of our Board or at least two directors. Board meetings are based on a detailed agenda specifying the topics for decision and those for information. Board decisions are made by a simple majority of the votes cast.

 

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The composition of our Board is currently as follows:

 

Name    Principal
function
  

Nature of

directorship

   Initially
appointed
   Term
expires
Paul Cornet de Ways Ruart    Director    Non-executive,
nominated by the
holders of class A
Stichting certificates
   2011    2015
Stéfan Descheemaeker    Director    Non-executive,
nominated by the
holders of class A
Stichting certificates
   2008    2015
Olivier Goudet    Independent
director
   Non-executive    2011    2015
Jorge Paulo Lemann    Director    Non-executive,
nominated by the
holders of class B
Stichting certificates
   2004    2014
Grégoire de Spoelberch    Director    Non-executive,
nominated by the
holders of class A
Stichting certificates
   2007    2014
Kees Storm    Independent
director
   Non-executive    2002    2014
Marcel Herrmann Telles    Director    Non-executive,
nominated by the
holders of class B
Stichting certificates
   2004    2014
Roberto Moses Thompson Motta    Director    Non-executive,
nominated by the
holders of class B
Stichting certificates
   2004    2014
Alexandre Van Damme    Director    Non-executive,
nominated by
the holders of class A
Stichting certificates
   1992    2014

 

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Name    Principal
function
  

Nature of

directorship

   Initially
appointed
   Term
expires
Carlos Alberto Sicupira    Director    Non-executive,
nominated by
the holders of class B
Stichting certificates
   2004    2014
Mark Winkelman    Independent
director
   Non-executive    2004    2014

The mandates of Alexandre Van Damme, Grégoire de Spoelberch, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Roberto Moses Thompson Motta, Marcel Herrmann Telles, Carlos Alberto Sicupira, Kees Storm and Mark Winkelman will come to an end immediately after the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014. Their mandates are renewable. The proposal of our Board to the shareholders regarding the renewal of these directors, the appointment of any successor or any new additional director will be based on a recommendation of the Nomination Committee and disclosed in the convening notice for the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014. Further to the completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo S.A.B. de CV on 4 June 2013, the appointment of María Asuncion Aramburuzabala and Valentín Diez Morodo as non-executive, non-independent directors for a period of 4 years will be submitted to the shareholders for approval at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014.

The business address for all of our directors is: Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Mr. Cornet de Ways Ruart is a representative of the main shareholders (nominated by Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A., the holder of the class A Stichting certificates). Born in 1968, he is a Belgian citizen and holds a Master’s Degree as a Commercial Engineer from the Catholic University of Louvain and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has attended the Master Brewer program at the Catholic University of Louvain. From 2006 to 2011, he worked at Yahoo! and was in charge of Corporate Development for Europe before taking on additional responsibilities as Senior Financial Director for Audience and Chief of Staff. Prior to joining Yahoo!, Mr. Cornet was Director of Strategy for Orange UK and spent seven years with McKinsey & Company in London and Palo Alto, California. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of EPS, Rayvax, Adrien Invest, Upignac S.A., Floridienne S.A. and several privately held companies.

Mr. Descheemaeker is a representative of the main shareholders (nominated by Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A., the holder of the class A Stichting certificates). Born in 1960, he is a Belgian citizen and holds a Master’s Degree in Commercial Engineering from Solvay Business School. He began his professional career with the Belgian Ministry of Finance and then worked in an investment group until 1996, when he joined Interbrew as head of Strategy & External Growth, managing its M&A activities, culminating with the combination of Interbrew and Ambev. In 2004, he transitioned to operational management, in charge of Interbrew’s operations in the United States and Mexico, and then as InBev’s Zone President Central and Eastern Europe, and, eventually, Western Europe. In 2008, Mr. Descheemaeker ended his operational responsibilities at Anheuser-Busch InBev and joined our Board as a non-executive Director. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Delhaize Group in January 2009 and served as Chief Executive Officer of Delhaize Europe from January 2012 until October 2013. He is also a member of the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Foundation.

Mr. Goudet is an independent Board member. Born in 1964, he is a French citizen, holds a Degree in Engineering from l’Ecole Centrale de Paris and graduated from the ESSEC Business School in Paris with a major in Finance. Mr. Goudet is Partner and CEO of the Joh. A. Benckiser Group, a position he has held since June 2012. He started his professional career in 1990 at Mars, Inc., serving on the finance team of the French business. After six years, he left Mars to join the VALEO Group, where he held several senior executive positions. In 1998, Mr. Goudet returned to Mars, where he later became Chief Financial Officer in 2004. In 2008, his role was broadened and he was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In June 2012, he became an Advisor to the Board of Mars, Inc. In January 2013, Mr. Goudet became the Chairman of Peet’s Coffee & Tea Inc. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Coty Inc. and D.E. Master Blenders 1753.

 

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Mr. Lemann is a representative of the main shareholders (nominated by BRC S.à.R.L., the holder of the class B Stichting certificates). Born in Brazil in 1939, he received a Bachelor’s Degree from Harvard University in 1961. Mr. Lemann founded and was senior partner of Banco de Investimentos Garantia S.A. in Brazil from 1971 through June 1998, when it was sold to Credit Suisse First Boston. Until early 2005, he was a Director of The Gillette Company in Boston, Swiss Re in Zurich and of Lojas Americanas in São Paulo. He was also Chairman of the Latin American Advisory Committee of the NYSE. He is a co-founder and Board member of Fundação Estudar, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for Brazilians, and Endeavor, an international non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs in emerging markets. He has also supported educational institutions including Harvard and the University of Illinois with leadership and endowment gifts over the years.

Mr. de Spoelberch is a representative of the main shareholders (nominated by Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A., the holder of the class A Stichting certificates). Born in 1966, he is a Belgian citizen and holds an MBA from INSEAD. Mr. de Spoelberch is an active private equity shareholder and his recent activities include shared Chief Executive Officer responsibilities for Lunch Garden, the leading Belgian self-service restaurant chain. He is a member of the board of several family-owned companies, such as Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A., Verlinvest and Cobehold (Cobepa). He is also an administrator of the InBev Baillet-Latour Fund, a foundation that encourages social, cultural, artistic, technical, sporting, educational and philanthropic achievements.

Mr. Storm is an independent Board member and Chairman of our Board of Directors. Born in 1942, he is a Dutch citizen and received an MA in Business Economics from the University of Rotterdam in 1969. His first role after graduating was as an assistant accountant at Moret & Limperg. After six successful years there, he was appointed to the Executive Board of Kon Scholten-Honig in 1976. He was then a member of the Executive Board of AEGON, the life insurance group, where he subsequently took responsibility for regions including the USA, the Netherlands and Europe, becoming Chairman of the Executive Board in 1993 until his retirement in 2002. He is currently Chairman of the Supervisory Board of KLM, the airline carrier of the Netherlands, Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of PON Holdings, a member of the Supervisory Board of AEGON and a member of the Board of Directors of Baxter International (including member of the audit committee) and Unilever (Vice Chairman and Senior Independent Director). His interest in improving healthcare has also led him to active involvement with the Amsterdam Cancer Center and the Health Insurance Fund for Africa.

Mr. Telles is a representative of the main shareholders (nominated by BRC S.à.R.L., the holder of the class B Stichting certificates). Born in 1950, he is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Economics from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and attended the Owners/Presidents Management Program at Harvard Business School. He was Chief Executive Officer of Brahma and Ambev and has been a member of the Board of Directors of Ambev since 2000. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of H.J. Heinz Company and of the Board of associates of Insper. He is co-founder and Board member of Fundação Estudar, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for Brazilians; and a founder and Chairman of Ismart, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to low-income students. He is also an ambassador for Endeavor, an international non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs in emerging markets.

Mr. Thompson Motta is a representative of the main shareholders (nominated by BRC S.à.R.L., the holder of the class B Stichting certificates). Born in 1957, he is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. From 1993 to 2004, he was a managing partner of GP Investimentos, the largest private equity group in Brazil, and a Board member until 2010. Mr. Thompson Motta is also a Board member of Ambev S.A., Burger King Worldwide Holdings, Lojas Americanas; and São Carlos Empreendimentos e Participações S.A.

Mr. Van Damme is a representative of the main shareholders (nominated by Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A., the holder of the class A Stichting certificates). Born in 1962, he is a Belgian citizen and graduated from Solvay Business School, Brussels. Mr. Van Damme joined the beer industry early in his career and held various operational positions within Interbrew until 1991, including Head of Corporate Planning and Strategy. He has managed several private venture holding companies and is currently a director of Patri S.A. (Luxembourg), Burger King Worldwide Holdings and of Douwe Egberts Master Blenders 1753. He is also an administrator of the InBev Baillet-Latour Fund, a foundation that encourages social, cultural, artistic, technical, sporting, educational and philanthropic achievements.

 

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Mr. Sicupira is a representative of the main shareholders (nominated by BRC S.à.R.L., the holder of the class B Stichting certificates). Born in 1948, he is a Brazilian citizen and received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and attended the Owners/Presidents Management Program at Harvard Business School. He has been Chairman of Lojas Americanas since 1981, where he also served as Chief Executive Officer until 1992. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Burger King Worldwide Holdings; the Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors; and a co-founder and Board member of Fundação Estudar, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for Brazilians.

Mr. Winkelman is an independent Board member. Born in 1946, he is a citizen of the Netherlands and holds a Degree in Economics from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is a trustee and chairman of the Penn Medicine Board. He served as a Management Committee member of Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1988 to 1994, where he is now a Senior Director. Before joining Goldman, Sachs & Co. in 1978, he served at the World Bank for four years as a senior investment officer.

Ms. Aramburuzabala will become a non-executive, non-independent Board member subject to the approval of shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014. Born in 1963, she is a citizen of Mexico and holds a degree in Accounting from the ITAM. She has served as Chief Executive Officer of Tresalia Capital, S.A. de C.V. since 1996 and is the Chairwoman of Tresalia Capital, Kio Networks, Abilia and Red Universalia. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Grupo Modelo, Grupo Financiero Banamex, Banco Nacional de México, Médica Sur, Latin America Conservation Council, Calidad de Vida, Progreso y Desarrollo para la Ciudad de México, a non-executive director of Fresnillo PLC, and an Advisory Board member of the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) School of Business.

Mr. Diez will become a non-executive, non-independent Board member subject to the approval of shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014. Born in 1940, he is a citizen of Mexico. He holds a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Iberoamericana and participated in postgraduate courses at the University of Michigan. He is currently President of Grupo Nevadi International, Chairman of the Consejo Empresarial Mexicano de Comercio Exterior, Inversión y Tecnología, AC (COMCE) and Chairman of that organization’s Mexico-Spain Bilateral Committee. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Grupo Modelo, Vice President of Kimberly Clark de México, and Grupo Aeroméxico, He is member of the Board of Grupo Financiero Banamex, Acciones y Valores Banamex, Grupo Dine, Mexichem, OHL México, Zara México, Telefónica Móviles México, Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior, S.N.C. (Bancomext), ProMexico and the Instituto de Empresa, Madrid. He is member of the Consejo Mexicano de Hombres de Negocios and Chairman of the Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad, IMCO. He is Chairman of the Assembly of Associates of the Universidad Iberoamericana, and Founder and Chairman of the Diez Morodo Foundation, which encourages social, sporting, educational and philanthropic causes. Mr. Diez is also a member of the Board of the Museo Nacional de las Artes, MUNAL in Mexico and member of the International Trustees of the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.

General Information on the Directors

In relation to each of the members of our Board, we are not aware of (i) any convictions in relation to fraudulent offenses in the last five years, (ii) any bankruptcies, receiverships or liquidations of any entities in which such members held any offices, directorships, or partner or senior management positions in the last five years, or (iii) any official public incrimination and/or sanction of such members by statutory or regulatory authorities (including designated professional bodies), or disqualification by a court from acting as a member of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of an issuer or from acting in the management or conduct of the affairs of any issuer for at least the previous five years.

No member of our Board has a family relationship with any other member of our Board or any member of our executive board of management.

 

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Over the five years preceding the date of this Form 20-F, the members of our Board hold or have held the following main directorships (apart from directorships they have held with us and our subsidiaries) or memberships of administrative, management or supervisory bodies and/or partnerships:

 

Name    Current    Past
Paul Cornet    Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A., Rayvax Société d’Investissement S.A., Sebacoop SCRL, Adrien Invest SCRL, Floridienne S.A., Gourmet Food Collection S.A., Upignac S.A. and the Stichting    Sparflex
Stéfan Descheemaeker    Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A. and the Stichting    Delhaize Group
Olivier Goudet    Joh. A. Benckiser Group, Joh. A. Benckiser sàrl, Joh. A. Benckiser AdvisorCo LLC, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Inc., Mars Inc., Coty Inc., Douwe Egberts Master Blenders 1753 N.V. and Acorn Holdings B.V.    Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and the
Washington Performing Arts Society
Jorge Paulo Lemann    Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors, 3G Capital, Inc., Fundação Estudar, Fundação Lemann, the Stichting and Instituto Veris—IBMEC São Paulo    Lojas Americanas S.A., São Carlos
Empreendimentos e
Participações S.A., GP Investimentos,
The Gillette Company, Swiss Re,
DaimlerChrysler (International
Advisory Board), NYSE (Latin
American Advisory Board)
Grégoire de Spoelberch    Agemar S.A., Wernelin S.A., Fiprolux S.A., Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A., the Stichting, G.D.S. Consult, Cobehold, Compagnie Benelux Participations, Vervodev, Wesparc, Groupe Josi (1) , Financière Stockel (1) , Immobilière du Canal (1) , Verlinvest (1) , Midi Developpement (1) , Solferino Holding S.A., Navarin S.A., Zencar S.A., Clearvolt S.A. and Fonds InBev Baillet Latour    Atanor (1) , Amantelia (1) , Demeter
Finance, Lunch Garden Services
(1) ,
Lunch Garden
(1) , Lunch Garden
Management
(1) , Lunch Garden
Finance
(1) , Lunch Garden Concepts (1) ,
HEC Partners
(1) , Q.C.C. (1) , A.V.G.
Catering Equipment
(1) , Immo Drijvers-
Stevens
(1) , Elpo-Cuisinex Wholesale (1)
Kees Storm    Unilever N.V., Unilever Plc, Baxter International Inc., Pon Holdings B.V., AEGON N.V.(until 21 May 2014) and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V (until 23 April 2014).    Royal Wessanen N.V. and Laurus N.V.
Marcel Herrmann Telles    3G Capital,Inc., H.J.Heinz Company, Instituto de Desenvolvimento Gerencial—INDG, Fundação Estudar, Instituto Social María Telles, the Stichting    Lojas Americanas S.A., São Carlos
Empreendimentos e
Participações S.A., Editora Abril S.A.
GP Investimentos and Instituto Veris—
IBMEC São Paulo, Burger King
Worldwide Holdings, Inc., Itau/
Unibanco International, Harvard
Business School’s Board of Dean’s
Advisors
Roberto Moses Thompson Motta    São Carlos Empreendimentos e Participações S.A., Lojas Americanas S.A., Burger King Worldwide Holdings, B2W Companhia Global do Varejo, 3G Capital, Inc., the Stichting and Ambev SA.    GP Investment Limited, Mcom Wireless
Ltda. and LPDS Participações S.A.

 

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Name    Current    Past
Alexandre Van Damme    Douwe Egberts Master Blenders 1753 N.V., Burger King Worldwide Holdings Inc., the Stichting and Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A.    UCB S.A.
Carlos Alberto Sicupira    Burger King Worldwide Holdings, Inc., Lojas Americanas S.A., 3G Capital, Inc., Instituto de Desenvolvimento Gerencial—INDG,    B2W Companhia Global do Varejo, São
Carlos Empreendimentos e
Participações S.A, Movimento Brasil
Competitivo—MBC, ALL América
Latina Logística S.A. and GP
Investimentos
Mark Winkelman    Goldman, Sachs & Co. and University of Pennsylvania    Select Reinsurance, Ltd. and J.C. Flowers
& Co.
María Asunción Aramburuzabala (subject to shareholder approval)    Tresalia Capital, Grupo Modelo, Kio Networks, Abilia, Red Universalia, Grupo Financiero Banamex, Banco Nacional de México, Fresnillo, plc, Médica Sur, Latin America Conservation Council, Calidad de Vida Progreso y Desarrollo para la Ciudad de México, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) School of Business    América Móvil, Artega Automobil,
Consejo Asesor para las Negociaciones
Comerciales Internacionales, Diblo,
Dirección de Fábricas, Empresas ICA,
Filantropía Modelo, Grupo Televisa,
Grupo Aeroméxico, Siemens, Tory
Burch, Compromiso Social por la
Calidad de la Educación
Valentín Diez (subject to shareholder approval)    Grupo Nevadi International, Grupo Modelo, Kimberly Clark de México, Grupo Aeroméxico, Grupo Financiero Banamex, Acciones y Valores Banamex, Grupo Dine, Mexichem, OHL México, Zara México, Telefónica Móviles México, Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior, S.N.C. –Bancomext-, ProMexico, Instituto de Empresa –Madrid-, Consejo Mexicano de Hombres de Negocios, Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad –IMCO-, Assembly of Associates of the Universidad Iberoamericana, and the Diez Morodo Foundation.    Grupo, Alfa, Aeroportuario del Sureste,
Grupo MVS Multivision

Note:

 

(1) As permanent representative.

 

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Chief Executive Officer and Senior Management

Role and Responsibilities, Composition, Structure and Organization

Our Chief Executive Officer is responsible for our day-to-day management. He has direct responsibility for our operations and oversees the organization and efficient day-to-day management of our subsidiaries, affiliates and joint ventures. Our Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the execution and management of the outcome of all of our Board decisions.

He is appointed and removed by our Board and reports directly to it.

Our Chief Executive Officer leads an executive board of management comprised of the Chief Executive Officer, eight global functional heads and six zone presidents. Further to the completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo S.A.B. de CV on 4 June 2013, Mexico became a separate business segment and geographic zone, and Ricardo Tadeu was appointed Zone President Mexico. Effective 1 January 2014, we have combined Western Europe and Central & Eastern Europe into one European Zone. As a result of this decision, Stuart MacFarlane, formerly Zone President Central & Eastern Europe, now leads the Europe Zone. Jo Van Biesbroeck, formerly Zone President Western Europe & Chief Strategy Officer, will continue to serve as our Chief Strategy Officer and leader of AB InBev International.

Also, effective 1 January 2014, Felipe Dutra, Chief Financial and Technology Officer, is assuming leadership of the Global IBS area in addition to his Finance responsibilities. Following this change, Claudio Garcia, formerly Chief People & Technology Officer, will focus on the People area, leading the team as we continue to build the best people pipeline globally.

Finally, effective 1 January 2014, Marcio Froes became Zone President Latin America South, succeeding Fransisco Sà, who left the company. Marcio Froes was formerly VP Supply for our Latin America North Zone.

The other members of the executive board of management work with our Chief Executive Officer to enable our Chief Executive Officer to properly perform his duties of daily management.

Although exceptions can be made in special circumstances, the upper age limit for the members of our executive board of management is 65, unless their employment contract provides otherwise.

Our executive board of management currently consists of the following members:

 

Name    Function

Carlos Brito

   Chief Executive Officer

Felipe Dutra

   Chief Financial and Technology Officer

Claudio Braz Ferro

   Chief Supply Officer

Miguel Patricio

   Chief Marketing Officer

Sabine Chalmers

   Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer

Claudio Garcia

   Chief People Officer

Tony Milikin

   Chief Procurement Officer

Bernardo Pinto Paiva

   Chief Sales Officer

Jo Van Biesbroeck

   Chief Strategy Officer

Michel Doukeris

   Zone President Asia Pacific

Stuart MacFarlane

   Zone President Europe

Francisco Sá (until 1 January 2014)

   Zone President Latin America South

Marcio Froes (as of 1 January 2014)

   Zone President Latin America South

João Castro Neves

   Zone President Latin America North

Luiz Fernando Edmond

   Zone President North America

Ricardo Tadeu

   Zone President Mexico

The business address for all of these executives is: Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Carlos Brito is our Chief Executive Officer. Born in 1960, he is a Brazilian citizen and received a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and an MBA from Stanford University.

 

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He held positions at Shell Oil and Daimler Benz prior to joining Ambev in 1989. At Ambev he had roles in Finance, Operations, and Sales, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer in January 2004. He was appointed Zone President North America at InBev in January 2005 and Chief Executive Officer in December 2005. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Ambev and Grupo Modelo.

Felipe Dutra is our Chief Financial and Technology Officer. Mr. Dutra has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Anheuser-Busch InBev since the combination with Anheuser-Busch in 2008 and became our Chief Financial and Technology Officer in 2014. He was previously the Chief Financial Officer of InBev since January 2005, following the merger between Ambev and Interbrew, and in 1999 was appointed Ambev’s Chief Financial Officer as result of the merger between Brahma and Antarctica. Mr. Dutra joined Brahma in 1990 from Aracruz Celulose, a major Brazilian manufacturer of pulp and paper. At Brahma, he held various positions in Treasury and Finance before being appointed General Manager of Brahma’s subsidiary, Fratelli Vita — taking up the challenge of turning around a business division and capturing opportunities in beverages other than beer and soft drinks. Born in 1965, Mr. Dutra is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Economics from Candido Mendes and an MBA in Controlling from Universidade de São Paulo. Mr. Dutra is also a member of the Board of Directors of Ambev and Grupo Modelo.

Claudio Braz Ferro is our Chief Supply Officer. Born in 1955, Mr. Ferro is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Industrial Chemistry from the Universidade Federal de Santa María, RS, and has studied Brewing Science at the Catholic University of Leuven. Mr. Ferro joined Ambev in 1977, where he held several key positions, including plant manager of the Skol brewery, Industrial Director of Brahma operations in Brazil and later VP Operations at Ambev in Latin America. Mr. Ferro also played a key role in structuring the supply organization when Brahma and Antarctica combined to form AmBev in 2000. He was appointed our Chief Supply Officer in January 2007.

Miguel Patricio is our Chief Marketing Officer. Born in 1966, he is a Portuguese citizen and holds a Degree in Business Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas in São Paulo. Prior to joining Ambev in 1998, Mr. Patricio held several senior positions across the Americas at Philip Morris, the Coca-Cola Company and Johnson & Johnson. At Ambev, he was Vice President Marketing, before being appointed Vice President Marketing of InBev’s North American Zone based in Toronto in January 2005. In January 2006 he was promoted to Zone President North America, and in January 2008, he moved to Shanghai to take on the role of Zone President Asia Pacific. He became our Chief Marketing Officer in July 2012.

Sabine Chalmers is our Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer and Secretary to the Board of Directors. Born in 1965, Ms. Chalmers is a U.S. citizen of German and Indian origin and holds an LL.B. from the London School of Economics. She is qualified as a solicitor in England and is a member of the New York State Bar. Ms. Chalmers joined us in January 2005 after over 12 years with Diageo plc where she held a number of senior legal positions in various geographies across Europe, the Americas and Asia including as General Counsel of the Latin American and North American businesses. Prior to Diageo, she was an associate at the law firm of Lovells in London, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Ms. Chalmers is a member of the Board of Directors of Grupo Modelo. She also serves on several professional councils and not-for-profit boards, including the Association of Corporate Counsel and Legal Momentum, the United States’ oldest legal defense and education fund dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls.

Claudio Garcia is our Chief People Officer. Born in 1968, he is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Economics from the Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro. Mr. Garcia joined Ambev as a management trainee in 1991 and thereafter held various positions in Finance and Operations before being appointed Information Technology and Shared Services Director in 2002. Mr. Garcia was appointed InBev’s Chief Information and Services Officer in January 2005 and its Chief People and Technology Officer in September 2006. To ensure a greater focus on building the best people pipeline globally, Mr. Garcia was appointed Chief People Officer in 2014 focusing on our People organization globally. This includes the Global Management Trainee Program, Global MBA recruitment, executive education, and training and engagement initiatives.

Tony Milikin is our Chief Procurement Officer. Born in 1961, he is a U.S. citizen and holds an undergraduate Finance Degree from the University of Florida and an MBA in Marketing from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. Milikin joined us in May 2009 from MeadWestvaco, where he was Vice President, Supply Chain and Chief Purchasing Officer, based in Richmond, Virginia, since 2004. Prior to joining MeadWestvaco, he held various purchasing and supply chain positions with increasing responsibilities at Monsanto and Alcon Laboratories.

 

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Bernardo Pinto Paiva is our Chief Sales Officer. Born in 1968, he is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Engineering from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and an Executive MBA from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro. Mr. Pinto Paiva joined Ambev in 1991 as a management trainee and during his career at our company has held leadership positions in Sales, Supply, Distribution and Finance. He was appointed Zone President North America in January 2008 and Zone President Latin America South in January 2009 before becoming Chief Sales Officer in January 2012.

Jo Van Biesbroeck is our Chief Strategy Officer. Born in 1956, Mr. Van Biesbroeck is a Belgian citizen and received a Degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Leuven. He joined Interbrew and held several positions in Controlling and Finance prior to becoming Senior Vice President Corporate Strategy in 2003. In January 2005, he was appointed Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer of InBev; and in May 2006, he took up the position of Chief Strategy and Sales Officer. In January 2010 he was appointed Zone President Western Europe and Chief Strategy Officer. Since 2010, he has also remained responsible for leading our export business. Mr. Van Biesbroeck was appointed to the fully dedicated position of Chief Strategy Officer in January 2014.

Michel Doukeris is our Zone President Asia Pacific. Born in 1973, he is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Chemical Engineering from Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil and a Master’s Degree in Marketing from Fundação Getulio Vargas, also in Brazil. He has also completed post-graduate programs in Marketing and Marketing Strategy from the Kellogg School of Management and Wharton Business School in the United States. Mr. Doukeris joined our company in 1996 and held sales positions of increasing responsibility before becoming Vice President Soft Drinks for our Latin America North Zone in 2008. He was appointed President, AB InBev China in January 2010 and currently serves as Zone President Asia Pacific, a position he has held since January 2013.

Stuart MacFarlane is our Zone President Europe. Born in 1967, he is a citizen of the UK and received a Degree in Business Studies from Sheffield University in the UK. He is also a qualified Chartered Management Accountant. He joined our company in 1992 and since then has held senior roles in Finance, Marketing, Sales and was Managing Director for our company’s business in Ireland. Mr. MacFarlane was appointed President of AB InBev UK & Ireland in January 2008, and in January 2012, became our Zone President Central & Eastern Europe. In January 2014 he was appointed as Zone President Europe to lead our new single European Zone.

Francisco Sá was our Zone President Latin America South until 31 December 2013. Born in 1965, he is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Civil Engineering from Universidade Federal da Bahia and an MBA from University of California, Berkeley. He was President of Refrigerantes da Bahia S/A (Coca Bottling Company) for seven years prior to joining Ambev in 1998. He has also held several roles including Direct Distribution Manager, Regional Sales Director and VP Soft Drinks for the Latin America North Zone. Mr. Sá was appointed Zone President Central & Eastern Europe in January 2008 and Zone President Latin America South in January 2012. He left the company effective January 2014.

Marcio Froes is our Zone President, Latin America South. Born in 1968, he is a Brazilian citizen and received a Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and a Masters Degree in Brewing from the University of Madrid, Spain, in Industrial Technology. He joined Ambev in 1993 as a Management Trainee and has held roles in Supply, People and Sales, before being appointed Vice President People for our Canadian business in 2006. In Canada, he also served as Vice President Supply and Sales prior to being appointed Business Unit President from 2008 to 2009. Most recently, he was Vice President, Supply in Latin America North and was appointed Zone President Latin America South in January 2014.

João Castro Neves is our Zone President Latin America North and Ambev’s Chief Executive Officer. Born in 1967, Mr. Castro Neves is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Engineering from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro and an MBA from the University of Illinois. He joined Ambev in 1996 and has held positions in various departments such as Mergers and Acquisitions, Treasury, Investor Relations, Business Development, Technology and Shared Services. He was Ambev’s Chief Financial Officer and Investor Relations Officer before being appointed Zone President Latin America South in January 2007. He took on his current role in January 2009.

 

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Luiz Fernando Edmond is our Zone President North America and Chief Executive Officer of Anheuser-Busch. Born in 1966, he is a Brazilian citizen and holds a Degree in Production Engineering from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.Mr. Edmond joined Brahma, which later became Ambev, in 1990 as part of its first Management Trainee Program. At Ambev, he held various positions in the commercial, supply and distribution areas. He was appointed Zone President Latin America North and Ambev’s Chief Executive Officer in January 2005 and has held his current position since November 2008. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of Ambev; is Vice Chair of the Beer Institute, a national association of the brewing industry; and a member of Civic Progress, an organization of St. Louis leaders working to improve community and business life in the region.

Ricardo Tadeu is our Zone President Mexico. Born in 1976, he is a Brazilian citizen, and received a Law Degree from the Universidade Cândido Mendes in Brazil and a Master of Law from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He joined AB InBev in 1995 and has held various roles across the Commercial area. He was appointed Business Unit President for our operations in Hispanic Latin America in 2005, and served as Business Unit President, Brazil from 2008 to 2012.

General Information on the Members of the Executive Board of Management

In relation to each of the members of the executive board of management, other than as set out below, we are not aware of (i) any convictions in relation to fraudulent offenses in the last five years, (ii) any bankruptcies, receiverships or liquidations of any entities in which such members held any office, directorships, or partner or senior management positions in the last five years, or (iii) any official public incrimination and/or sanctions of such members by statutory or regulatory authorities (including designated professional bodies), or disqualification by a court from acting as a member of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of an issuer or from acting in the management or conduct of the affairs of any issuer for at least the previous five years.

No member of our executive board of management has any conflicts of interests between any duties he/she owes to us and any private interests and/or other duties.

No member of our executive board of management has a family relationship with any director or member of executive management.

Over the five years preceding the date of this Form 20-F, the members of the executive board of management have held the following main directorships (apart from directorships they have held with us and our subsidiaries) or memberships of administrative, management or supervisory bodies and/or partnerships:

 

Name    Current    Past

Carlos Brito

  

Director of Fundação

Antonio e Helena

Zerrenner

  

Felipe Dutra

     

Claudio Braz Ferro

     

Miguel Patricio

     

Sabine Chalmers

  

Director of the

Association of Corporate

Counsel (ACC), Legal

Momentum

  

Claudio Garcia

   Lojas Americanas   

 

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Name    Current    Past

Tony Milikin

      Director of the Institute of Supply Management and Director of Supply Chain Council

Bernardo Pinto Paiva

     

Jo Van Biesbroeck

   Director of Inno.com NV   

Michel Doukeris

     

Stuart MacFarlane

     

Francisco Sá

     

João Castro Neves

   Fundaçao Antonio e Helena Zerrenner   

Ricardo Tadeu

     

Marcio Froes

     

Luiz Fernando Edmond

     

B. COMPENSATION

Introduction

Our compensation system has been designed and approved to help motivate high performance. The goal is to deliver market-leading compensation, driven by both company and individual performance, and alignment with shareholders’ interests by encouraging ownership of our shares. Our focus is on annual and long-term variable pay, rather than on base salary or fees.

Share-Based Payment Plans

We currently have three primary share-based payment plans, namely our long-term incentive warrant plan (“ LTI Warrant Plan ”), established in 1999, our share-based compensation plan (“ Share-Based Compensation Plan ”), established in 2006 (and amended as from 2010) and our long-term incentive stock option plan (“ LTI Stock Option Plan ”), established in 2009.

In addition, from time to time, we make exceptional grants to our employees and employees of our subsidiaries or grants of shares or options under plans established by us or by certain of our subsidiaries.

LTI Warrant Plan

Since 1999, we have regularly issued warrants ( droits de souscription/warrants , or rights to subscribe for newly-issued shares) under our LTI Warrant Plan for the benefit of our directors and, until 2006, for the benefit of members of our executive board of management and other senior employees. Since 2007, members of our executive board of management and other employees are no longer eligible to receive warrants under the LTI Warrant Plan, but instead receive a portion of their compensation in the form of shares and options granted under our Share-Based Compensation Plan and LTI Stock-Option Plan. See “—Share-Based Compensation Plan” and “—LTI Stock-Option Plan” below. Only our directors continue to be eligible to receive a portion of their compensation in the form of LTI warrants. Such grants are made annually at our shareholders’ meeting on a discretionary basis upon recommendation of our Remuneration Committee. See “—C. Board Practices—Information about Our Committees—The Remuneration Committee.”

Each LTI warrant gives its holder the right to subscribe for one newly-issued share. Shares subscribed for upon the exercise of LTI warrants are ordinary registered Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV shares. Holders of such shares have the same rights as any other registered shareholder. The exercise price of LTI warrants is equal to the average price of our shares on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels during the 30 days preceding their issue date. LTI warrants granted in the years prior to 2007 (except for 2003) have a duration of ten years. From 2007 onwards (and in 2003) LTI warrants have a duration of five years. LTI warrants are subject to a vesting period ranging from one to three years. Except as a result of the death of the holder, LTI warrants may not be transferred.

 

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Forfeiture of a warrant occurs in certain circumstances when the holder leaves our employment. Subject to the approval of the shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014, future grants to our directors will consist of LTI stock options instead of LTI warrants, i.e. the right to purchase existing shares instead of the right to subscribe to newly-issued shares. All other terms and conditions of the LTI Warrant Plan will remain unchanged.

Subject to the approval of the shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014, existing grants to our directors will be converted into LTI stock options, i.e. the right to purchase existing ordinary shares of the Company instead of the right to subscribe to newly-issued ordinary shares. All other terms and conditions of the existing grants under the LTI Warrant Plan will remain unchanged.

The Remuneration Committee will also recommend for approval of the shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014, the following changes to the LTI Plan for our directors in order to align future grants to the features of the LTI Stock Option Plan for executives:

 

   

Future grants will be offered in the form of stock options on existing shares, instead of warrants. Hence, upon exercise, each LTI stock option will entitle the holder to one existing ordinary share;

 

   

An exercise price that is set equal to the market price of our share at the time of granting;

 

   

A maximum lifetime of ten years and an exercise period that starts after five years; and

 

   

The LTI stock options cliff vest after five years. Unvested options are subject to specific forfeiture provisions in the event that the directorship is not renewed upon the expiry of its term or is terminated in the course of its term, due to a breach of duty by the director.

The table below provides an overview of all of the warrants outstanding under our LTI Warrant Plan as of 31 December 2013:

 

LTI  

Plan   

  

Issue date of

warrants

  

Expiry date of

warrants

   Number of
warrants
granted (1)
    Number of
warrants
outstanding
     Exercise
price
     Number of
warrants
outstanding
     Exercise
price
 
                       Unadjusted (2)     

As adjusted as a result

of rights offering (3)

 
                 (in
millions)
    (in millions)      (in EUR)      (in millions)      (in EUR)  

1

   29 June 1999    28 June 2009      1.301        0         14.23         0         8.90   

2

   26 October 1999    25 October 2009      0.046        0         13.76                   

3

   25 April 2000    24 April 2010      2.425        0         11.64         0         7.28   

4

   31 October 2000    30 October 2010      0.397        0         25.02         0         15.64   

5

   13 March 2001    12 March 2011      1.186        0         30.23         0         18.90   

6

   23 April 2001    22 April 2011      0.343        0         29.74         0         18.59   

7

   4 September 2001    3 September 2011      0.053        0         28.69         0         17.94   

8

   11 December 2001    10 December 2011      1.919        0         28.87         0         18.05   

9

   13 June 2002    12 June 2012      0.245        0         32.70         0         20.44   

10

   10 December 2002    9 December 2012      3.464        0         21.83         0         13.65   

11

   29 April 2003    28 April 2008      0.066        0         19.51                   

12

   27 April 2004    26 April 2014      3.881        0.011         23.02         0.013         14.39   

13

   26 April 2005    25 April 2015      2.544        0.091         27.08         0.091         16.93   

14

   25 April 2006    24 April 2016      0.688        0.091         38.70         0.055         24.20   

15

   24 April 2007    23 April 2012      0.120        0         55.41                   

16

   29 April 2008    28 April 2013      0.120        0         58.31                   

17

   28 April 2009    27 April 2014      1.199 (4)       0.343         21.72                   

18

   27 April 2010    26 April 2015      0.215        0.205         37.51                   

19

   26 April 2011    25 April 2016      0.215        0.215         40.92                   

20

   27 April 2012    26 April 2017      0.200        0.200         54.71                   

21

   24 April 2013    23 April 2018      0.185        0.185         76.20                   
          

 

 

   

 

 

         

 

 

    
     Total         20.812        1.341              0.159      
          

 

 

   

 

 

         

 

 

    

 

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Notes:

(1) The number of warrants granted reflects the number of warrants originally granted under the LTI Warrant Plan, plus the number of additional warrants granted to holders of those warrants as a result of adjustment resulting from our rights offering in December 2008, as described in more detail below. The number of warrants remaining outstanding from such grants, and their respective exercise prices, are shown separately in the table based on whether or not the relevant warrants were adjusted in connection with our rights offering in December 2008.
(2) Entries in the “unadjusted” columns reflect the number of warrants outstanding, and the exercise price of such warrants, in each case that were not adjusted as a result of our rights offering in December 2008, as described in more detail below.
(3) Entries in the “adjusted” columns reflect the adjusted number of warrants outstanding, and the adjusted exercise price of such warrants as a result of our rights offering in December 2008, as described in more detail below.
(4) 984,203 of the 1,199,203 warrants granted on 28 April 2009 were granted to persons whose outstanding warrants were not adjusted as a result of our rights offering in December 2008 to compensate such persons for the effects of this non-adjustment as described in more detail below.

As of 31 December 2013, the total number of warrants granted under the LTI Warrant Plan, including the additional warrants granted to compensate for the effects of the December 2008 rights offering, is approximately 20.8 million. As of 31 December 2013, of the 1.50 million outstanding warrants, 0.9 million were vested.

The LTI Warrant Plan terms and conditions provide that, in the event that a corporate change decided by us and having an impact on our capital has an unfavorable effect on the exercise price of the LTI warrants, their exercise price and/or the number of our shares to which they give rights will be adjusted to protect the interests of their holders. Our rights offering in December 2008 constituted such a corporate change and triggered an adjustment. Pursuant to the LTI Warrant Plan terms and conditions, we determined that the most appropriate manner to account for the impact of the rights offering on the unexercised warrants was to apply the “ratio method” as set out in the NYSE Euronext “Liffe’s Harmonised Corporate Action Policy,” pursuant to which both the number of warrants and their exercise price were adjusted on the basis of a (P-E)/P ratio where “E” represented the theoretical value of the December 2008 rights and “P” represented the closing price of our shares on Euronext Brussels on the day immediately preceding the beginning of the relevant rights subscription period. The unexercised warrants were adjusted on 17 December 2008, the day after the closing of the rights offering. Based on the above “ratio method,” we used an adjustment ratio of 0.6252. The adjusted exercise price of the warrants equals the original exercise price multiplied by the adjustment ratio. The adjusted number of warrants equals the original number of warrants divided by the adjustment ratio. In total, 1,615,453 new warrants were granted pursuant to the adjustment.

The adjustment was not applied to warrants owned by persons that were directors at the time the warrants were granted. In order to compensate such persons, an additional 984,203 warrants were granted under the LTI grant on 28 April 2009, as authorized by our 2009 shareholders’ meeting. 263,135 warrants out of these 984,203 warrants were granted to our current directors. The table above reflects the adjusted exercise price and adjusted number of warrants.

For additional information on the LTI warrants held by members of our Board of Directors and members of our executive board of management, see “—Compensation of Directors and Executives.”

Share-Based Compensation Plan

Since 2006, members of our executive board of management and certain other senior employees are granted variable compensation under our Share-Based Compensation Plan. On 5 March 2010, the general structure of the compensation under the plan was modified.

 

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Share-Based Compensation Plan through 2009

Pursuant to the Share-Based Compensation Plan through 2009, half of each eligible employee’s variable compensation was settled in our shares. These shares must be held for three years (that is, the shares are fully owned by the employee from the date of grant but are subject to a lock-up of three years, and failure to comply with the lock-up results in forfeiture of any matching options granted under the plan as described below).

Through 2009, pursuant to the Share-Based Compensation Plan, eligible employees could elect to receive the other half of their variable compensation in cash or invest all or half of it in our shares. These shares must be held for five years. If an eligible employee voluntarily agreed to defer receiving part of their variable compensation by electing to invest in such shares, they would receive matching options (that is, rights to acquire existing shares) that will become vested after five years, provided that certain pre-defined financial targets are met or exceeded. These targets will be met if our return on invested capital less our weighted average cost of capital over a period of three to five years exceeds certain pre-agreed thresholds. The number of matching options received was determined based on the proportion of the remaining 50% of the eligible employee’s variable compensation that he invested in such shares. For instance, if an eligible employee invested all of the remaining 50% of his variable compensation in our shares, he received a number of options equal to 4.6 times the number of shares he purchased, based on the gross amount of the variable compensation invested. If the eligible employee instead chose to receive 25% of his total variable compensation in cash and invests the remaining 25% in our shares, he would receive a number of options equal to 2.3 times the number of shares he purchased, based on the gross amount of the variable compensation invested.

The shares granted and purchased under the Share-Based Compensation Plan through 2009 were ordinary registered Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV shares. Holders of such shares have the same rights as any other registered shareholder, subject, however, to a three-year or five-year lock-up period, as described above.

In addition, the shares granted and purchased under the Share-Based Compensation Plan through 2009 are:

 

   

entitled to dividends paid as from the date of granting; and

 

   

granted and purchased at the market price at the time of granting. Nevertheless, our Board of Directors could, at its sole discretion, grant a discount on the market price.

The matching options granted under the Share-Based Compensation Plan have the following features:

 

   

the exercise price is set equal to the market price of our shares at the time of granting;

 

   

options have a maximum life of ten years and an exercise period that starts after five years, subject to financial performance conditions to be met at the end of the second, third or fourth year following the granting;

 

   

upon exercise, each option entitles the option holder to subscribe to one share; and

 

   

specific restrictions or forfeiture provisions apply in case the grantee leaves our employment.

The table below gives an overview of the matching options that were granted under the Share-Based Compensation Plan that were outstanding as of 31 December 2013:

 

Issue Date   

Number of

shares

granted

    

Number of

matching

options

granted (3)

    

Number of

matching

options

outstanding

    

Exercise

price

    

Expiry date of

options

     (in millions)      (in millions)      (in millions)      (in EUR)       

27 April 2006

     0.28         0.98         0.067         24.78       26 April 2016

2 April 2007 (1)

     0.44         1.42         0.295         33.59       1 April 2017

3 March 2008

     0.42         1.66         0.867         34.34       2 March 2018

 

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Issue Date   

Number of

shares

granted

    

Number of

matching

options

granted (3)

    

Number of

matching

options

outstanding

    

Exercise

price

    

Expiry date of

options

     (in millions)      (in millions)      (in millions)      (in EUR)       

6 March 2009

     0.16         0.40         0.234         20.49       5 March 2019

14 August 2009

     1.10         3.76         3.199         27.06       13 August 2019

1 December 2009 (2)

     —           0.23         0.017         33.24       26 April 2016

1 December 2009 (2)

     —           0.39         0.103         33.24       1 April 2017

1 December 2009 (2)

     —           0.46         0.351         33.24       2 March 2018

1 December 2009 (2)

     —           0.02         0.001         33.24       5 March 2019

5 March 2010

     0.28         0.70         0.606         36.52       4 March 2020

30 November 2010 (2)

     —           0.03         0.014         42.41       26 April 2016

30 November 2010 (2)

     —           0.02         0.015         42.41       1 April 2017

30 November 2010 (2)

     —           0.02         0.020         42.41       2 March 2018

30 November 2010 (2)

     —           0.03         0.035         42.41       13 August 2019

30 November 2010 (2)

     —           0.03         0.030         42.41       4 March 2020

30 November 2011 (2)

     —           0.01         0.008         44.00       26 April 2016

30 November 2011 (2)

     —           0.01         0.014         44.00       1 April 2017

30 November 2011 (2)

     —           0.01         0.007         44.00       2 March 2018

30 November 2011 (2)

     —           0.01         0.012         44.00       5 March 2019

30 November 2011 (2)

     —           0.03         0.027         44.00       13 August 2019

30 November 2011 (2)

     —           0.01         0.015         44.00       4 March 2020

25 January 2013 (2)

     —           0.01         0.005         67.60       2 March 2018

25 January 2013 (2)

     —           0.01         0.008         67.60       13 August 2019

25 January 2013 (2)

     —           0.01         0.009         67.60       4 March 2020

15 May 2013 (2)

     —           0.05         0.051         75.82       2 March 2018

15 May 2013 (2)

     —           0.04         0.042         75.82       5 March 2019

15 May 2013 (2)

     —           0.08         0.085         75.82       13 August 2019

15 May 2013 (2)

     —           0.01         0.005         75.82       4 March 2020
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Total

     2.68         10.44         6.14         
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Notes:

 

(1) Certain matching options granted in April 2007 have an exercise price of EUR 33.79 (USD 46.60).
(2) Further to the establishment of our New York functional support office, we have established a “dividend waiver” program, which aims at encouraging the international mobility of executives while complying with all legal and tax obligations. According to this program, where applicable, the dividend protection feature of the outstanding matching options owned by executives who moved to the United States, has been cancelled. In order to compensate for the economic loss which results from this cancellation, a number of new matching options has been granted to these executives with a value equal to this economic loss. The new options have a strike price equal to the share price on the day preceding the grant date of the options. All other terms and conditions, in particular with respect to vesting, exercise limitations and forfeiture rules of the new options are identical to the outstanding matching options for which the dividend protection feature was cancelled. The table above includes the new options.
(3) The Share-Based Compensation Plan terms and conditions provide that, in the event that a corporate change decided by us and having an impact on our capital has an unfavorable effect on the exercise price of the matching options, the exercise price and/or number of our shares to which the options relate will be adjusted to protect the interests of the option holders. Our December 2008 rights offering constituted such a corporate change and triggered an adjustment. Pursuant to the Share-Based Compensation Plan terms and conditions, the unexercised matching options were adjusted in the same manner as the unexercised LTI warrants (see “—LTI Warrant Plan” above), and 1.37 million new matching options were granted in 2008 in connection with this adjustment. The table above reflects the adjusted exercise price and number of options.

As of 31 December 2013, of the 6.14 million outstanding matching options, 1.834 million were vested.

 

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Share-Based Compensation Plan from 2010

On 5 March 2010, we modified the structure of the Share-Based Compensation Plan for certain executives, including members of our executive board of management and other senior management in our general headquarters. These executives receive their variable compensation in cash 1 but have the choice to invest some or all of the value of their variable compensation in our shares to be held for a five-year period, referred to as voluntary shares. Such voluntary investment leads to a 10% discount to the market price of the shares. Further, we will match such voluntary investment by granting three matching shares for each voluntary share invested, up to a limited total percentage of each executive’s variable compensation. The matching is based on the gross amount of the variable compensation invested. The percentage of the variable compensation that is entitled to get matching shares varies depending on the position of the executive. The Chief Executive Officer and members of our executive board of management currently may take up to a maximum of 60% of their variable compensation with matching shares. The current maximum for executives below the executive board of management is 40% or less. From 1 January 2011, the new plan structure applies to all other senior management.

Voluntary shares are:

 

   

our existing ordinary shares;

 

   

entitled to dividends paid as from the date of granting;

 

   

subject to a lock-up period of five years; and

 

   

granted at market price. The discount is at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Currently, the discount is 10%, which is delivered as restricted stock units subject to specific restrictions or forfeiture provisions in case of termination of service.

Matching shares and discounted shares are granted in the form of restricted stock units which will be vested after five years. In case of termination of service before the vesting date, special forfeiture rules will apply.

In accordance with the authorization granted in our bylaws, as amended by the general shareholders’ meeting of 26 April 2011, the variable compensation system deviates from article 520 of the Belgian Company Code, as it allows:

 

1. for the variable remuneration to be paid out based on the achievement of annual targets without staggering its grant or payment over a three-year period. However, executives are encouraged to invest some or all of their variable compensation in company shares which are blocked for five years (the “ voluntary shares ”). Such voluntary investment also leads to a grant of matching shares in the form of restricted stock units which only vest after five years, ensuring sustainable long-term performance;

 

2. for the voluntary shares granted under the share-based compensation plan to vest at their grant, instead of applying a vesting period of a minimum of three years. Nonetheless, as indicated above, the voluntary shares remain blocked for five years. On the other hand, any matching shares that are granted, will only vest after five years.

During 2013, we issued 0.82 million of matching restricted stock units pursuant to the new Share-Based Compensation Plan as described above, in relation to the 2012 bonus. These matching restricted stock units are valued at the share price at the day of grant, representing a fair value of approximately USD 78 million.

 

 

1  

Depending on local regulations, the cash element in the variable compensation may be replaced by options which are linked to a stock market index or an investment fund of listed European blue chip companies.

 

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LTI Stock Option Plan

As from 1 July 2009, senior employees are eligible for an annual long-term incentive to be paid out in LTI stock options (or, in future, similar share-based instrument), depending on management’s assessment of the employee’s performance and future potential.

LTI stock options have the following features:

 

   

Upon exercise, each LTI stock option entitles the option holder to one share. As of 2010, we have also issued LTI stock options entitling the holder to one American Depositary Share;

 

   

An exercise price that is set equal to the market price of our share or our American Depositary Share at the time of granting;

 

   

A maximum lifetime of ten years and an exercise period that starts after five years; and

 

   

The LTI stock options cliff vest after five years. Unvested options are subject to specific forfeiture provisions in case of termination of service before the end of the five-year vesting period.

The table below gives an overview of the LTI stock options on our shares that have been granted under the LTI Stock Option Plan outstanding as of 31 December 2013:

 

Issue Date   

Number of

LTI stock

options

granted

    

Number of

LTI stock

options

outstanding

    

Exercise

price

    

Expiry date of

options

     (in millions)      (in millions)      (in EUR)       

18 December 2009

     1.54         1.06         35.90       17 December 2019

30 November 2010

     2.80         2.37         42.41       29 November 2020

30 November 2011

     2.85         2.55         44.00       29 November 2021

30 November 2012

     2.75         2.69         66.56       29 November 2022

14 December 2012

     0.22         0.22         66.88       13 December 2022

2 December 2013

     2.54         2.54         75.15       1 December 2023

19 December 2013

     0.39         0.39         74.49       18 December 2023

The table below gives an overview of the LTI stock options on our American Depositary Shares that have been granted under the LTI Stock Option Plan outstanding as of 31 December 2013:

 

Issue Date   

Number of

LTI stock

options

granted

    

Number of

LTI stock

options

outstanding

    

Exercise

price

     Expiry date of options
     (in millions)      (in millions)      (in USD)       

30 November 2010

     1.23         0.93         56.02       29 November 2020

30 November 2011

     1.17         1.05         58.44       29 November 2021

30 November 2012

     1.16         1.11         86.43       29 November 2022

14 December 2012

     0.17         0.17         87.34       13 December 2022

2 December 2013

     1.05         1.05         102.11       1 December 2023

19 December 2013

     0.09         0.09         103.39       18 December 2023

Long-Term Restricted Stock Unit Programs

As of 2010, we have in place three Restricted Stock Unit Programs.

Restricted Stock Units Program: this program allows for the offer of restricted stock units to certain employees in certain specific circumstances. Grants are made at the discretion of our Chief Executive Officer. For example, grants may be made to compensate for assignments of expatriates in countries with difficult living

 

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conditions. The characteristics of the restricted stock units are identical to the characteristics of the Matching Shares that are granted as part of the Share-Based Compensation Plan. See “—Share-Based Compensation Plan—Share-Based Compensation Plan from 2010.” The restricted stock units vest after five years and in the case of termination of service before the vesting date, specific forfeiture rules apply. In 2013, 0.367 million restricted stock units were granted under the program to our senior management.

Exceptional Incentive Restricted Stock Units Program: this program allows for the exceptional offer of restricted stock units to certain employees at the discretion of our Remuneration Committee as a long-term retention incentive for our key employees. Employees eligible to receive a grant under the program will receive two series of restricted stock units. The first half of the restricted stock units vests after five years. The second half of the restricted stock units vests after ten years. In case of termination of service before the vesting date, specific forfeiture rules apply. In 2013, 0.35 million restricted stock units were granted under the program to our senior management.

Share Purchase Program: this program allows certain employees to purchase our shares at a discount. This program is a long-term retention incentive (i) for high-potential employees who are at a mid-manager level (“ People Bet Share Purchase Program ”) or (ii) for newly hired employees. A voluntary investment in our shares by the participating employee is matched with a grant of three matching shares for each share invested. The discount and matching shares are granted in the form of restricted stock units which vest after five years. In case of termination before the vesting date, special forfeiture rules apply. In 2013, our employees purchased 0.005 million shares under the program.

Ambev Exchange of Share-Ownership Program

The combination with Ambev in 2004 provided us with a unique opportunity to share best practices within our group and from time to time involves the transfer of certain members of Ambev’s senior management to us. As a result, the Board approved a Program that allows for the exchange by these managers of their Ambev shares for our shares. Under the ABI/Ambev Exchange Program, Ambev shares can be exchanged for our shares based on the average share price of both the Ambev and our shares on the date the exchange is requested. A discount of 16.66% is granted in exchange for a five-year lock-up period for the shares and provided that the manager remains in service during this period.

In total, members of our senior management exchanged 0.25 million Ambev shares for a total of 0.13 million of our shares in 2013 (0.11 million in 2012 and 1.03 million in 2011). The fair value of these transactions amounted to approximately 2.2 million in 2013 (USD 1.1 million in 2012 and USD 10.0 million in 2011).

Programs for maintaining consistency of benefits granted and for encouraging global mobility of executives

Our Board of Directors recommended to our shareholders for approval two programs that are aimed at maintaining consistency of benefits granted to executives and at encouraging the international mobility of executives while complying with all legal and tax obligations, which were approved at the annual shareholders’ meeting of 27 April 2010.

The Exchange program: under this program, the vesting and transferability restrictions of the Series A Options granted under the November 2008 Exceptional Grant 2 and of the Options granted under the April 2009

 

 

2  

The Series A Options have a duration of ten years from granting and vested on 1 January 2014. The Series B Options have a duration of 15 years from granting and vest on 1 January 2019. The exercise of the stock options is subject, among other things, to the company meeting a performance test. This performance test has been met as the net debt/EBITDA, as defined (adjusted for exceptional items) ratio fell below 2.5 before 31 December 2013. Specific forfeiture rules apply in the case of termination of employment. The exercise price of the options is EUR 10.32 (USD 14.23) or EUR 10.50 (USD 14.48), which corresponds to the fair market value of the shares at the time of the option grant, as adjusted for the rights offering that took place in December 2008.

 

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Exceptional Grant 3 can be released, e.g. , for executives who move to the United States. These executives are then offered the possibility to exchange their options against a number of our shares that remain locked up until 31 December 2018. In total, in 2013, members of the executive board of management have exchanged 0.18 million Series A Options granted under the November 2008 Exceptional Grant for approximately 0.17 million of our shares. In total, other members of our senior management have exchanged approximately 0.36 million Series A Options granted under the November 2008 Exceptional Grant, for approximately 0.32 million of our shares. In total, in 2013, our senior management exchanged 0.06 million Options granted under the April 2009 Exceptional Grant, for approximately 0.05 million of our shares. The exchanges were based on the fair market value of the share on the day of the exchange.

The Dividend waiver program: the dividend protection feature of the outstanding options, where applicable, owned by executives who move to the United States will be cancelled. In order to compensate for the economic loss which results from this cancellation, a number of new options is granted to these executives with a value equal to this economic loss. The new options have a strike price equal to the share price on the day preceding the grant date of the options. All other terms and conditions, in particular with respect to vesting, exercise limitations and forfeiture rules of the new options are identical to the outstanding options for which the dividend protection feature is cancelled. As a consequence, the grant of these new options does not result in the grant of any additional economic benefit to the executives concerned. In 2013, under this program:

 

   

On 25 January 2013, 0.15 million options were granted to our senior management and have a strike price of EUR 67.60 (USD 93.23), i.e. the closing share price on 24 January 2013.

 

   

On 15 May 2013, 0.45 million options were granted to members of the executive board of management and 0.02 million options were granted to our senior management and have a strike price of EUR 75.82 (USD 104.56), i.e. the closing share price on 14 May 2013.

All other terms and conditions of the options are identical to the outstanding options for which the dividend protection was cancelled.

Fair Value of Our Warrants and Options

The fair value of the warrants and options under all of the plans and other grants detailed above is estimated at the relevant grant date, using a binomial Hull model, modified to reflect the IFRS 2 Share-based Payment requirement that assumptions about forfeiture before the end of the vesting period cannot impact the fair value of the option.

We expense the fair value of the warrants and options over the vesting period. When granted, the LTI warrants granted in 2013 in respect of the 2012 performance had a fair value of approximately USD 3 million and the options granted under the long-term stock option plan had a fair value of approximately USD 93 million.

The weighted average fair value of all of the warrants and options under all of the plans and other grants detailed above and the assumptions used in applying the option pricing model for the grants made in 2013, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December  
     2013     2012     2011  
     (Amounts in USD) (1)  

Weighted average fair value of warrants and options granted

     21.74        19.57        14.95   

Share price

     103.06        86.87        57.04   

Average exercise price

     103.05        86.83        56.88   

Expected volatility

     24     25     26

Expected dividends

     2.92     2.50     2.50

Risk-free interest rate

     2.06     1.73     2.84

 

3   The options have a duration of ten years from granting and vested on 1 January 2014. The exercise of the stock options is subject, among other things, to the company meeting a performance test. This performance test has been met as the net debt/EBITDA, as defined (adjusted for exceptional items) ratio fell below 2.5 before 31 December 2013. Specific forfeiture rules apply in the case of termination of employment. The exercise price of the options is EUR 21.94 (USD 30.26) or EUR 23.28 (USD 32.11), which corresponds to the fair market value of the shares at the time of the option grant.

 

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Note:

 

(1) Amounts converted into USD at the closing rate of the respective period.

Expected volatility is based on historical volatility calculated using 2,272 days of historical data. In the determination of the expected volatility, we excluded the volatility measured during the period 15 July 2008 until 30 April 2009, in view of the extreme market conditions experienced during that period. The binomial Hull model assumes that all employees would immediately exercise their warrants and options if our share price is 2.5 times above the exercise price. As a result, no single expected option life applies.

The aggregate total number of our options and warrants outstanding under all the plans and other grants described above has developed as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December  
Million Options and Warrants    2013     2012     2011  

Options and warrants outstanding at start of period

     53.3        54.4        56.1   

Options and warrants issued during the period (1)

     4.8        4.5        4.9   

Options and warrants exercised during the period

     (4.2     (3.3     (4.1

Options and warrants forfeited during the period

     (1.4     (2.3     (2.5
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Options and warrants outstanding at end of period

     52.5        53.3        54.4   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) Comprises 0.2 million warrants granted to directors under the LTI plan (see “—LTI Warrant Plan”), 0.6 million options granted under the dividend waiver program (see “—Share-Based Compensation Plan” and “—Programs for maintaining consistency of benefits granted and encouraging global mobility of executives moving to the United States”), 4.1 million LTI stock options granted to members of the executive board of management and senior employees under the LTI Stock Option Plan (see “—LTI Stock Option Plan”).

The weighted average exercise price of our outstanding options and warrants is as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December  
     2013      2012      2011  
     (Amounts in USD) (1)  

Warrants and options outstanding at start of period

     38.31         32.98         29.88   

Granted during the period

     103.05         87.94         56.52   

Exercised during the period

     41.07         31.85         23.83   

Forfeited during the period

     45.18         32.82         27.65   

Outstanding at the end of the period

     45.38         38.31         32.98   

Exercisable at the end of the period

     57.28         40.65         31.91   

Note:

 

(1) Amounts converted into USD at the closing rate of the respective period.

 

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Ambev Share-Based Compensation Plan

Since 2005, Ambev has had a plan which is substantially similar to the Share-Based Compensation Plan under which bonuses granted to company employees and management are partially settled in shares. In 2010, Ambev modified the plan in the same manner as our 2010 modification of our Share-Based Compensation Plan (see “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation—Share-Based Payment Plans—Share-Based Compensation Plan from 2010”).

Under the Share-Based Compensation Plan as modified as of 2010, Ambev issued, in March 2013, 4.3 million restricted stock units with an estimated fair value of USD 35 million. In March 2012, Ambev issued 4.8 million restricted stock units with an estimated fair value of USD 24 million.

As from 2010, senior employees are eligible for an annual long-term incentive to be paid out in Ambev LTI stock options (or, in future, similar share-based instruments), depending on management’s assessment of the employee’s performance and future potential. In 2013, Ambev granted 12.8 million LTI stock options with an estimated fair value of USD 64 million. In 2012, Ambev granted 15.2 million LTI stock options with an estimated fair value of USD 43 million.

In order to encourage the mobility of managers, the features of certain options granted in previous years have been modified whereby the dividend protection of these options was cancelled and replaced by the issuance of 0.2 million options in 2013 representing the economic value of the dividend protection feature. In 2012, 0.3 million options were issued representing the economic value of the dividend protection feature. Since there was no change between the fair value of the original award before the modification and the fair value of the modified award after the modification, no additional expense was recorded as a result of this modification.

Following the decision of the General Meeting of Shareholders of 30 July 2013 effective on 11 November 2013, each common share issued by Ambev was split into 5 shares, without any modification to the amount of the capital stock of Ambev. As a consequence of the split of the Ambev shares with a factor 5, the exercise price and the number of options were adjusted with the intention of preserving the rights of the existing option holders.

The weighted fair value of the options and assumptions used in applying a binomial option pricing model for the grants made by Ambev in 2013, 2012 and 2011 are as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December
     2013 (2)   2012 (2)   2011 (2)
     (Amounts in USD) (1)

Fair value of options granted

   2.61   2.73   2.40

Share price

   7.30   8.34   5.93

Exercise price

   7.30   8.34   4.95

Expected volatility

   33%   33%   34%

Expected dividends

   0.00% - 5.00%   0.00% - 5.00%   0.00% - 5.00%

Risk-free interest rate

   1.90% - 12.60% (3)   2.10% - 11.20% (3)   3.10% - 11.89% (3)

 

Note:

 

(1) Amounts converted into USD at the closing rate of the respective period.
(2) Amounts have been adjusted for the Ambev share split of 11 November 2013.
(3) The weighted average risk-free interest rates refer to granted ADRs and stock options, respectively.

Compensation of Directors and Executives

Unless otherwise specified, all compensation amounts in this section are gross of tax.

 

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Board of Directors

Our directors receive fixed compensation in the form of annual fees and supplemental fees for physical attendance at Board committee meetings or supplemental Board meetings, and variable compensation in the form of LTI warrants. Our Remuneration Committee recommends the level of remuneration for directors, including the Chairman of the Board. These recommendations are subject to approval by our Board and, subsequently, by our shareholders at the annual general meeting. The Remuneration Committee benchmarks directors’ compensation against peer companies to ensure that it is competitive. In addition, the Board sets and revises, from time to time, the rules and level of compensation for directors carrying out a special mandate or sitting on one or more of the Board committees and the rules for reimbursement of directors’ business-related out-of-pocket expenses. See “—C. Board Practices—Information about Our Committees—The Remuneration Committee.”

Board compensation in 2013

The annual shareholders meeting of 24 April 2013 approved the recommendation of the Remuneration Committee to increase the base annual fee for our directors from EUR 67,000 (USD 88,684) to EUR 75,000 (USD 99,274) based on attendance at ten Board meetings. The increased base annual fee is applicable as from the date following the annual shareholders’ meeting of 24 April 2013. The base supplement for each additional physical Board meeting or for each Committee meeting attended remains unchanged at EUR 1,500 (USD 1,985). Since 1999, we have also regularly issued warrants under the LTI warrant plan for the benefit of our Board members. See “—Share-Based Payment Plans—LTI Warrant Plan” for a description of the LTI warrant plan. In 2013, the base grant amounted to 15,000 LTI warrants.

The fees and warrants received by the Chairman of our Board in 2013 were double the respective base amounts. The Chairman of the Audit Committee was granted fees and warrants in 2013 which were 30% higher than the respective base amounts. All other directors received the base amount of fees and warrants. We do not provide pensions, medical benefits, benefits upon termination or end of service or other benefit programs to directors.

The Remuneration Committee plans to recommend for approval of the shareholders at the annual shareholders meeting scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014, the following changes to the LTI Warrant Plan for our directors in order to align future grants with the features of the LTI Stock Option Plan for executives:

 

   

Future grants will be offered in the form of stock options on existing shares, instead of warrants. Hence, upon exercise, each LTI stock option will entitle the holder to one existing ordinary share;

 

   

An exercise price that is set equal to the market price of our share at the time of granting;

 

   

A maximum lifetime of ten years and an exercise period that starts after five years; and

 

   

The LTI stock options cliff vest after five years. Unvested options are subject to specific forfeiture provisions in the event that the directorship is not renewed upon the expiry of its term or is terminated in the course of its term, due to a breach of duty by the director.

The table below provides an overview of the fixed and variable compensation that our directors received in 2013.

 

Name   

Number of

Board

meetings

attended

    

Annual

fee for

Board

meetings

    

Fees for

Committee

meetings

     Total fee     

Number of
warrants
granted

under LTI
21 (2)

 
            (EUR)(1)      (EUR)      (EUR)         

Paul Cornet de Ways Ruart

     15         72,333         4,500         76,833         15,000   

Stéfan Descheemaeker

     15         72,333         4,500         76,833         15,000   

Olivier Goudet

     14         94,033         30,000         124,033         20,000   

Jorge Paulo Lemann

     14         72,333         6,000         78,333         15,000   

Carlos Alberto da Veiga Sicupira

     14         72,333         6,000         78,333         15,000   

Grégoire de Spoelberch

     14         72,333         6,000         78,333         15,000   

Kees Storm (Chairman)

     13         144,666         22,500         167,166         30,000   

Marcel Herrmann Telles

     15         72,333         28,500         100,833         15,000   

Roberto Moses Thompson Motta

     16         72,333         6,000         78,333         15,000   

Alexandre Van Damme

     16         72,333         18,000         90,333         15,000   

Mark Winkelman

     13         72,333         18,000         90,333         15,000   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

All directors as group

             889,696         150,000         1,039,696         185,000   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Notes:

 

(1) The annual base fee of EUR 67,000 (USD 92,400) has been applied for 4 months and the increased annual base fee of EUR 75,000 (USD 103,432) has been applied for 8 months

 

(2) Warrants were granted under the LTI warrant plan in April 2013. See “—Share-Based Payment Plans—LTI Warrant Plan.” The warrants have an exercise price of EUR 76.20 (USD 105.09) per share, have a term of five years and vest over a three-year period.

Warrants and options held by directors

The table below sets forth, for each of our current directors, the number of LTI warrants they owned as of 31 December 2013:

 

    LTI
21 (2)
    LTI 20     LTI 19     LTI 18 (3)     LTI 17 (3)     Rights-Offering
Compensation (1)
    LTI
16 (3)
    LTI 14     LTI 13     LTI  12 (3)     Total
options
 
Grant date   24 April
2013
    26 April
2012
    26 April
2011
    27 April
2010
    28 April
2009
    28 April
2009
    29 April
2008
    25 April
2006
    26 April
2005
    27 April
2004
       
Expiry date   23 April
2018
    25 April
2017
    25 April
2016
    26 April
2015
    27 April
2014
    27 April
2014
    28 April
2013
    24 April
2016
    25 April
2015
    26 April
2014
       

Paul Cornet de Ways Ruart

    15,000        15,000        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        30,000   

Stéfan Descheemaeker

    15,000        15,000        15,000        5,000        0        0        0        0        0        0        50,000   

Olivier Goudet

    20,000        15,000        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        0        35,000   

Jorge Paulo Lemann

    15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        28,343        0        8,269        9,364        0        120,976   

Marcel Herrmann Telles

    15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        28,343        0        8,269        9,364        0        120,976   

Grégoire de Spoelberch

    15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        0        0        0        0        0        0        60,000   

Kees Storm

    30,000        20,000        20,000        20,000        0        0        0        8,269        9,364        0        107,633   

Roberto Moses Thompson Motta

    15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        28,343        0        8,269        9,364        0        120,976   

Alexandre Van Damme

    15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        0        0        0        8,269        9,364        0        77,633   

Carlos Alberto da Veiga Sicupira

    15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        28,343        0        8,269        9,364        0        120,976   

Mark Winkelman

    15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        15,000        28,343        0        8,269        9,364        0        120,976   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Strike price (EUR)

    76.20        54.51        40.92        37.51        21.72        21.72        58.31        38.70        27.08        23.02        —    
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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Notes:

 

(1) These warrants are part of the 984,203 warrants that were granted on 28 April 2009 to compensate for warrants that were not adjusted to take account of the effects of our December 2008 rights offering. See “—Share-Based Payment Plans—LTI Warrant Plan” for more details.
(2) Warrants were granted under the LTI warrant plan in April 2013. See “—Share-Based Payment Plans—LTI Warrant Plan.” The warrants have an exercise price of EUR 76.20 (USD 105.09) per share, have a term of five years and vest over a three-year period.
(3) In April 2013, all our directors exercised their warrants of the LTI 16 Series that was to expire on 28 April 2013. In June 2013, Gregoire de Spoelberch exercised 15,000 warrants of the LTI 17 Series and 5,395 warrants of the Rights-Offering Compensation. In August 2013, Stéfan Descheemaeker exercised 15,000 warrants of the LTI 17 Series and 10,000 warrants of the LTI 18 Series. In November 2013, Kees Storm exercised 11,016 warrants of the LTI 12 Series, 20,000 warrants of the LTI 17 Series and 60,660 warrants of the Rights-Offering Compensation. In December 2013, Alexandre Van Damme exercised 11,016 warrants of the LTI 12 Series, 15,000 warrants of the LTI 17 Series and 55,365 warrants of the Rights-Offering Compensation.

Board share ownership

The table below sets forth the number of our shares owned by our directors as of 28 February 2014:

 

Name

   Number of
our shares
held
    % of  our
outstanding
shares
 

Paul Cornet de Ways Ruart

     (*     (*

Stéfan Descheemaeker

     (*     (*

Olivier Goudet

     (*     (*

Marcel Herrmann Telles

     (*     (*

Jorge Paulo Lemann

     (*     (*

Grégoire de Spoelberch

     (*     (*

Kees Storm

     (*     (*

Roberto Moses Thompson Motta

     (*     (*

Alexandre Van Damme

     (*     (*

Carlos Alberto da Veiga Sicupira

     (*     (*

Mark Winkelman

     (*     (*
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL

     947,197        <1
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Note:

 

(*) Each director owns less than 1% of our outstanding shares as of 28 February 2014.

 

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Executive Board of Management 4

The main elements of our executive remuneration are (i) base salary, (ii) variable compensation, (iii) stock-options, (iv) post-employment benefits and (v) other compensation.

Our executive compensation and reward programs are overseen by our Remuneration Committee. It submits recommendations on the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer to the Board for approval. Upon the recommendation of our Chief Executive Officer, the Remuneration Committee also submits recommendations on the compensation of the other members of our executive board of management to our Board for approval. Such submissions to our Board include recommendations on the annual targets and corresponding variable compensation scheme. Further, in certain exceptional circumstances, the Remuneration Committee or its appointed designees may grant limited waivers from lock-up requirements provided that adequate protections are implemented to ensure that the commitment to hold shares remains respected until the original termination date. The Nomination Committee approves our targets and individual annual targets and the Remuneration Committee approves the target achievement and corresponding annual and long-term incentives of members of our executive board of management. See “C. Board Practices—Information about Our Committees—The Remuneration Committee.” The remuneration policy and any schemes that grant shares or rights to acquire shares are submitted to our annual shareholders meeting for approval.

Our compensation system is designed to support our high-performance culture and the creation of long-term sustainable value for our shareholders. The goal of the system is to reward executives with market-leading compensation, which is conditional upon both company and individual performance, and ensures alignment with shareholders’ interests by strongly encouraging executive ownership of shares in our company.

Through our Share-Based Compensation Plan, executives who demonstrate personal financial commitment to us by investing (all or part of) their annual variable compensation in our shares will be rewarded with the potential for significantly higher long-term compensation.

Base Salary

In order to ensure alignment with market practice, base salaries are reviewed against benchmarks on an annual basis. These benchmarks are collated by independent providers, in relevant industries and geographies. For benchmarking, a custom sample of peer companies (“ Peer Group ”) is used when available. If Peer Group data are not available for a given level, data from Fortune 100 companies are used. Our executives’ base salaries are intended to be aligned to mid-market levels for the appropriate market. Mid-market means that for a similar job in the market, 50% of companies in that market pay more and 50% of companies pay less. Executives’ total compensation is intended to be 10% above the 3rd quartile.

In 2013, based on his employment contract, our Chief Executive Officer earned a fixed salary of EUR 1.24 million (USD 1.64 million). The other members of our executive board of management earned an aggregate base salary of EUR 7.51 million (USD 9.94 million).

 

 

4  

Figures in this section may differ from the figures in the notes to our consolidated financial statements for the following reasons: (i) figures in this section are figures gross of tax, while figures in the notes to our consolidated financial statements are reported as “cost for the Company”; (ii) the split “short-term employee benefits” vs. “share-based compensation” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements does not necessarily correspond to the split “base salary” vs. “variable compensation” in this section. Short-term employee benefits in the notes to our consolidated financial statements include the base salary and the portion of the variable compensation paid in cash. Share-based compensation includes the portion of the variable compensation paid in shares and certain non-cash elements, such as the fair value of the options granted, which is based on financial pricing models; and (iii) the scope for the reporting is different as the figures in the notes to our consolidated financial statements also contain the remuneration of executives who left during the year, while figures in this section only contain the remuneration of executives who were in service at the end of the reporting year.

 

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Variable Compensation – Share-Based Compensation Plan

The variable compensation element of remuneration for members of our executive board of management is designed to encourage executives to drive our short- and long-term performance.

The target variable compensation is expressed as a percentage of the annual market reference salary applicable to the executive based on Peer Group or other data (as described above).

The percentage of variable compensation effectively paid is directly linked to the achievement of annual company, entity and individual targets which are based on performance metrics. For 2013, company and entity targets were related to the following financial KPIs:

 

   

EBITDA, as defined (adjusted for exceptional items),

 

   

cash flow,

 

   

operating costs and

 

   

market share.

Below a hurdle no incentive is earned (as was the case for the majority of the members of the Executive Board of Management in 2008). Even if company or entity targets are achieved, individual payments are dependent on each executive’s achievement of individual performance targets. Company and entity targets achievement is assessed by the Remuneration Committee on the basis of accounting and financial data. The Remuneration Committee also approves the individual targets achievement of the CEO and, upon recommendation of the CEO, of the Executive Board of Management.

Variable compensation is generally paid annually in arrears after publication of our full-year results. The variable compensation may be paid out semi-annually at the discretion of the Board based on the achievement of semi-annual targets. In such cases, the first half of the variable compensation is paid immediately after publication of the half-year results, and the second half of the variable compensation is paid after publication of the full-year results. In 2009, in order to align the organization against the delivery of specific targets following the Anheuser-Busch acquisition, the Board decided to apply semi-annual targets which resulted in a semi-annual payment of 50% of the annual incentive in August 2009 and in March 2010, respectively. As of 2010, variable compensation is again paid annually in arrears after publication of our full-year results in or around March each year.

Variable compensation for performance in 2013 – expected to be paid in March 2014

For the full year 2013, the Chief Executive Officer earned variable compensation of EUR 3.29 million (USD 4.36 million). The other members of the executive board of management earned aggregate variable compensation of EUR 11.44 million (USD 15.15 million).

The amount of variable compensation is based on our company’s performance during the year 2013 and the executives’ individual target achievement. The variable compensation is expected to be paid in March 2014.

Variable compensation for performance in 2012 – Paid in March 2013

For the full year 2012, the Chief Executive Officer earned variable compensation of EUR 2.48 million (USD 3.20 million). The other members of the executive board of management earned aggregate variable compensation of EUR 9.11 million (USD 12.02 million).

The amount of variable compensation is based on our company’s performance during the year 2012 and the executives’ individual target achievement. The variable compensation was paid in March 2013.

 

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Long-Term Incentive Stock Options

The following table sets forth information regarding the number of stock options granted in 2013 under the 2009 Long-Term Incentive Stock-Option Plan to our Chief Executive Officer and the other members of our executive board of management. See “—Share-Based Payment Plans—LTI Stock-Option Plan” above.

The options were granted on 2 December 2013, have an exercise price of EUR 75.15 (USD 103.64) and become exercisable after five years:

 

Name    Long-Term Incentive options granted  

Carlos Brito – CEO

     322,521   

Miguel Patricio

     80,575   

Sabine Chalmers

     44,764   

Felipe Dutra

     85,947   

Claudio Braz Ferro

     44,764   

Tony Milikin

     22,382   

Claudio Garcia

     44,764   

Jo Van Biesbroeck

     44,764   

Francisco Sá (2)

     0   

João Castro Neves (2)

     0   

Luiz Fernando Edmond

     80,575   

Bernardo Pinto Paiva

     53,717   

Stuart MacFarlane

     22,382   

Michel Doukeris

     33,573   

Ricardo Tadeu

     22,382   

Note:

 

(2) João Castro Neves, Zone President Latin America North, reports to the Board of Directors of Ambev. He and Francisco Sá, Zone President Latin America South, participated in the incentive plans of Ambev S.A. that are disclosed separately by Ambev.

Programs for maintaining consistency of benefits granted and for encouraging global mobility of executives

In 2013, members of our executive board of management participated in the Exchange program and exchanged approximately 0.18 million Series A Options granted under the November 2008 Exceptional Grant for approximately 0.17 million of our ordinary shares.

In 2013, approximately 0.45 million options were granted under the Dividend waiver program for the executive board of management. The options were granted on 15 May 2013 and have a strike price of EUR 75.82 (USD 104.56), which corresponds to the closing share price on 14 May 2013. The terms and conditions of the options are identical to the outstanding options for which the dividend protection was cancelled. The grant of the new options does not result in the grant of any additional economic benefit to the executives concerned. See “- Share-Based Payment Plans” above.

Post-Employment Benefits

We sponsor various post-employment benefit plans worldwide. These include pension plans, both defined contribution plans and defined benefit plans, and other post-employment benefits. See note 25 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for further details on our employee benefits.

Defined contribution plans. For defined contribution plans, we pay contributions to publicly or privately administered pension funds or insurance contracts. Once the contributions have been paid, we have no further payment obligation. The regular contribution expenses constitute an expense for the year in which they are due. For 2013, our defined contribution expenses amounted to USD 117 million compared to USD 41 million for 2012.

 

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Defined benefit plans. We contribute to 67 defined benefit plans, of which 51 are retirement plans and 16 are medical cost plans. Most plans provide benefits related to pay and years of service. In 2013, the deficit under our post-employment and long-term employee benefit plans increased to USD 2,862 million. In 2014, we expect to contribute approximately USD 270 million to our funded defined benefit plans and USD 84 million to our unfunded defined benefit plans and post-retirement medical plans.

Our executives participate in our pension schemes in either Belgium or their home country. These schemes are in line with predominant market practices in the respective geographic environments.

Our Chief Executive Officer participates in a defined contribution plan. Our annual contribution to his plan amounts to approximately USD 0.23 million. The total amount we had set aside to provide pension, retirement or similar benefits for members of our executive board of management in the aggregate as of 31 December 2013 was USD 2 million, as compared to USD 2 million as of 31 December 2012. See note 33 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

Other Compensation

We also provide executives with life and medical insurance and perquisites and other benefits that are competitive with market practice in the markets where such executives are employed. In addition, our Chief Executive Officer, for a limited period of time, enjoys certain expatriate perquisites, i.e ., a housing allowance (which ended on 1 September 2012) and a schooling allowance.

Employment Agreements and Termination Arrangements

Terms of hiring of our executive board of management are included in individual employment agreements. Executives are also required to comply with our policies and codes such as the Code of Business Conduct and Code of Dealing and are subject to exclusivity, confidentiality and non-compete obligations.

The employment agreement typically provides that the executive’s eligibility for payment of variable compensation is determined exclusively on the basis of the achievement of corporate and individual targets to be set by us. The specific conditions and modalities of the variable compensation are fixed by us in a separate plan which is approved by the Remuneration Committee.

Termination arrangements are in line with legal requirements and/or jurisprudential practice. The termination arrangements for the members of the executive board of management provide for a termination indemnity of 12 months of remuneration including variable compensation in case of termination without cause. The variable compensation for purposes of the termination indemnity shall be calculated as the average of the variable compensation paid to the executive for the last two years of employment prior to the year of termination. In addition, if we decide to impose upon the executive a non-compete restriction of 12 months, the executive shall be entitled to receive an additional indemnity of six months.

Carlos Brito was appointed to serve as our Chief Executive Officer starting as of 1 March 2006. In the event of termination of his employment other than on the grounds of serious cause, he is entitled to a termination indemnity of 12 months of remuneration including variable compensation as described above. There is no “claw-back” provision in case of misstated financial statements.

 

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Warrants and Options owned by Executives

The table below sets forth the number of LTI warrants and matching options owned by the members of our executive board of management in aggregate as of 31 December 2013 under the LTI Warrant Plans, LTI Stock-Option Plan, the Share-Based Compensation Plans and the 2008 Exceptional Grant. Since 2006, LTI warrants were no longer granted to our executive board of management. See “—Share-Based Payment Plans” above.

 

Program   

Warrants and

Options held in

aggregate by our

executive board of

management

    

Strike

price

(EUR)

     Grant date      Expiry date

LTI Stock-Option Plan 2009

     731,923         35.90         18 December 2009       17 December 2019

LTI Stock-Option Plan 2009

     914,266         42.41         30 November 2010       29 November 2020

LTI Stock-Option Plan 2009

     962,093         44.00         30 November 2011       29 November 2021

LTI Stock-Option Plan 2009

     1,145,494         66.56         30 November 2012       29 November 2022

LTI Stock-Option Plan 2009

     903,110         75.15         02 December 2013       01 December 2023

Matching options 2010

     15,296         36.52         05 March 2010       04 March 2020

Matching options 2009

     1,615,238         27.06         14 August 2009       13 August 2019

Matching options 2009

     80,765         20.49         6 March 2009       5 March 2019

Matching options 2008

     541,151         34.34         3 March 2008       2 March 2018

Matching options 2008 – Dividend Waiver 09 (1)

     265,393         33.24         1 December 2009       2 March 2018

November 2008 Exceptional Grant Options Series A

     1,265,194         10.32         25 November 2008       24 November 2018

November 2008 Exceptional Grant Options Series A

     903,710         10.50         25 November 2008       24 November 2018

November 2008 Exceptional Grant Options Series A – Dividend Waiver 09 (1)

     355,280         33.24         1 December 2009       24 November 2018

November 2008 Exceptional Grant Options Series B

     903,710         10.50         25 November 2008       24 November 2023

November 2008 Exceptional Grant Options Series B

     5,349,964         10.32         25 November 2008       24 November 2023

November 2008 Exceptional Grant Options Series B – Dividend Waiver 09 (1)

     2,406,406         33.24         1 December 2009       24 November 2023

November 2008 Exceptional Grant Options Series B – Dividend Waiver 11

     243,901         40.35         11 July 2011       24 November 2023

November 2008 Exceptional Grant Options Series B – Dividend Waiver 13

     286,977         75.82         15 May 2013       24 November 2023

Matching options 2007

     106,611         33.59         2 April 2007       1 April 2017

Matching options 2007 – Dividend Waiver 09 (1)

     65,994         33.24         1 December 2009       1 April 2017

Matching options 2006

     0         24.78         27 April 2006       26 April 2016

Matching options 2006 – Dividend Waiver 09 (1)

     0         33.24         1 December 2009       23 April 2016

Matching options 2008 – Dividend waiver 13

     49,468         75.82         15 May 2013       02 March 2018

Matching options 2009 – Dividend waiver 13

     74,869         75.82         15 May 2013       05 March 2019

Matching options 2009 – Dividend waiver 13

     37,131         75.82         15 May 2013       13 August 2019

Notes:

 

(1) Options granted under the dividend waiver program. See “—Share-Based Payment Plans.”

 

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Executive Share Ownership

The table below sets forth the number of our shares owned by the members of the executive board of management as of 28 February 2014:

 

Name

   Number of our
shares held
    % of  our
outstanding
shares
 

Carlos Brito

     (*     (*

Sabine Chalmers

     (*     (*

Felipe Dutra

     (*     (*

Claudio Garcia

     (*     (*

Claudio Ferro

     (*     (*

Miguel Patricio

     (*     (*

Bernardo Pinto Paiva

     (*     (*

Tony Milikin

     (*     (*

Jo Van Biesbroeck

     (*     (*

Michel Doukeris

     (*     (*

Stuart MacFarlane

     (*     (*

Francisco Sá

     (*     (*

Ricardo Tadeu

     (*     (*

João Castro Neves

     (*     (*

Luiz Fernando Edmond

     (*     (*
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL

     10,131,735        <1
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Note:

 

(*) Each member of our executive board of management owns less than 1% of our outstanding shares as of 28 February 2014.

C. BOARD PRACTICES

General

Our directors are appointed by our shareholders’ meeting, which sets their remuneration and term of mandate. Their appointment is published in the Belgian Official Gazette ( Moniteur belge ). No service contract is concluded between us and our directors with respect to their Board mandate. Our Board also may request a director to carry out a special mandate or assignment. In such case a special contract may be entered into between us and the respective director. For details of the current directors’ terms of office, see “—A. Directors and Senior Management—Board of Directors.” We do not provide pensions, medical benefits or other benefit programs to directors.

Information about Our Committees

General

Our Board is assisted by four committees: the Audit Committee, the Finance Committee, the Remuneration Committee and the Nomination Committee.

The existence of the Committees does not affect the responsibility of our Board. Board committees meet to prepare matters for consideration by our Board. By exception to this principle, (i) the Remuneration Committee may make decisions on individual compensation packages, other than with respect to our Chief Executive Officer and our executive board of management (which are submitted to our Board for approval) and on performance against targets and (ii) the Finance Committee may make decisions on matters specifically delegated to it under our Corporate Governance Charter, in each case without having to refer to an additional Board decision. Each of our Committees operates under typical rules for such committees under Belgian law, including the requirement that a majority of the members must be present for a valid quorum and decisions are taken by a majority of members present.

 

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The Audit Committee

The Audit Committee consists of a minimum of three voting members. The Audit Committee’s Chairman and the Committee members are appointed by the Board from among the non-executive directors. The Chairman of the Audit Committee is not the Chairman of the Board. The Chief Executive Officer, Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer and Chief Financial and Technology Officer are invited to the meetings of the Audit Committee, unless the Chairman or a majority of the members decide to meet in closed session.

The current members of the Audit Committee are Olivier Goudet (Chairman), Mark Winkelman and Kees Storm. Mark Winkelman succeeded Peter Harf who retired from the Board and the Audit Committee as of 25 April 2012. As of the same date, Kees Storm succeeded Peter Harf as Chairman of our Board and Olivier Goudet replaced Kees Storm as Chairman of the Audit Committee. Each member of our Audit Committee is an independent director according to our Corporate Governance Charter (see “—A. Directors and Senior Management—Board of Directors—Role and Responsibilities, Composition, Structure and Organization”) and under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act.

Our Board of Directors has determined that Kees Storm and Olivier Goudet are each “audit committee financial experts” as defined in Item 16A of Form 20-F under the Exchange Act.

The Audit Committee assists our Board in its responsibility for oversight of (i) the integrity of our financial statements, (ii) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (iii) the statutory auditors’ qualification and independence, and (iv) the performance of the statutory auditors and our internal audit function. The Audit Committee is entitled to review information on any point it wishes to verify, and is authorized to acquire such information from any of our employees. The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of the statutory auditor. It also establishes procedures for confidential complaints regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. It is also authorized to obtain independent advice, including legal advice, if this is necessary for an inquiry into any matter under its responsibility. It is entitled to call on the resources that will be needed for this task. It is entitled to receive reports directly from the statutory auditor, including reports with recommendations on how to improve our control processes.

The Audit Committee holds as many meetings as necessary with a minimum of four per year. The Committee holds the majority of its physical meetings each year in Belgium. Paul Cornet attends Audit Committee meetings as a non-voting observer.

The Finance Committee

The Finance Committee consists of at least three, but no more than six, members appointed by the Board. The Board appoints a Chairman and, if deemed appropriate, a Vice-Chairman from among the Finance Committee members. The Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial and Technology Officer are invited ex officio to the Finance Committee meetings unless explicitly decided otherwise. Other employees are invited on an ad hoc basis as deemed useful.

The current members of the Finance Committee are Alexandre Van Damme (Chairman), Stéfan Descheemaeker, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Roberto Moses Thompson Motta and Mark Winkelman.

The Corporate Governance Charter requires the Finance Committee to meet at least four times a year and as often as deemed necessary by its Chairman or at least two of its members. The Committee holds the majority of its physical meetings each year in Belgium.

The Finance Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in the areas of corporate finance, risk management, Treasury controls, mergers and acquisitions, tax and legal, pension plans, financial communication and stock market policies and all other related areas as deemed appropriate.

 

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The Remuneration Committee

The Remuneration Committee consists of three members appointed by the Board, all of whom will be non-executive directors. The Chairman of the Committee will be a representative of the controlling shareholders and the other two members will meet the requirements of independence as established in our Corporate Governance Charter and by the Belgian Company Law. The Chairman of our Remuneration Committee would not be considered independent under NYSE rules, and therefore our Remuneration Committee would not be in compliance with the NYSE Corporate Governance Standards for domestic issuers in respect of independence of compensation committees. The Chief Executive Officer and the Chief People Officer are invited ex officio to the meetings of the Committee unless explicitly decided otherwise.

The current members of the Remuneration Committee are Marcel Herrmann Telles (Chairman), Olivier Goudet and Mark Winkelman.

The Committee meets at least four times a year, and more often if required, and can be convoked by its Chairman or at the request of at least two of its members. The Committee holds the majority of its physical meetings each year in Belgium.

The Remuneration Committee’s principal role is to guide the Board with respect to all its decisions relating to the remuneration policies for the Board, the Chief Executive Officer and the executive board of management and on their individual remuneration packages. The Committee ensures that the Chief Executive Officer and members of the executive board of management are incentivized to achieve, and are compensated for, exceptional performance. The Committee also ensures the maintenance and continuous improvement of our company’s compensation policy which will be based on meritocracy with a view to aligning the interests of its employees with the interests of all shareholders. In certain exceptional circumstances, the Remuneration Committee or its appointed designees may grant limited waivers from lock-up requirements provided that adequate protections are implemented to ensure that the commitment to hold shares remains respected until the original termination date.

The Nomination Committee

The Nomination Committee consists of five members appointed by the Board. The five members include the Chairman of the Board and the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee. Four of the five Committee members are representatives of the controlling shareholders. These four members of our Nomination Committee would not be considered independent under NYSE rules, and therefore our Nomination Committee would not be in compliance with the NYSE Corporate Governance Standards for domestic issuers in respect of independence of nominating committees. The Chief Executive Officer, the Chief People Officer and the Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer are invited ex officio to attend the meetings of the Nomination Committee unless explicitly decided otherwise.

The current members of the Nomination Committee are Marcel Herrmann Telles (Chairman), Carlos Alberto Sicupira, Grégoire de Spoelberch, Kees Storm and Alexandre Van Damme. Kees Storm succeeded Peter Harf, who retired from the Board and the Nomination Committee as of 25 April 2012.

The Nomination Committee’s principal role is to guide the Board succession process. The Committee identifies persons qualified to become Board members and recommends director candidates for nomination by the Board and election at the shareholders’ meeting. The Committee also guides the Board with respect to all its decisions relating to the appointment and retention of key talent within our company.

The Committee meets at least two times a year, and more, if required. The Committee holds the majority of its physical meetings each year in Belgium.

D. EMPLOYEES

As of 31 December 2013, we employed approximately 155,000 people.

 

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Overview of Employees per Business Segment

The table below sets out the number of full-time employees at the end of each relevant period in our business segments.

 

     As of 31 December  
     2013      2012      2011  

North America

     16,852         17,136         17,924   

Mexico (1)

     34,203         N/A         N/A   

Latin America North (2)

     37,721         35,653         31,467   

Latin America South

     10,482         10,924         10,251   

Western Europe

     7,764         8,067         7,832   

Central & Eastern Europe

     7,948         9,510         10,551   

Asia Pacific

     37,680         34,455         36,046   

Global Export & Holding Companies

     1,936         1,888         2,208   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     154,587         117,632         116,278   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) Mexico became a separate business segment on 4 June 2013 upon completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo.
(2) Peru and Ecuador were transferred from the Latin America North zone to the Latin America South zone on 1 January 2013. The figures for both zones reflect this allocation.

Employee Compensation and Benefits

To support our culture that recognizes and values results, we offer employees competitive salaries benchmarked to fixed mid-market local salaries, combined with variable incentive schemes based on individual performance and performance of the business entity in which they work. Senior employees above a certain level are eligible for the Share-Based Compensation Plan. See “B. Compensation—Share-Based Payment Plans—Share-Based Compensation Plan” and “B. Compensation—Compensation of Directors and Executives—Executive Board of Management.” Depending on local practices, we offer employees and their family members pension plans, life insurance, medical, dental and optical insurance, death-in-service insurance, and illness and disability insurance. Some of our countries have tuition reimbursement plans and employee assistance programs.

Labor Unions

Many of our hourly employees across our business segments are represented by unions. Generally, relationships between us and the unions that represent our employees are good. See “D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We are exposed to labor strikes and disputes that could lead to a negative impact on our costs and production level.”

In Europe, collective bargaining occurs at the national level in Belgium and the Netherlands, and at the local level in all other countries. The degree of membership in unions varies from country to country, with a low proportion of membership in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and a high proportion of membership in Belgium and Germany.

Our United States organization has approximately 4,300 hourly brewery workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Their compensation and other terms of employment are governed by collective bargaining agreements negotiated between the Company and the Teamsters. The current collective bargaining agreements were scheduled to expire on February 28, 2014, but have been renewed to March 31, 2014. We are currently negotiating with the Teamsters concerning the terms of new collective bargaining agreements. We and the Teamsters have jointly announced that we expect to reach new agreements in a timely manner. Hourly employees at certain of our company-owned distributorships and packaging plants also are union-represented, with local bargaining agreements ranging in duration from three to five years.

 

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In Canada, nearly two-thirds of the total workforce within brewery operations, logistics, office administration and sales is unionized with collective bargaining agreements ranging in duration from three to seven years.

In Mexico, approximately half of our employees are union members. Our collective bargaining agreements are negotiated and executed separately for each facility or distribution center. They are periodically reviewed with the unions as mandated by Mexican Labor Law (i.e. yearly revisions of salary, benefits and salary revisions every two years).

In Brazil, all of our employees are represented by labor unions, but less than 5% are actually members of those unions. The number of administrative and distribution employees who are members of labor unions is not significant. Our collective bargaining agreements are negotiated separately for each facility or distribution center and have a term of one year. We usually enter into new collective bargaining agreements on or prior to the expiration of the existing agreements.

E. SHARE OWNERSHIP

For a discussion of the share ownership of our directors and executives, as well as arrangements involving our employees in our capital, see “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation.”

 

ITEM 7. MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

A. MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS

Shareholding Structure

The following table shows our shareholding structure based on the notifications made to the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority (the “ FSMA ”) (previously and until 1 April 2011, the Belgian Banking, Finance and Insurance Commission (the “ CBFA ”)) and to us on the date specified below by the shareholders specified below in accordance with Article 6 of the Belgian Law of 2 May 2007 on the disclosure of significant shareholdings in listed companies and in accordance with Article 74 of the Belgian Law of 1 April 2007 on public take-over bids or information based on public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The first ten entities mentioned in the table act in concert (see “—Shareholders’ Arrangements”) and hold 839,172,743 of our shares, representing 52.20% of the voting rights attached to our shares outstanding as of 31 December 2013. Under Belgian law, shareholders are required to notify us as soon as the amount of securities held giving voting right exceeds or falls below a 3% threshold.

All of our shares have the same voting rights.

 

Major shareholders

   Number of
our shares held
     % of the
voting rights
attached to
our
outstanding
shares held
    As of date in
notification or SEC
filing (7)

Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev, a stichting incorporated under Dutch law (the “Stichting”) (1)(2)

     663,074,830         41.24   15 January 2014

EPS Participations S.à.R.L., a company incorporated under Luxembourg law, affiliated to Eugénie Patri Sébastien (EPS) SA., its parent company. (2)(3)(5)

     130,063,567         8.09   15 January 2014

Eugénie Patri Sébastien (EPS) SA, a company incorporated under Luxembourg law, affiliated to the Stichting that it jointly controls with BRC S.à.R.L (2)(3)(5)

     100,000         0.01   15 January 2014

 

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Major shareholders

   Number of
our shares held
     % of the
voting
rights
attached to
our
outstanding
shares held
    As of date in
notification or SEC
filing (7)
 

Rayvax Société d’Investissement SA, a company incorporated under Belgian law

     10         <0.01     15 January 2014   

Fonds Verhelst SPRL, a company with a social purpose incorporated under Belgian law

    
0
  
    
0.00

   
15 January 2014
  

Fonds Voorzitter Verhelst SPRL, a company with a social purpose incorporated under Belgian law, affiliated to Fonds Verhelst SPRL with social purpose, that controls it

     6,997,665         0.44     15 January 2014   

Stichting Fonds InBev-Baillet Latour, a stichting incorporated under Dutch law

    
0
  
    
0.00

   
15 January 2014
  

Fonds InBev-Baillet Latour SPRL, a company with a social purpose incorporated under Belgian law, affiliated to Stichting Fonds InBev-Baillet Latour under Dutch law, that controls is (6)

     5,485,415         0.34     15 January 2014   

BRC S.à.R.L., a company incorporated under Luxembourg law, affiliated to the Stichting that it jointly controls with Eugénie Patri Sébastien (EPS) SA (2)(4)

     32,966,462         2.05     15 January 2014   

Sébastien Holding NV/SA, a company incorporated under Belgian law, affiliated to Rayvax Société d’Investissement SA, its parent company

     484,794         0.03     15 January 2014   

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

     1,093,369         0.07     15 January 2014   

BrandBrew SA, a company incorporated under Luxembourg law and a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

     525,433         0.03     15 January 2014   

BlackRock, Inc.

     Undisclosed         < 3.00     25 February 2014   

 

Notes:

 

(1) See section “—Controlling Shareholder.” By virtue of their responsibilities as directors of the Stichting, Stéfan Descheemaeker, Paul Cornet de Ways Ruart, Grégoire de Spoelberch, Alexandre Van Damme, Marcel Herrmann Telles, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Roberto Moses Thompson Motta and Carlos Alberto Sicupira may be deemed, under the rules of the SEC, to be beneficial owners of our ordinary shares held by the Stichting. However, each of these individuals disclaims such beneficial ownership in such capacity.
(2) See section “—Shareholders’ Arrangements.”
(3) By virtue of their responsibilities as directors of Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A and EPS Participations S.à.R.L.., Stéfan Descheemaeker, Paul Cornet de Ways Ruart, Grégoire de Spoelberch and Alexandre Van Damme may be deemed, under the rules of the SEC, to be beneficial owners of our ordinary shares held by Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A. and EPS Participations S.à.R.L However, each of these individuals disclaims such beneficial ownership in such capacity.
(4) Marcel Herrmann Telles, Jorge Paulo Lemann and Carlos Alberto Sicupira have disclosed to us that they control BRC S.à.R.L and as a result, under the rules of the SEC, they are deemed to be beneficial owners of our ordinary shares held by BRC S.à.R.L. By virtue of his responsibility as a director of BRC S.à.R.L, Roberto Moses Thompson Motta may also be deemed, under the rules of the SEC, to be the beneficial owner of our ordinary shares held by BRC S.à.R.L. However, Roberto Moses Thompson Motta disclaims such beneficial ownership in such capacity.
(5) On 18 December 2013, Eugénie Patri Sébastien (EPS) SA contributed to EPS Participations S.à.R.L. its certificates in the Stichting and the shares it held directly in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, except for 100,000 shares.
(6) On 27 December 2013, Stichting Fonds InBev-Baillet Latour under Dutch law, acquired a controlling stake in Fonds-InBev Baillet Latour SPRL with a social purpose.
(7) On 14 February 2014, a Schedule 13G was filed confirming that, as of 31 December 2013, a group of shareholders beneficially hold 839,172,743 of our shares, representing 52.20% of our voting rights.

 

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Since 1 January 2010 and until the notification made on 15 January 2014, there have been no significant changes for the first ten entities mentioned in the table above. Since 1 January 2010 and until the notification made on 15 January 2014, there have been no significant changes for either Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV or BrandBrew SA. On 25 February 2014 BlackRock, Inc. notified us that its shareholdings had fallen below 3% of our voting rights. This notification was subsequent to a series of successive notifications in 2014 and 2013 in which BlackRock, Inc. notified us that its shareholding exceeded or had fallen below the threshold of 3% of our voting rights (17 February 2014, 3 February 2014, 23 January 2014, 21 January 2014, 28 October 2013, 26 June 2013, 4 March 2013).

U.S. Holders of Record

As a number of our shares are held in dematerialized form, we are not aware of the identity of all our shareholders. As of 31 December 2013, we had 9,563,097 registered shares held by 262 record holders in the United States, representing approximately 0.6 % of the voting rights attached to our shares outstanding as of such date. As of 31 December 2013, we also had 117,098,980 ADSs outstanding, each representing one ordinary share.

Controlling Shareholder

Our controlling shareholder is the Stichting, a foundation ( stichting ) organized under the laws of the Netherlands which represents an important part of the interests of the founding Belgian families of Interbrew (mainly represented by Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A.) and the interests of the Brazilian families which were previously the controlling shareholders of Ambev (represented by BRC S.à.R.L).

As of 15 January 2014, the Stichting owned 663,074,830 of our shares, which represented a 41.24% voting interest in us based on the number of our shares outstanding as of 15 January 2014. The Stichting and certain other entities acting in concert with it (see “—Shareholders’ Arrangements” below) held, in the aggregate, 52.20% of our shares based on the number of our shares outstanding on 15 January 2014. As of 15 January 2014, BRC S.à.R.L held 331,537,415 class B Stichting certificates (indirectly representing 20.62% of our shares) and EPS Participations S.à.R.L.. held 331,537,415 class A Stichting certificates (indirectly representing 20.62% of our shares). The Stichting is governed by its bylaws and its conditions of administration.

Shareholders’ Arrangements

In connection with the combination of Interbrew with Ambev in 2004, BRC S.à.R.L, Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA, Rayvax Société d’Investissement SA and the Stichting entered into a shareholders’ agreement on 2 March 2004 which provides for BRC S.à.R.L and Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA to hold their interests in us through the Stichting (except for approximately 130 million of our shares that are held directly or indirectly by Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA and approximately 33 million of our shares that are held directly by BRC S.à.R.L as of 15 January 2014 (see “—Shareholding Structure”). The shareholders’ agreement was amended and restated on 9 September 2009 and has been filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this Form 20-F. On 18 December 2013, Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA contributed to EPS Participations S.à.R.L. its certificates in the Stichting and the shares it held in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, except for 100,000 shares. EPS Participations S.à.R.L. has joined the concert constituted by BRC S.à.R.L, Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA, Rayvax Société d’Investissement SA and the Stichting and adhered to the shareholders’ agreement.

The shareholders’ agreement addresses, among other things, certain matters relating to our governance and management and to the governance and management of the Stichting, as well as the transfer of the Stichting certificates. Pursuant to the terms of the shareholders’ agreement, BRC S.à.R.L and Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA jointly and equally exercise control over the Stichting and those of our shares held by the Stichting. Among other things, BRC S.à.R.L and Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA have agreed that the Stichting will be managed by an eight-member board of directors and that each of BRC S.à.R.L and Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA will have the right to appoint four directors to the Stichting board of directors. At least seven of the eight Stichting directors must be present in order to constitute a quorum of the Stichting board, and any action to be taken by the Stichting board of

 

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directors will, subject to certain qualified majority conditions, require the approval of a majority of the directors present, including at least two directors appointed by BRC S.à.R.L and two appointed by Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA. Subject to certain exceptions, all decisions of the Stichting with respect to our shares held by it, including how such shares will be voted at our shareholders’ meetings, will be made by the Stichting board of directors.

The shareholders’ agreement requires the Stichting board of directors to meet prior to each of our shareholders’ meetings to determine how those of our shares held by the Stichting will be voted.

The shareholders’ agreement as amended provides for restrictions on the ability of BRC S.à.R.L and EPS Participations S.à.R.L. to transfer their Stichting certificates (and consequently their shares in us held through the Stichting).

In addition, the shareholders’ agreement requires Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA, EPS Participations S.à.R.L., BRC S.à.R.L and their permitted transferees under the shareholders’ agreement whose shares in us are not held through the Stichting to vote their shares in us in the same manner as our shares held by the Stichting and to effect any transfers of their shares in us in an orderly manner of disposal that does not disrupt the market for our shares and in accordance with any conditions established by us to ensure such orderly disposal. In addition, under the shareholders’ agreement, Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA, EPS Participations S.à.R.L. and BRC S.à.R.L agree not to acquire any shares of Ambev’s capital stock, subject to limited exceptions.

Pursuant to the shareholders’ agreement, the Stichting board of directors proposes to our shareholders’ meeting for approval the nomination of eight directors to our Board of Directors, among which each of BRC S.à.R.L and Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA have the right to nominate four directors. In addition, the Stichting board of directors proposes the nomination of four to six directors to our Board who are independent of shareholders.

The shareholders’ agreement will remain in effect for an initial term of 20 years starting from 27 August 2004. Thereafter, it will be automatically renewed for successive terms of ten years each unless, not later than two years prior to the expiration of the initial or any successive ten-year term, either BRC S.à.R.L or Eugénie Patri Sébastien SA notifies the other of its intention to terminate the shareholders’ agreement.

In addition, the Stichting has entered into a voting agreement with Fonds InBev-Baillet Latour SPRL with a social purpose and Fonds Voorzitter Verhelst SPRL with a social purpose, a copy of which has been filed as Exhibit 3.2 to this Form 20-F. This agreement provides for consultations between the three bodies before any of our shareholders’ meetings to decide how they will exercise the voting rights attached to our shares. Under this voting agreement, consensus is required for all items that are submitted to the approval of any of our shareholders’ meetings. If the parties fail to reach a consensus, Fonds InBev-Baillet Latour SPRL with a social purpose and Fonds Voorzitter Verhelst SPRL with a social purpose will vote their shares in the same manner as the Stichting. This agreement will expire on 16 October 2016, but is renewable.

B. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

AB InBev Group and Consolidated Entities

We engage in various transactions with affiliated entities which form part of the consolidated AB InBev Group. These transactions include, but are not limited to: (i) the purchase and sale of raw material with affiliated entities, (ii) entering into distribution, cross-licensing, transfer pricing, indemnification, service and other agreements with affiliated entities, (iii) intercompany loans and guarantees, with affiliated entities, (iv) import agreements with affiliated entities, such as the import agreement under which Anheuser-Busch imports our European brands into the United States, and (v) royalty agreements with affiliated entities, such as our royalty agreement with one of our United Kingdom subsidiaries related to the production and sale of our Stella Artois brand in the United Kingdom. Such transactions between Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and our subsidiaries are not disclosed in our consolidated financial statements as related party transactions because they are eliminated on consolidation. A list of our principal subsidiaries is shown in note 36 “AB InBev Companies” to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013. On January 28, 2014, a subsidiary of our subsidiary Ambev acquired from us a 50% equity interest in Cerveceria Bucanero S.A., a Cuban company in the business of producing and selling beer.

 

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Unrealized gains arising from transactions with associates and jointly controlled entities are eliminated to the extent of our interest in the entity. Unrealized losses are eliminated in the same way as unrealized gains, but only to the extent that there is no evidence of impairment. Transactions with associates and jointly controlled entities are discussed further below.

Where these are eliminated on consolidation, transactions between Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and our subsidiaries are not disclosed in our consolidated financial statements as related party transactions. A list of our principal subsidiaries is shown in note 36 “AB InBev Companies” to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

Transactions with Directors and Executive Board of Management Members (Key Management Personnel)

Total compensation of our directors and executive board of management included in our income statement for 2013 set out below can be detailed as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December 2013  
     Directors      Executive
Board
Management
 
     (USD million)  

Short-term employee benefits

     2         22   

Post-employment benefits

     —           2   

Share-based payments

     3         66   

Total

     5         90   

In addition to short-term employee benefits (primarily salaries), our executive board of management members are entitled to post-employment benefits. More particularly, members of the executive board of management participate in the pension plan of their respective country. See also note 25 “Employee benefits” and note 33 “Related parties” to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013. In addition, key management personnel are eligible for our Share-Based Payment Plan and/or our exchange of share ownership program. See also “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation” and note 26 “Share-based payments” to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013.

Directors’ compensation consists mainly of directors’ fees. Key management personnel were not engaged in any transactions with our company and did not have any significant outstanding balances with our company.

Deferred Share Entitlements

In a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo, two Grupo Modelo shareholders, María Asuncion Aramburuzabala and Valentín Diez Morodo purchased a deferred share entitlement to acquire the equivalent of approximately 23.1 million AB InBev shares, to be delivered within five years, for consideration of approximately USD 1.5 billion. This investment occurred on 5 June 2013. María Asuncion Aramburuzabala and Valentín Diez Morodo have agreed to serve on our Board of Directors for a term of at least four years. They have also agreed to a non-competition provision for three years following the completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo.

Consulting Agreement

In connection with the 2008 Anheuser-Busch merger, we and Mr. Busch IV entered into a consulting agreement that continued until 31 December 2013, substantially on the terms described below. In his role as consultant, Mr. Busch IV provided, at the request of our Chief Executive Officer, advice to us on Anheuser-Busch new products and new business opportunities; reviewed Anheuser-Busch marketing programs; met with retailers,

 

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wholesalers and key advertisers of Anheuser-Busch; attended North American media events; provided advice with respect to Anheuser-Busch’s relationship with charitable organizations and the communities in which it operates; and provided advice on the taste, profile and characteristics of the Anheuser-Busch malt-beverage products.

Under the terms of the consulting agreement, as contemplated, at the time of the Anheuser-Busch acquisition, Mr. Busch IV received a lump sum cash payment equal to USD 10,350,000, less any applicable withholding. During the term of the consulting agreement, Mr. Busch IV was paid a fee of approximately USD 120,000 per month. In addition, Mr. Busch IV was provided with an appropriate office in St. Louis, Missouri, administrative support and certain employee benefits that are materially similar to those provided to full-time salaried employees of Anheuser-Busch. He was also provided with personal security services through 31 December 2011 (in St. Louis, Missouri) in accordance with Anheuser-Busch’s past practices including an income tax gross-up and with complimentary tickets to Anheuser-Busch-sponsored events. Mr. Busch IV is also eligible for a gross-up payment under Section 280G of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (estimated to be approximately USD 11.1 million), on various change-in-control payments and benefits to which he is entitled in connection with the Anheuser-Busch merger. Such Code Section 280G gross-up payments are payments which, after the imposition of certain taxes, will equal the excise tax imposed on such change-of-control payments and benefits to which Mr. Busch IV is entitled.

Mr. Busch IV was subject to restrictive covenants relating to non-competition and non-solicitation of employees and customers which were in effect for the duration of the consulting agreement and a confidentiality covenant. The parties were subject to a mutual non-disparagement covenant.

Mr. Busch IV will generally be indemnified by us from and against all claims arising from the performance of his duties as a consultant for the term of the consulting agreement. In addition, we and Mr. Busch IV have executed a mutual release of claims regarding all pre-closing matters.

The mandate of Mr. Busch IV as a director expired in April 2011.

Jointly Controlled Entities

Significant interests we hold in joint ventures include two distribution entities in Canada, two entities in Brazil, two in China, one in Mexico and one in the United Kingdom. None of these joint ventures are material to us. Aggregate amounts of our interests in such entities are as follows:

 

     As of 31 December 2013  
     (USD million)  

Non-current assets

     101   

Current assets

     57   

Non-current liabilities

     67   

Current liabilities

     115   

Result from operations

     24   

Profit attributable to equity holders

     11   

Transactions with Associates

Our transactions with associates were as follows:

 

     Year ended 31 December 2013  
     (USD million)  

Gross profit

     31   

Current assets

     6   

Current liabilities

     32   

Our transactions with associates primarily consist of sales to distributors in which we have a non-controlling interest.

 

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Transactions with Pension Plans

Our transactions with pension plans mainly consisted of USD 12 million other income from pension plans in the United States and USD 5 million other income from pension plans in Brazil.

Transactions with Government-Related Entities

We have no material transactions with government-related entities.

Ambev Special Goodwill Reserve

As a result of the merger of InBev Brasil into Ambev in July 2005, Ambev acquired tax benefits resulting from the partial amortization of the special premium reserve pursuant to article 7 of the Normative Ruling No. 319/99 of the CVM, the Brazilian Securities Commission. Such amortization will be carried out within the ten years following the merger. As permitted by Normative Ruling No. 319/99, the Protocol and Justification of the Merger, entered into between us, Ambev and InBev Brasil on 7 July 2005, established that 70% of the goodwill premium, which corresponded to the tax benefit resulting from the amortization of the tax goodwill derived from the merger, would be capitalized in Ambev to the benefit of us, with the remaining 30% being capitalized in Ambev without the issuance of new shares to the benefit of all shareholders. Since 2005, pursuant to the Protocol and Justification of the Merger, Ambev has carried out, with shareholders’ approval, capital increases through the partial capitalization of the goodwill premium reserve. Accordingly, two wholly-owned subsidiaries of Anheuser-Busch InBev (which hold our interest in Ambev) have annually subscribed to Ambev shares corresponding to 70% of the goodwill premium reserve (and Ambev minority shareholders subscribed shares pursuant to preferred subscription right under Brazilian law) and the remaining 30% of the tax benefit was capitalized without issuance of new shares to the benefit of all Ambev shareholders. The Protocol and Justification of the Merger also provides, among other matters, that we shall indemnify Ambev for any undisclosed liabilities of InBev Brasil.

In December 2011, Ambev received a tax assessment from the Secretaria da Receita Federal do Brasil related to the goodwill amortization resulting from InBev Brasil’s merger referred to above. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal and Arbitration Proceedings—Ambev and its Subsidiaries—Special Goodwill Reserve” for further information. Effective 21 December 2011, we entered into an agreement with Ambev formalizing the arrangement whereby we shall reimburse Ambev the amount proportional to the benefit received by us pursuant to the merger protocol, as well as the respective costs.

Ambev Labatt Indemnification Agreement

In the context of the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust review of the Anheuser-Busch acquisition, we entered into an indemnification agreement with Ambev on 13 November 2008, pursuant to which we agreed to indemnify Ambev under certain circumstances arising from the perpetual license of Labatt branded beer to KPS Capital Partners, LP for consumption in the United States and the interim supply of Labatt branded beer to KPS Capital Partners, LP for consumption in the United States. This agreement terminated in 2013.

Ambev Stock Swap Merger

On 7 December 2012, Companhia de Bebidas das Américas—Ambev (“Companhia de Bebidas”), a majority-owned subsidiary of AB InBev, announced its intention to propose for deliberation by its shareholders, at an extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting, a corporate restructuring to combine Companhia de Bebidas’s dual-class capital structure comprised of voting common and non-voting preferred shares into a new, single-class capital structure comprised exclusively of voting common shares. The purpose of the proposed corporate restructuring is to simplify Companhia de Bebidas’s corporate structure and improve its corporate governance with a view to increasing liquidity to all Companhia de Bebidas shareholders, eliminating certain administrative, financial and other costs and providing more flexibility for management of Companhia de Bebidas’s capital structure.

 

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The extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting was held on 30 July 2013, and the proposed corporate restructuring was approved. The restructuring has been implemented by means of a stock swap merger under the Brazilian Corporate Law ( incorporação de ações ) of Companhia de Bebidas with Ambev S.A (the “Ambev Stock Swap Merger”). As a result of the Ambev Stock Swap Merger, Companhia de Bebidas became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ambev S.A.and the Companhia de Bebidas shareholders received five Ambev S.A. common shares in exchange for each Companhia de Bebidas common or preferred share, and holders of ADRs representing common or preferred shares of Companhia de Bebidas, received five Ambev S.A. ADRs in exchange for each Companhia de Bebidas ADR.

On 30 October 2013, the Brazilian Securities Commission ( Comissão de Valores Mobiliários—CVM ) granted Ambev S.A.’s registration as a public-held company and its shares and ADRs began to be traded, respectively, in the BM&FBOVESPA and in the NYSE on 11 November 2013. The shares issued by Companhia de Bebidas have no longer been traded on the traditional segment of BM&FBOVESPA since 8 November 2013.

On 2 January 2014, the Ambev S.A. shareholders approved the merger of Companhia de Bebidas into Ambev S.A. Thereafter, we retained an unchanged 61.9% economic interest in Ambev S.A., which will continue the Companhia de Bebidas operations, and our voting interest in Ambev S.A. was reduced to 61.9%.

 

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

A. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Consolidated Financial Statements.

See “Item 18. Financial Statements.” For a discussion of our export sales, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review.”

Legal and Arbitration Proceedings

Litigation is subject to uncertainty and we and each of our subsidiaries named as a defendant believe, and have so been advised by counsel handling the respective cases, that we have valid defenses to the litigation pending against us, as well as valid bases for appeal of adverse verdicts, if any. All such cases are, and will continue to be, vigorously defended. However, we and our subsidiaries may enter into settlement discussions in particular cases if we believe it is in our best interests to do so. Except as set forth herein, there have been no governmental, judicial or arbitration proceedings (including any such proceedings which are pending or threatened against us or our subsidiaries of which we are aware) during a period between 1 January 2013 and the date of this Form 20-F which may have, or have had in the recent past, significant effects on our financial position and profitability.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Grupo Modelo Transaction

On 31 January 2013, we announced that the U.S. Department of Justice had filed an action seeking to block the combination with Grupo Modelo, and specifically, our proposal at that time to acquire the remaining stake in Grupo Modelo.

Thereafter, on 19 April 2013, we announced that together with Grupo Modelo and Constellation Brands, Inc., we had reached a final settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The terms of the settlement were substantially in line with the revised transaction announced on 14 February 2013, and included binding commitments to the revised transaction, designed to ensure a prompt divestiture of assets by us to Constellation Brands, Inc., the necessary build-out of the Piedras Negras brewery by Constellation Brands, Inc., as well as certain distribution guarantees for Constellation Brands, Inc. in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam.

 

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We announced the completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo on 4 June 2013, and on 7 June 2013, we announced that in a related transaction, Grupo Modelo completed the sale of its business in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guamto Constellation Brands, Inc. for approximately USD 4.75 billion, in aggregate, subject to post-closing adjustment, which will be paid by Constellation Brands, Inc. no later than 7 June 2014. The post-closing adjustment is approximately USD 558 million.

Cerveceria Bucanero Trademark Claim

In 2009, we received notice of a claim purporting to be made under the Helms-Burton Act relating to the use of a trademark by Cerveceria Bucanero S.A., which is alleged to have been confiscated by the Cuban government and trafficked by us through our ownership and management of Cerveceria Bucanero S.A. Although we have attempted to review and evaluate the validity of the claim, due to the uncertain underlying circumstances, we are currently unable to express a view as to the validity of such claims, or as to the standing of the claimants to pursue them.

German Antitrust Investigation

In August 2011, the German Federal Cartel Office ( Bundeskartellamt ) launched an investigation against several breweries and retailers in Germany in connection with an allegation of anticompetitive vertical price maintenance by breweries vis-à-vis their trading partners in Germany. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, we may face fines. We are taking the appropriate steps in the pending proceedings but have not recorded any provisions for any potential fines at this point in time, as we do not know whether we will eventually face any such fines and, in any event, cannot at this stage reliably estimate the appropriate amount. In addition, we cannot at this stage estimate the likely timing of the resolution of this matter.

Budweiser Trademark Litigation

We are involved in a longstanding trademark dispute with the brewer Budejovicky Budvar, n.p. located in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. This dispute involves the BUD and BUDWEISER trademarks and includes actions pending in national trademark offices as well as courts. There are more than 60 actions pending in approximately 20 jurisdictions. While there are a significant number of actions pending, taken in the aggregate, the actions do not represent a material risk to our financial position or profitability.

Starbev Litigation

At the time of the 2009 sale of our Central European operations to CVC Capital Partners, we received rights under a Contingent Value Right Agreement (“ CVR Agreement ”) to a future payment that was contingent on CVC’s return on its initial investments. On 15 June 2012, CVC sold the business to Molson Coors Brewing Company for an aggregate consideration of EUR 2.65 billion (USD 3.65 billion). We believe that as a result of the sale to Molson, the return earned by CVC Capital Partners triggered our right to a further payment under the CVR Agreement. On 25 October 2012, CVC Capital Partners issued proceedings against us in the English Commercial Court in relation to the CVR Agreement and sought a declaration that the return it received following the sale to Molson did not trigger our right to payment. We served our defense and counterclaim on 19 December 2012. The amount we are able to recover will depend on discovery and calculation criteria explored at trial in March 2014.

Investigations Inquiring into Indian Operations

We have been informed by the SEC that it is conducting an investigation into our affiliates in India, including our non-consolidated Indian joint venture, ABInBev India Private Limited, and whether certain relationships of agents and employees were compliant with the FCPA. We have been informed by the U.S. Department of Justice that it is also conducting a similar investigation. We are investigating the conduct in question and are cooperating with the SEC and the DOJ.

 

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Alcohol-by-Volume Litigation

In the first quarter of 2013, nine lawsuits were filed against us relating to the alcohol-by-volume in several of our beer brands. Eight of these lawsuits were filed in Federal Courts located in California, Colorado, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. The ninth was filed in State Court in Missouri. The lawsuits generally allege that such products contain lower alcohol-by-volume levels than what is stated on the labels, in violation of various federal and state laws. In June 2013, the lawsuits in Federal Courts were consolidated into a multi-district litigation in Ohio. We will vigorously defend against these lawsuits.

Ambev and its Subsidiaries

Tax Matters

As of 31 December 2013, Ambev and its subsidiaries had several tax claims pending in Brazil, including judicial and administrative proceedings. Most of these claims relate to ICMS value-added tax, IPI excise tax, and income tax and social contributions. As of 31 December 2013, Ambev had made provisions of R$255 million (USD 109 million) in connection with those tax proceedings for which it believed there was a probable chance of loss.

Among the pending tax claims, there are claims filed by Ambev against Brazilian tax authorities alleging that certain taxes are unconstitutional. Such tax proceedings include claims for income taxes, ICMS value-added tax, IPI excise tax and taxes on revenue, such as the Social Integration Program Contribution ( Programa de Integração Social ), or the PIS Contribution, and the Social Security Funding Contribution ( Contribuição para Financiamento da Seguridade Social ), or the COFINS . As these claims are contingent on obtaining favorable judicial decisions, the corresponding assets which might arise in the future are only recorded once it becomes certain that Ambev will receive the amounts previously paid or deposited.

As of 31 December 2013, there were also tax proceedings with a total estimated possible risk of loss of R$14.4 billion (USD 6.1 billion). Approximately R$10.2 billion (USD 4.4 billion) of this figure is related to income tax and social contributions. Approximately R$3.8 billion (USD 1.6 billion) is related to value-added and excise taxes, of which the most significant are discussed below.

Value-Added Tax, Excise Tax and Taxes on Net Sales

Ambev is currently party to legal proceedings with the State of Rio de Janeiro where it is challenging such State’s attempt to assess ICMS with respect to irrevocable discounts granted by Ambev in January 1996 and February 1998. These proceedings are currently before the Superior Court of Justice and the Brazilian Supreme Court. In November 2013, we received similar tax assessments issued by the State of Pará. Ambev management estimates the total exposure in relation to the matter to be of R$760 million (USD 324 million) as of 31 December 2013, which Ambev has treated as a possible loss. Such estimate is based on reasonable assumptions and assessments of management, but should Ambev lose such proceedings the expected net impact on its income statement would be an expense for this amount.

Many states in Brazil offer tax benefits programs to attract investments to their regions. Ambev participates in ICMS value-added tax credit programs offered by various Brazilian states, which provide (i) tax credits to offset ICMS value-added tax payable and (ii) ICMS value-added tax deferrals. In return, Ambev is required to meet certain operational requirements including, depending on the state, production volume and employment targets, among others. All of these conditions are included in specific agreements between Ambev and the Brazilian state governments. In the event that Ambev does not meet the program’s targets, future benefits may be withdrawn. The total amount deferred (financing) as of 31 December 2013, was R$169 million (USD 72 million).

There is a controversy regarding whether these state tax deferral benefits are constitutional when granted without the approval of every state of Brazil. Some states and public prosecutors have filed direct actions of unconstitutionality in the Brazilian Supreme Court to challenge the constitutionality of certain Brazilian state laws granting tax incentive programs unilaterally, without the prior approval of CONFAZ (the council formed by all 27

 

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Brazilian State Treasury Secretaries). Since 2007, Ambev has received tax assessments from the States of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais in the aggregate amount of approximately R$364 million (USD 155 million) challenging the legality of tax credits arising from existing tax incentives received by Ambev in other states. Ambev has treated these proceedings as a possible (but not probable) loss. Should Ambev lose such proceedings, the expected net impact on its income statement would be an expense for this amount. Moreover, Ambev cannot rule out the possibility of other Brazilian states issuing similar tax assessments related to Ambev’s tax incentives. In 2011 the Brazilian Supreme Court declared 14 Brazilian state laws granting tax incentives without the prior approval of CONFAZ unconstitutional, including one granting incentives to Ambev in the federal district, which Ambev has ceased to benefit from since such decision. In a meeting held on 30 September 2011, CONFAZ issued a resolution suspending the state’s right to claim return of the tax incentives incurred by the beneficiaries of the state laws declared unconstitutional. There are a number of other actions before the Brazilian Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of benefit laws offered by some states, which may impact Ambev’s tax benefits.

Goods manufactured within the Manaus Free Trade Zone – ZFM intended for consumption elsewhere in Brazil are exempt from the Brazilian IPI excise tax. Ambev’s subsidiaries have been registering IPI excise tax presumed credits upon the acquisition of exempted inputs manufactured therein. Since 2009 Ambev has been receiving a number of tax assessments from the Brazilian Federal Tax Authorities relating to the disallowance of such presumed credits, which decision from the Upper House of the Administrative Court is still pending. Ambev’s management estimates possible losses in relation to these assessments to be approximately R$720 million (USD 307 million) as of 31 December 2013.

Ambev Profits Generated Abroad

During the first quarter of 2005, certain subsidiaries of Ambev received a number of assessments from Brazilian federal tax authorities relating to profits of its foreign subsidiaries. In December 2008, the Administrative Court decided one of the tax assessments relating to earnings of Ambev’s foreign subsidiaries. This decision was partially favorable to Ambev, and in connection with the remaining part, Ambev filed an appeal to the Appellate Division of the Administrative Court and is awaiting its decision. With respect to another of the tax assessments relating to foreign profits, the Administrative Court rendered a decision favorable to Ambev in September 2011. In December 2013, Ambev received another tax assessment related to the matter. Ambev estimates the exposures of possible losses in relation to these assessments to be approximately R$3.8 billion (USD 1.6 billion) as of 31 December 2013, and of probable losses to be of R$32 million (USD 14 million).

Tax Loss Offset

Ambev and certain of its subsidiaries received a number of assessments from Brazilian federal tax authorities relating to the offset of tax loss carry forwards arising in the context of business combinations.

Ambev estimated the total exposures of possible losses in relation to these assessments to be approximately of R$583 million (USD 249 million) as of 31 December 2013. Ambev has not recorded any provision in connection therewith.

Tax Amnesty and Refinancing Program

In 2009, Ambev elected to enroll in the Tax Amnesty and Refinancing Program, introduced by Brazilian Federal Law 11,941/09, with respect to some of its current tax lawsuits. Under this program, Ambev agreed to pay R$375 million (USD 160 million) in 180 monthly installments, as from June 2011, in return for ceasing to dispute certain tax amounts (the “2009 Tax Amnesty and Refinancing Program”). As of December 2013, the total amount due under the 2009 Tax Amnesty and Refinancing Program is R$239 million (USD 102 million), recorded under the “ Other taxes, charges and contributions ” item of Ambev’s income statement.

On December 2013, pursuant to Law No. 12,865/2013, which allowed the inclusion of additional disputed tax amounts in a Tax Amnesty and Refinancing Program with the same conditions of the 2009 Tax Amnesty and Refinancing Program (the “2013 Tax Amnesty and Refinancing Program”), Ambev included in the 2013 Tax Amnesty and Refinancing Program certain additional disputed tax amounts that had been previously litigated by Ambev. As of 31 December 2013, the tax liabilities included in the 2013 Tax Amnesty and Refinancing Program totaled R$178 million (USD 76 million).

 

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Special Goodwill Reserve

In December 2011, Ambev received a tax assessment from the Secretaria da Receita Federal do Brasil related to the goodwill amortization resulting from InBev Brasil’s merger with Ambev referred to under “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions—Ambev Special Goodwill Reserve.” In June 2012, Ambev filed an appeal against the unfavorable first-level administrative decision and awaits the decision of the Administrative Court. Ambev believes that the goodwill amortization and respective deduction for tax purposes were in compliance with the provisions set forth by CVM Instruction No. 319/1999 and that Ambev’s use of this goodwill was lawful. Ambev believes that the Brazilian Federal Tax Authorities’ position is incorrect, the grounds to contest the tax assessment are well founded, and the risk of loss is possible (but not probable). Accordingly, Ambev has not recorded any provisions for this matter and estimates the amount of possible losses in relation to this assessment to be approximately R$3.9 billion (USD 1.7 billion) as of 31 December 2013. In the event that Ambev is required to pay these amounts, we will reimburse Ambev the amount proportional to the benefit received by us pursuant to the merger protocol, as well as the related costs.

In October 2013, Ambev also received a tax assessment related to the goodwill amortization resulting from the merger of Quinsa S.A. into Ambev. Ambev filed a defense in November 2013 and awaits the administrative first decision. Ambev management estimates the amount of possible losses in relation to this assessment to be approximately R$1.1 billion (USD 0.5 billion) as of 31 December 2013. Ambev has not recorded any provision in connection therewith.

Labor Matters

Ambev is involved in a total of 19,923 labor claims. In Brazil, it is not unusual for a company to be named as a defendant in such a significant number of claims. As of 31 December 2013, Ambev has made provisions totaling R$159 million (USD 68 million) in connection with slightly over a fifth of the above labor claims with former and current employees. The claims primarily relate to overtime, dismissals, severance, health and safety premiums, supplementary retirement benefits and other matters, all of which are awaiting judicial resolution.

Civil Claims

As of 31 December 2013, Ambev had 4,671 civil claims pending in Brazil, including third-party distributors and product-related claims. Ambev is the plaintiff in 1,181 and the defendant in 3,394 of these claims. Ambev has established provisions totaling R$21 million (USD 9 million) for Ambev and its subsidiaries as of 31 December 2013, in connection with civil claims.

Zeca Pagodinho

Ambev is party to a tortious interference claim brought by its competitor Schincariol whereby Schincariol seeks damages in the range of R$100 million (USD 43 million) from Ambev, claiming that Ambev signed up the entertainer Zeca Pagodinho while he was still contractually bound with Schincariol. On 20 July 2007, the lower courts of the State of São Paulo denied Schincariol’s claim, and Schincariol filed an appeal on 24 August 2007. On 12 June 2013, the Court of Appeals of São Paulo State partially granted Schincariol’s appeals and sentenced us to indemnify Schincariol for reputational damages in the amount of R$ 200,000 (USD 85,375) and monetary damages to be calculated at a later stage. Monetary damages should encompass Schincariol’s expenses with advertisement that could not be used by virtue of the termination of the contract with Zeca Pagodinho. Both Schincariol and Ambev appealed against such decision. The appeals are awaiting judgment. Ambev has not recorded a provision in connection with such proceeding.

 

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Warrants

In 2002, Ambev decided to request a ruling from the CVM ( Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios , the Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil) in connection with a dispute between Ambev and some of its warrant holders regarding the criteria used in the calculation of the strike price of certain Ambev warrants. In March and April 2003, the CVM ruled that the criteria used by Ambev to calculate the strike price were correct. In response to the CVM’s final decision and seeking to reverse it, some of the warrant holders filed separate lawsuits before the courts of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Although the warrants expired without being exercised, the warrant holders claim that the strike price should be reduced to take into account the strike price of certain stock options granted by Ambev under its Stock Ownership Program, as well as for the strike price of other warrants issued in 1993 by Brahma.

Ambev has knowledge of at least eleven claims in which the plaintiff argues that they would be entitled to those rights. Two of them were ruled favorably to Ambev by the appellate court of the State of São Paulo. A third one was settled. Ambev received a favorable ruling in one claim by a first level court in Rio de Janeiro, and the appellate court of the State of Rio de Janeiro ruled against Ambev in the other three claims. Ambev has appealed to the Superior Court of Justice with respect to the final decisions issued by the appellate court of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

The warrant holders of both claims denied by the appellate court of the State of São Paulo have also appealed to the Superior Court of Justice.The Superior Court of Justice decided in favor of Ambev in both claims, although one of the decisions was rendered by a single judge and was appealed to the full court, where judgment is pending. The possibility of reversal by the full court of a decision issued by a single judge is possible, while the possibility of reversal of a decision issued by the full court is remote.

In the event the plaintiffs prevail in the above six pending proceedings, Ambev believes that the corresponding economic dilution for the existing shareholders would be the difference between the market value of the shares at the time they are issued and the value ultimately established in liquidation proceedings as being the subscription price pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. Ambev believes that the warrants which are the object of those six proceedings represented, on 31 December 2013, 172,831,575 common shares that would be issued at a value substantially below fair market value, should claimants ultimately prevail. The plaintiffs also claim they should receive past dividends related to these shares in the amount of approximately R$413 million (USD 176 million).

Ambev believes that its chances of receiving unfavorable final decisions are either possible or remote, and therefore it has not established a provision for this litigation in its financial statements. As these disputes are based on whether Ambev should receive as a subscription price a lower price than the price that it considers correct, a provision of amounts with respect to these proceedings would only be applicable with respect to legal fees and past dividends.

Antitrust Matters

Investigations

Ambev currently has a number of antitrust investigations pending against it before antitrust authorities.

Tô Contigo

On 22 July 2009, Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Economica (“ CADE ”) issued its ruling in connection with a proceeding initiated in 2004 as a result of a complaint filed by Schincariol that had, as its main purpose, the investigation of Ambev’s conduct in the market, in particular Ambev’s customer loyalty program known as “Tô Contigo” and which is similar to airline frequent flyer and other mileage programs.

 

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During its investigation, the Secretariat of Economic Law of the Ministry of Justice (“ SDE ”) concluded that the program should be considered anticompetitive unless certain adjustments were made. These adjustments were substantially incorporated into the version of the program at that time, and the program no longer exists. The SDE opinion did not threaten any fines and recommended that the other accusations be dismissed. After the SDE opinion, the proceeding was sent to CADE, which issued a ruling that, among other things, imposed a fine in the amount of R$353 million (USD 151 million), or R$490 million (USD 209 million) as of 31 December 2013, reflecting accrued interest.

Ambev has challenged CADE’s decision before the federal courts, which have ordered the suspension of the fine and other parts of the decision upon our posting of a guarantee. Ambev has already rendered a court bond ( carta de fiança ) for this purpose and the decision is partially suspended. The lawsuit is awaiting judgement.

On 29 March 2011, and following a determination included in the abovementioned CADE decision, the SDE initiated investigations to determine whether individuals should also be held responsible for the Tô Contigo practices, including Bernardo Pinto Paiva, currently our Chief Sales Officer, and Ricardo Tadeu Almeida Cabral de Soares, currently our Zone President Mexico and formerly the Chief Sales Officer and Sales Executive Officer of Ambev.

Kaiser

On 2 April 2007, Cervejaria Kaiser, which is currently one of the largest beer producers in Brazil and a part of the Heineken Group, filed a complaint with Brazilian antitrust authorities alleging that Ambev’s cooler programs and exclusivity agreements constituted anti-competitive practices, and also that Ambev launched two counter brands ( Puerto del Sol and Puerto del Mar ) in connection with the entry of Kaiser’s product Sol Pilsen in 2006. On 9 December 2008, the SDE registered two administrative proceedings to investigate the alleged practices. Ambev’s preliminary responses were filed before SDE on 18 February 2009 and 16 January 2012. Both cases are being investigated by CADE. With respect to the Puerto del Sol and Puerto del Mar disputes, one of the five reporting CADE commissioner in charge of the matter issued an opinion in February 2014 finding that no antitrust violations resulted from our launch of these beer brands and recommending that the case be dismissed; the case is awaiting the decision from the other four commissioners in charge.

Environmental Matters

Riachuelo

In 2004, an environmental complaint was initiated by certain neighbors residing in the Riachuelo Basin against the State of Argentina, the Province of Buenos Aires, the city of Buenos Aires and more than 40 corporate entities (including Cerveceria y Malteria Quilmes S.A.) with premises located in the Riachuelo Basin or that discharge their waste into the Riachuelo River. In this complaint, the Argentine Supreme Court of Justice has resolved that the State of Argentina, the Province of Buenos Aires and the city of Buenos Aires remain primarily responsible for the remediation of the environment, and further resolved that the Riachuelo Basin Authority, an environmental authority created in 2006 pursuant to the Argentine Law No. 26, 168, would be responsible for the implementation of a Remediation Plan for the Riachuelo Basin. The Supreme Court of Justice has not ruled on the issue of liability for environmental damages.

Others

The Public Attorney of the State of Rio de Janeiro requested the initiation of a civil inquiry on 12 December 2003 to investigate anonymous reports of pollution allegedly caused by Nova Rio, Ambev’s breweries located in the State of Rio de Janeiro. Currently this investigation is in the discovery phase. Ambev expects this investigation to be dismissed as Ambev has presented several expert opinions, including one from the State environmental agency, showing lack of environmental damages. Furthermore, the police of Rio de Janeiro requested the initiation of a criminal inquiry on 2 June 2003 to investigate the author of the alleged environmental crime, which is also in the discovery phase. Ambev expects this investigation will be dismissed concurrently with the civil investigation mentioned above.

 

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Brazilian Beer Industry Litigation

On 28 October 2008, the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor’s Office ( Ministério Público Federal ) filed a suit for damages against Ambev and two other brewing companies claiming total damages of approximately R$2.8 billion (USD 1.2 billion) (of which approximately R$2.1 billion (USD 896 million) are claimed against Ambev). The public prosecutor alleges that: (i) alcohol causes serious damage to individual and public health, and that beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in Brazil; (ii) defendants have approximately 90% of the national beer market share and are responsible for significant investments in advertising; and (iii) the advertising campaigns increase not only the market share of the defendants but also the total consumption of alcohol and, hence, damage society and encourage underage consumption.

Shortly after the above lawsuit was filed, a consumer-protection association applied to be admitted as a joint-plaintiff. The association has made further requests in addition to the ones made by the Public Prosecutor, including the claim for “collective moral damages” in an amount to be ascertained by the court; however, it suggests that it should be equal to the initial request of R$2.8 billion (USD 1.2 billion) (therefore, it doubles the initial amount involved). The court has admitted the association as joint-plaintiff and has agreed to hear the new claims. Ambev believes that its chances of loss are remote and, therefore, has not made any provision with respect to such claim.

Anheuser-Busch

Dispositions Pension Litigation

On 1 December 2009, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC and the Anheuser-Busch Companies Pension Plan were sued in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri in a lawsuit styled Richard F. Angevine v. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, et al. The plaintiff sought to represent a class of certain employees of Busch Entertainment Corporation, which was divested on 1 December 2009, and the four Metal Container Corporation plants which were divested on 1 October 2009. He also sought to certify a class action and represent certain employees of any other subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC that has been divested or may be divested during the three-year period from the date of the Anheuser-Busch acquisition, 18 November 2008 through 17 November 2011. Among other things, the lawsuit claimed that we failed to provide him and the other class members (if certified) with certain enhanced benefits, and breached our fiduciary duties under the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. On 16 July 2010, the court dismissed plaintiff’s lawsuit. The court ruled that the claims for breach of fiduciary duty and punitive damages were not proper. The court also found that the plaintiff did not exhaust all of his administrative remedies, which he must first do before filing a lawsuit. On 9 August 2010, the plaintiff filed an appeal of this decision to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which was denied on 22 July 2011. No further appeals were filed.

On 15 September 2010, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and several of its related companies were sued in Federal Court for the Southern District of Ohio in a lawsuit entitled Rusby Adams et al. v. AB InBev, et al. This lawsuit was filed by four employees of Metal Container Corporation’s facilities in Columbus, Ohio, Gainesville, Florida, and Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin that were divested on 1 October 2009. Similar to the Angevine lawsuit, these plaintiffs seek to represent a class of participants of the Anheuser-Busch Companies Salaried Employees’ Pension Plan (the “ Plan ”) who had been employed by subsidiaries of Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC that had been divested during the period of 18 November 2008 through 17 November 2011. The plaintiffs also allege claims similar to the Angevine lawsuit, namely, that by failing to provide plaintiffs with these enhanced benefits, we breached our fiduciary duties under the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. We filed a Motion to Dismiss and obtained dismissal of the breach of fiduciary duty claims in April 2011, leaving only the claims for benefits remaining. On 28 March 2012, the Court certified that the case could proceed as a class action comprised of former employees of the divested Metal Container Corporation operations. On 9 January 2013, the Court granted our Motion for Judgment on the Administrative Record. The plaintiffs appealed the decision on 5 February 2013 and the appeal has been argued before the US Court of Appeals of the Sixth Circuit.

On 10 January 2012, a class action complaint asserting claims very similar to those asserted in the Angevine lawsuit was filed in Federal Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, styled Nancy Anderson et al. v. Anheuser-Busch Companies Pension Plan et al. Unlike the Angevine case, however, the plaintiff in this matter

 

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alleges complete exhaustion of all administrative remedies. On 11 March 2013 the court consolidated the case with the Knowlton case mentioned below. A consolidated complaint was filed on 19 April 2013. On 30 October 2013, the court dismissed the breach of fiduciary claims. One count remains outstanding and we filed a motion to dismiss, which is still pending.

On 10 October 2012, another class action complaint was filed against Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC, Anheuser-Busch Companies Pension Plan, Anheuser-Busch Companies Pension Plan Appeals Committee and the Anheuser-Busch Companies Pension Plan Administrative Committee by Brian Knowlton and several other former Busch Entertainment Corporation Employees. It was filed in Federal Court in the Southern District of California, and was amended on 12 October 2012. Like the other lawsuits, it claims that the employees of any divested assets were entitled to enhanced retirement benefits under section 19.11(f) of the Plan. However, it specifically excluded the divested Metal Container Corporation facilities that were included in the Adams class action. On 11 March 2013 the court consolidated the case with the Nancy Anderson case mentioned above. A consolidated complaint was filed on 19 April 2013. On 30 October 2013, the court dismissed the breach of fiduciary claims. One count remains outstanding and we filed a motion to dismiss, which is still pending. Class certification briefing is scheduled to occur during the first quarter of 2014.

Acquisition Antitrust Matters

The combination with Grupo Modelo was subject, and required approvals or notifications pursuant, to various antitrust laws, including under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “ Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ”).

United States

Under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, before the combination with Grupo Modelo could be consummated, Grupo Modelo and we were each required to file a notification and report form and to wait until the applicable waiting period had expired or been terminated. In July 2012, we and Grupo Modelo filed notification and report forms under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The initial 30-day waiting period was extended on 17 August 2012 for a period of time necessary for us and Grupo Modelo to respond to requests for additional information we and Grupo Modelo received from the U.S. Department of Justice, plus an additional 30 days for the relevant U.S. authorities to review after both parties substantially complied with the requests.

On 31 January 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the proposed combination with Grupo Modelo and seeking an injunction to block the transaction.

Thereafter, on 19 April 2013, we announced that together with Grupo Modelo and Constellation Brands, Inc., we had reached a final settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The terms of the settlement were substantially in line with the revised transaction announced on 14 February 2013, and included binding commitments to the revised transaction, designed to ensure a prompt divestiture of assets by us to Constellation Brands, Inc., the necessary build-out of the Piedras Negras brewery by Constellation Brands, Inc., as well as certain distribution guarantees for Constellation Brands, Inc. in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam.

We announced the completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo on 4 June 2013, and on 7 June 2013, we announced that in a related transaction, Grupo Modelo completed the sale of its business in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam to Constellation Brands, Inc. The transaction included the sale of Grupo Modelo’s 50% stake in Crown Imports and the sale of the Grupo Modelo’s Piedras Negras brewery and perpetual rights to certain of Grupo Modelo’s brands in the United States.

 

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Mexico

The Mexican Antitrust Commission approved the combination with Grupo Modelo without any condition by resolution dated on 8 November 2012. The term of the Mexican Antitrust Commission’s approval was extended on 19 February 2013 for an additional period of six months, effective until 19 August 2013. The combination with Grupo Modelo was completed on 4 June 2013.

On 7 June 2013, in a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo, Grupo Modelo completed the sale of its business in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam to Constellation Brands, Inc. for approximately USD 4.75 billion, in aggregate, subject to post-closing adjustment, which will be paid by Constellation Brands, Inc. no later than 7 June 2014. The post-closing adjustment is approximately USD 558 million.

Dividend Policy

Our current dividend policy is to declare a dividend representing in aggregate at least 25% of our consolidated profit attributable to our equity holders, excluding exceptional items, such as restructuring charges, gains or losses on business disposals and impairment charges, subject to applicable legal provisions relating to distributable profit.

Any matter relating to our dividend payout policy (except that the actual amount of any dividend remains subject to approval at our shareholders’ meeting in accordance with the Belgian Companies Code) is within the jurisdiction of our shareholders’ meetings and shall be adopted with a positive vote of at least 75% of the shares attending or represented at the meeting, regardless of the number of shares attending or represented, if and only if any four of our directors request that the matter be submitted at our shareholders’ meeting.

The dividends are approved by our annual shareholders’ meeting and are paid on the dates and at the places appointed by our Board. Our Board may pay an interim dividend in accordance with the provisions of the Belgian Companies Code.

In February 2013, our Board decided to pay the dividends on a semi-annual basis going forward. Starting with dividends for fiscal year 2013, the dividends payable for any given fiscal year will be paid in November of such year and in May of the following year. The dividend payable in November will be an advance amount decided by the board of directors in the form of an interim dividend. The dividend payable in May of the following year will be decided by the shareholders meeting and will supplement the amount already distributed in November. In both cases, the dividends will be paid on the dates and at the places communicated by the board of directors. This change will allow us to manage our cash flow more efficiently throughout the year by matching dividend payments more closely with operating cash flow generation.

The table below summarizes the dividends paid by us in the most recent financial years.

 

Financial year

   Number of our shares
outstanding at end of
relevant financial
year
     Gross amount
of dividend  per
Share

(in EUR)
     Gross
amount  of
dividend

per Share
(in USD)
     Payment date(s)  

2013

     1,607,844,590         1.45         2.00         8 May 2014   

2013

     1,607,844,590         0.60         0.83         18 November 2013   

2012

     1,606,787,543         1.70         2.24         2 May 2013   

2011

     1,606,071,789         1.20         1.55         3 May 2012   

2010

     1,605,183,954         0.80         1.07         2 May 2011   

2009

     1,604,301,123         0.38         0.55         3 May 2010   

 

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B. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

On 20 January 2014, we announced an agreement whereby we will reacquire Oriental Brewery, the leading brewer in South Korea, from KKR and Affinity Equity Partners. The enterprise value for the transaction is USD 5.8 billion, and as a result of an agreement entered into with KKR and Affinity Equity Partners in 2009, we will receive approximately USD 320 million in cash at closing from this transaction, subject to closing adjustments according to the terms of the transaction. This agreement returns Oriental Brewery to our portfolio after we sold the company in July 2009, following the combination of InBev and Anheuser-Busch in support of the company’s deleveraging target. We will reacquire Oriental Brewery earlier than July 2014, as we were originally entitled to do under the terms of the 2009 transaction, drawing on existing liquidity to fund the acquisition. The closing of this transaction is subject to regulatory approval in South Korea as well as other customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the first half of 2014

On 27 January 2014, we issued USD 5.25 billion aggregate principal amount of bonds, consisting of USD 1.2 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2017; USD 300 million aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2017; USD 1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2019; USD 250 million aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2019; USD 1.4 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2024; and USD 850 million aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2044. The fixed rate notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 1.125% for the 2017 notes; 2.150% for the 2019 notes; 3.700% for the 2024 notes; and 4.625% for the 2044 notes. The floating rate notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 19.00 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the 2017 floating rate notes and 40.00 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the 2019 floating rate notes.

In January 2014, the Argentinean peso underwent a severe devaluation. In 2013, the Argentinean operations represented 4.6% of our total revenue and 3.6% of our EBITDA, as defined. The 2013 Argentinean full year results were translated at an average rate of 5.4466 Argentinean pesos per US dollar. The 2014 devaluation, and further devaluations in the future, if any, is expected to decrease the company’s net assets in Argentina, with a balancing entry in the equity of the company. The translation of results and cash flows of the company’s Argentinean operations are also expected to be impacted. For our definition of EBITDA, as defined, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—E. Results of Operations—Year Ended 31 December 2013 Compared to the Year Ended 31 December 2012—EBITDA, as defined.”

On 30 October 2013, an interim dividend of EUR 0.60 (USD 0.83) per share was approved by our board of directors. This dividend was paid out on 18 November 2013. On 25 February 2014, in addition to the interim dividend paid on 18 November 2013, a dividend of EUR 1.45 (USD 2.00) per share was proposed by our board of directors, reflecting a total dividend payment for 2013 fiscal year of EUR 2.05 (USD 2.83) per share. If approved, the shares will trade ex-coupon as of 5 May 2014, the Record Date will be 7 May 2014 and dividends will be payable as of 8 May 2014.

 

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ITEM 9. THE OFFER AND LISTING

A. THE OFFER AND LISTING

Price History of Stock

Ordinary shares listed on Euronext Brussels

The table below shows the quoted high and low closing sales prices in euro on Euronext Brussels for our shares for the indicated periods.

 

     Per Share  
     High      Low  
     (in EUR)  

Annual

     

2013

     78.66         63.90   

2012

     69.94         46.35   

2011

     47.31         35.15   

2010

     45.84         33.99   

2009

     36.51         16.50   

Quarterly

     

2013

     

Fourth Quarter

     77.90         70.90   

Third Quarter

     76.34         66.55   

Second Quarter

     78.66         65.05   

First Quarter

     77.25         63.90   

2012

     

Fourth Quarter

     69.42         64.26   

Third Quarter

     69.94         62.52   

Second Quarter

     61.30         52.77   

First Quarter

     55.00         46.35   

Monthly

     

2014

     

February

     76.34         69.55   

January

     77.26         70.97   

2013

     

December

     77.38         72.56   

November

     77.90         75.15   

October

     76.60         70.90   

September

     76.34         71.86   

ADSs listed on NYSE

On 16 September 2009, we listed 1,608,663,943 ADSs on the NYSE, each of which represents one of our ordinary shares. The table below shows the quoted high and low closing sales prices in USD on NYSE for our shares for the indicated periods.

 

     Per Share  
     High      Low  
     (in USD)  

Annual

     

2013

     106.46         84.29   

2012

     90.27         58.92   

2011

     63.97         49.72   

Quarterly

     

2013

     

Fourth Quarter

     106.46         95.84   

Third Quarter

     102.57         87.46   

Second Quarter

     101.84         86.64   

First Quarter

     99.55         84.29   

2012

     

Fourth Quarter

     90.27         81.94   

Third Quarter

     87.54         76.64   

Second Quarter

     79.65         65.57   

First Quarter

     73.48         58.92   

Monthly

     

2014

     

February

     104.61         94.17   

January

     105.20         95.89   

2013

     

December

     106.46         100.21   

November

     104.83         101.53   

October

     104.71         95.84   

September

     102.57         93.35   

 

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Share Details

See “Item 10. Additional Information—B. Memorandum and Articles of Association and Other Share Information—Form and Transferability of Our Shares” for details regarding our shares.

Each of our shares is entitled to one vote except for shares owned by us, or by any of our direct subsidiaries, the voting rights of which are suspended. Shares held by our main shareholders do not entitle such shareholders to different voting rights.

B. PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

Not applicable.

C. MARKETS

We are incorporated under the laws of Belgium (register of legal entities number 0417.497.106), and our shares are listed on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels under the symbol “ABI.” The securities that we have listed on the NYSE are ADSs, each of which represents one of our shares. We listed 1,608,663,943 ADSs listed on the NYSE on 16 September 2009 (such number equal to the number of our shares plus the number of warrants on our shares outstanding as of 7 September 2009). For more information on our shares see “—B. Memorandum and Articles of Association and Other Share Information—Form and Transferability of Our Shares.” Our ADSs are described in greater detail under “Item 12. Description of Securities Other Than Equity Securities—D. American Depositary Shares.”

Euronext Brussels

Euronext Brussels is a subsidiary of Euronext N.V., a company organized under the laws of the Netherlands, and holds a national license as the stock exchange operator in Belgium. Euronext N.V. is a pan-European stock exchange, grouping together the Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris stock exchanges and Liffe, London’s derivatives market. The combination of Euronext N.V. with NYSE Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation, was consummated on 4 April 2007 to create NYSE Euronext. The exchanges of NYSE Euronext list a wide variety of securities, including domestic and international equity securities, convertible bonds, warrants, trackers and debt securities, including corporate and government bonds. All of NYSE Euronext’s markets in Europe are subsidiaries of Euronext N.V. On December 20, 2012, NYSE Euronext announced a definitive agreement for IntercontinentalExchange Group to acquire NYSE Euronext in a stock-and-cash transaction. The agreement, which was amended and restated on March 19, 2013, provides for the combination of two leading exchange groups to create a premier global exchange operator diversified across markets including agricultural and energy commodities, credit derivatives, equities and equity derivatives, foreign exchange and interest rates.

Trading Platform and Market Structure . Cash trading on NYSE Euronext’s markets in Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris takes place via a single universal trading platform, following the successful migration of these markets from the former nouveau système de cotation in 2009.

Cash trading on NYSE Euronext in Europe is governed both by a single harmonized rulebook for trading on each of NYSE Euronext’s markets and by non-harmonized NYSE Euronext Rulebooks containing local exchange-specific rules. NYSE Euronext’s trading rules provide for an order-driven market using an open electronic central order book for each traded security, various order types and automatic order matching and a guarantee of full anonymity both for orders and trades.

 

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Trading Members. The majority of NYSE Euronext’s cash trading members are brokers and dealers based in European Euronext’s marketplaces, but also include members in other parts of Europe, most notably the United Kingdom and Germany.

Clearing and Settlement . Clearing and settlement of trades executed on NYSE Euronext in Europe are handled by LCH.Clearnet (for central counterparty clearing), and independent entities that provide services to NYSE Euronext pursuant to contractual agreement.

Euronext Brussels is governed by, and recognized as a market undertaking under, the Belgian Act of 2 August 2002 (the “ Act ”). Pursuant to the Act, the FSMA is responsible for disciplinary powers against members and issuers, control of sensitive information, supervision of markets, and investigative powers. Euronext Brussels is responsible for the organization of the markets and the admission, suspension and exclusion of members, and has been appointed by law as the “competent authority” within the meaning of the Listing Directive (Directive 2001/34/EC of 28 May 2001 of the European Parliament, as amended).

D. SELLING SHAREHOLDERS

Not applicable.

E. DILUTION

Not applicable.

F. EXPENSES OF THE ISSUE

Not applicable.

ITEM 10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A. SHARE CAPITAL

Not applicable.

B. MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION AND OTHER SHARE INFORMATION

A copy of our articles of association dated 10 February 2014 has been filed as Exhibit 99.2 to Form 6-K filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 11 February 2014.

Corporate Profile

We are a public limited liability company incorporated in the form of a société anonyme/naamloze vennootschap under Belgian law (register of legal entities number 0417.497.106). Our registered office is located at Grand-Place/Grote Markt 1, 1000 Brussels, Belgium, and our headquarters are located at Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. We were incorporated on 2 August 1977 and our financial year runs from 1 January to 31 December.

Corporate Purpose

According to Article 4 of our articles of association, our corporate purpose is:

 

   

To produce and deal in all kinds of beers, drinks, foodstuffs and ancillary products, fabricate, process and deal in all by-products and accessories, of whatsoever origin or form, of its industry and trade, and to design, construct or produce part or all of the facilities for the manufacture of the aforementioned products;

 

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To purchase, construct, convert, sell, let, sublet, lease, license and exploit in any form whatsoever all real property and real property rights and all businesses, goodwill, movable property and movable property rights connected with our business;

 

   

To acquire and manage investments, shares and interests in companies or undertakings having objects similar or related to, or likely to promote the attainment of, any of the foregoing objects, and in financing companies; to finance such companies or undertakings by means of loans, guarantees or in any other manner whatsoever; and to take part in the management of the aforesaid companies through membership of our Board governing body; and

 

   

To carry out all administrative, technical, commercial and financial work and studies for the account of undertakings in which it holds an interest or on behalf of third parties.

We may, within the limits of our corporate purpose, engage in all civil, commercial, financial and industrial operations and transactions connected with our corporate purpose either within or outside Belgium. We may take interests by way of asset contribution, merger, subscription, equity investment, financial support or otherwise in all companies, undertakings or associations having a corporate purpose similar or related to or likely to promote the furtherance of our corporate purpose.

Board of Directors

Belgian law does not regulate specifically the ability of directors to borrow money from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV.

Our Corporate Governance Charter prohibits us from making loans to directors, whether for the purpose of exercising options or for any other purpose (except for routine advances for business-related expenses in accordance with our rules for reimbursement of expenses). See “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions—Transactions with Directors and Executive Board of Management Members (Key Management Personnel)—Loans to directors.”

Article 523 of the Belgian Companies Code provides that if one of our directors directly or indirectly has a personal financial interest that conflicts with a decision or transaction that falls within the powers of our Board, the director concerned must inform our other directors before our Board makes any decision on such transaction. The statutory auditor must also be notified. The director may not participate in the deliberation or vote on the conflicting decision or transaction. An excerpt from the minutes of the meeting of our Board that sets forth the financial impact of the matter on us and justifies the decision of our Board must be published in our annual report. The statutory auditors’ report to the annual accounts must contain a description of the financial impact on us of each of the decisions of our Board where director conflicts arise.

We are relying on a provision in the NYSE Listed Company Manual that allows us to follow Belgian corporate law and the Belgian Corporate Governance Code with regard to certain aspects of corporate governance. This allows us to continue following certain corporate governance practices that differ in significant respects from the corporate governance requirements applicable to U.S. companies listed on the NYSE. See “Item 16G. Corporate Governance” for a concise summary of the significant ways in which our corporate governance practices differ from those followed by a U.S. company under the NYSE rules.

For further information regarding the provisions of our articles of association as applied to our Board, see “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—A. Directors and Senior Management—Board of Directors” and “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—C. Board Practices.”

 

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Form and Transferability of Our Shares

Our shares can take the form of registered shares, bearer shares or dematerialized shares.

On 1 January 2008, bearer shares booked into a securities account were automatically converted into dematerialized shares. As from 1 January 2008, bearer shares not yet booked into a securities account have been automatically converted into dematerialized shares as from the time they are booked into a securities account.

Furthermore, holders of bearer shares that would not have been subject to this automatic conversion (that is, bearer shares not held in book-entry form) had to request, in accordance with the modalities provided by the Belgian Law of 14 December 2005 concerning the suppression of bearer securities, at the latest by 31 December 2013, that such shares be converted into registered or dematerialized shares.

In the event that the conversion of the shares has not been requested by the above date, the shares have been automatically converted into dematerialized shares and recorded in our name, with all rights attached to such shares being suspended until their proved owner comes forward and requests that such shares be recorded in his own name. In addition, the Belgian Law of 14 December 2005 provides that, as of 1 January 2015, securities listed on a stock exchange and whose owner remains unknown must be sold by us on a stock exchange in accordance with the modalities provided by such law. We must then deposit (i) the proceeds or (ii) if the securities are not sold before 30 November 2015 at latest, these non-sold securities, with the Belgian Caisse des dépôts et consignations/Deposito-en Consignatiekas, where such proceeds or securities, respectively, may be claimed by their beneficiaries, subject to certain administrative fines being payable by claimants.

All of our shares are fully paid-up and freely transferable.

Changes to Our Share Capital

In principle, changes to our share capital are decided by our shareholders. Our shareholders’ meeting may at any time decide to increase or decrease our share capital. Such resolution must satisfy the quorum and majority requirements that apply to an amendment of the articles of association, as described below in “—Description of the Rights and Benefits Attached to Our Shares—Right to Attend and Vote at Our Shareholders’ Meeting—Votes, quorum and majority requirements.”

Share Capital Increases by Our Board of Directors

Subject to the same quorum and majority requirements, our shareholders’ meeting may authorize our Board, within certain limits, to increase our share capital without any further approval of our shareholders. This is the so-called authorized capital. This authorization needs to be limited in time (that is, it can only be granted for a renewable period of maximum five years) and in scope (that is, the authorized capital may not exceed the amount of the registered share capital at the time of the authorization).

At our extraordinary shareholders’ meeting held on 28 April 2009, our shareholders authorized our Board, for a period of five years from the date of publication of the changes to the articles of association decided by our shareholders’ meeting on 28 April 2009, to increase our share capital, in one or more transactions, by a number of shares representing no more than 3% of the total number of shares issued and outstanding on 28 April 2009 (which was 1,602,862,013). In accordance with Article 603, indent 1, of the Belgian Companies Code, such increase may not result in the share capital being increased by an amount exceeding the amount of share capital on such date. As of the date of this Form 20-F, the authorized capital had not been used. The authorization will come to an end on 14 May 2014. The proposal of our Board to the shareholders regarding the renewal of the authorization will be disclosed in the convening notice for the annual shareholders meeting to be held on 30 April 2014.

Preference Rights

In the event of a share capital increase for cash by way of the issue of new shares, or in the event of an issue of convertible bonds or warrants, our existing shareholders have a preferential right to subscribe, pro rata, to

 

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the new shares, convertible bonds or warrants. Our Board may decide that preference rights which were not exercised, or were only partly exercised, by any shareholders shall accrue proportionally to the other shareholders who have already exercised their preference rights, and shall fix the practical terms for such subscription.

Our shareholders’ meeting, acting in accordance with Article 596 of the Belgian Companies Code and in our interests, may restrict or cancel the preference rights. In the case of a share capital increase pursuant to the authorized capital, our Board may likewise restrict or cancel the preference rights, including in favor of one or more specific persons other than our employees or one of our subsidiaries.

Purchases and Sales of Our Own Shares

We may only acquire our own shares pursuant to a decision by our shareholders’ meeting taken under the conditions of quorum and majority provided for in the Belgian Companies Code. Such a decision requires a quorum of shareholders holding an aggregate of at least 50% of the share capital and approval by a qualified majority of at least 80% of the share capital present or represented. If there is no quorum, a second meeting must be convened. At the second meeting, no quorum is required, but the relevant resolution must be approved by a qualified majority of at least 80% of the share capital present or represented.

Our shareholders’ meeting of 28 April 2009 delegated authority to our Board, for a period of five years from such a date, to acquire our shares up to the maximum number allowed under Article 620, § 1, 2° of the Belgian Companies Code and for a consideration that may not be less than 10% below the lowest closing price in the last 20 stock exchange days preceding the transaction and not more than 10% above the highest closing price in the last 20 stock exchange days preceding the transaction. The authorization will come to an end on 28 April 2014. The proposal of our Board to the shareholders regarding the renewal of the authorization will be disclosed in the convening notice for the annual shareholders meeting to be held on 30 April 2014.

See “Item 16E. Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer” for details of our recent share repurchase programs.

Description of the Rights and Benefits Attached to Our Shares

Right to Attend and Vote at Our Shareholders’ Meeting

Annual Shareholders’ Meeting

Our annual shareholders’ meeting shall be held on the last Wednesday of April of each year, at 11:00 a.m., or at any other time, in one of the municipalities (communes/gemeenten) of the Region of Brussels, in Leuven or in Liège, at the place mentioned in the notice. If this date is a legal holiday, the meeting is held on the next business day (excluding Saturday) at the same time. Our annual shareholders’ meeting in 2014 is scheduled to be held on 30 April 2014.

Special and Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meetings

Our Board or the statutory auditor (or the liquidators, if appropriate) may, whenever our interests so require, convene a special or extraordinary shareholders’ meeting. Such shareholders’ meeting must also be convened every time one or more of our shareholders holding at least one-fifth of our share capital so demand.

Notices convening our shareholders’ meeting

Notices of our shareholders’ meetings contain the agenda of the meeting and our Board’s recommendations on the matters to be voted upon.

Notices for our shareholders’ meeting are given in the form of announcements placed at least 30 days prior to the meeting in at least one Belgian newspaper and in the Belgian State Gazette (Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad).

 

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Notices are sent 30 days prior to the date of our shareholders’ meeting to the holders of our registered shares, holders of our registered warrants and to our directors and our statutory auditor.

Notices of all our shareholders’ meetings and all related documents, such as specific Board and auditor’s reports, are also published on our website, http://www.ab-inbev.com/corporategovernance .

Admission to meetings

All holders of our shares are entitled to attend our shareholders’ meeting, take part in the deliberations and, within the limits prescribed by the Belgian Companies Code, to vote.

In accordance with the Belgian law of 20 December 2010 on the exercise of certain rights of shareholders in listed companies, the Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting of 26 April 2011 approved an amendment to our articles of association. In accordance with this amendment, as of 1 January 2012, the right to participate in and vote at a shareholders’ meeting will require shareholders to:

 

  (i) have the ownership of their shares recorded in their name on the 14th calendar day preceding the date of the meeting (the “ record date ”):

– through registration in the register of the registered shares of our company, for holders of registered shares; or

– through book-entry in the accounts of an authorized account holder or clearing organization, for holders of dematerialized shares.

AND

 

  (ii) notify us at the latest on the 6th calendar day preceding the day of the meeting, of their intention to participate in the meeting, indicating the number of shares in respect of which they intend to do so. In addition, the holders of dematerialized shares must, at the latest on the same day, provide us with an original certificate issued by an authorized account holder or a clearing organization certifying the number of shares owned on the record date by the relevant shareholder and for which it has notified its intention to participate in the meeting.

To attend a shareholders’ meeting, holders of printed bearer shares must first convert their shares into registered or dematerialized shares as specified in article 25 of the articles of association.

Any shareholder may attend our shareholders’ meetings in person or be represented by a proxy, who need not be a shareholder. All proxies must be in writing in accordance with the form prescribed by us and must be received by us no later than the 6th calendar day preceding the day of the meeting.

Votes, quorum and majority requirements

Each of our shares is entitled to one vote except for shares owned by us, or by any of our direct subsidiaries, the voting rights of which are suspended. The shares held by our principal shareholders do not entitle such shareholders to different voting rights.

Shareholders are allowed to vote in person, by proxy or by mail. Votes by mail must be cast using the form prepared by us and must be received by us no later than the date upon which our shareholders must notify us of their intention to participate in the meeting.

Generally, there is no quorum requirement for our shareholders’ meetings, and decisions are taken by a simple majority vote of shares present or represented.

 

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Resolutions relating to amendments of the articles of association or the merger or division of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV are subject to special quorum and majority requirements. Specifically, any resolution on these matters requires the presence in person or by proxy of shareholders holding an aggregate of at least 50% of the issued share capital, and the approval of at least 75% of the share capital present or represented at the meeting. If there is no quorum, a second meeting must be convened. At the second meeting, the quorum requirement does not apply. However, the special majority requirement continues to apply.

Any modification of our corporate purpose or legal form requires a quorum of shareholders holding an aggregate of at least 50% of the share capital and approval by a qualified majority of at least 80% of the share capital present or represented at the meeting. If there is no quorum, a second meeting must be convened. At the second meeting, no quorum is required, but the relevant resolution must be approved by a qualified majority of at least 80% of the share capital present or represented at the meeting.

Our extraordinary shareholders’ meeting of 25 April 2006 approved an amendment to our articles of association. As a consequence, the following matters are now within the exclusive jurisdiction of our shareholders’ meetings and shall be adopted by the approval of at least 75% of the shares attending or represented at the meeting, regardless of the number of shares attending or represented:

 

   

Any decision to apply for the delisting of our securities from any stock market;

 

   

Any acquisition or disposal of assets by us for an amount exceeding one-third of our consolidated total assets as reported in our most recent audited financial statements.

As a result of the amendment approved by our extraordinary shareholders’ meeting of 25 April 2006, the following matters are also within the jurisdiction of our shareholders’ meeting and shall be adopted with a positive vote of 75% of the shares attending or represented at the meeting, regardless of the number of shares attending or represented, if and only if any four of our directors request that the matter be submitted to our shareholders’ meeting:

 

   

Any matter relating to our dividend payout policy (except that the actual amount of any dividend remains subject to approval by our shareholders’ meeting in accordance with the Belgian Companies Code).

The following matters shall be within the jurisdiction of our shareholders’ meeting and shall be adopted with a positive vote of 50% plus one of the shares attending or represented at the meeting, regardless of the number of shares attending or represented, if and only if any four of our directors request that the matter be submitted to our shareholders’ meeting:

 

   

The approval of the individual to whom our Board proposes to delegate authority for our day-to-day management and appoint as Chief Executive Officer, and the ratification of any decision by our Board to dismiss such individual;

 

   

Any modification of executive remuneration and incentive compensation policy;

 

   

The ratification of any transaction of ours or one of our direct or indirect subsidiaries with a controlling shareholder of us or with a legal or natural person affiliated to or associated with such controlling shareholder within the meaning of Articles 11 and 12 of the Belgian Companies Code, it being understood that, for the purposes of this provision of the articles of association, our direct or indirect subsidiaries are not considered as affiliated to or associated with our controlling shareholders;

 

   

Any modification of our target capital structure and the maximum level of net debt.

 

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Dividends

The Belgian Companies Code provides that dividends can only be paid up to an amount equal to the excess of our shareholders’ equity over the sum of (i) paid-up or called-up share capital and (ii) reserves not available for distribution pursuant to law or the articles of association.

The annual dividends are approved by our shareholders’ meetings and are paid on the dates and at the places determined by our Board. Our Board may pay an interim dividend in accordance with the provisions of the Belgian Companies Code. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Financial Statements and Other Financial Information—Dividend Policy” for further information on our current dividend policy.

Appointment of Directors

Pursuant to a shareholders’ agreement (see “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—A. Major Shareholders”) BRC S.à.R.L and Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A. each have the right to nominate four directors. The Stichting board of directors nominates four to six directors who are independent of shareholders. Our Board currently comprises three independent directors.

Liquidation Rights

We can only be dissolved by a shareholders’ resolution passed with a majority of at least 75% of the votes cast at an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting where at least 50% of the share capital is present or represented.

In the event of the dissolution and liquidation of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, the assets remaining after payment of all debts and liquidation expenses shall be distributed to the holders of our shares, each receiving a sum proportional to the number of our shares held by them.

Disclosure of Significant Shareholdings

In addition to any shareholder notification thresholds under applicable legislation (which notification is required at 5%, 10%, 15% and so on in five-percentage-point increments), our articles of association require holders of our shares to disclose the number of our shares held if their shareholding exceeds or falls below 3% of our outstanding shares with voting rights. For details of our major shareholders, see “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—A. Major Shareholders.”

Mandatory Bid

Belgium implemented the Thirteenth Company Law Directive (European Directive 2004/25/EC of 21 April 2004) by the Belgian Law of 1 April 2007 on public takeover bids (the “ Takeover Law ”) and the Belgian Royal Decree of 27 April 2007 on public takeover bids (the “ Takeover Royal Decree ”). Pursuant to the Takeover Law, a mandatory bid will need to be launched on all our shares (and our other securities giving access to voting rights) if a person, as a result of its own acquisition or the acquisition by persons acting in concert with it or by persons acting for their account, directly or indirectly holds more than 30% of our shares (directly and/or through ADSs).

Public takeover bids on shares and other securities giving access to voting rights (such as, warrants or any convertible bonds) are subject to supervision by the FSMA. Public takeover bids must be made for all of our shares, as well as for all our other securities giving access to voting rights. Prior to making a bid, a bidder must publish a prospectus, approved by the FSMA prior to publication.

In accordance with Article 74 of the Takeover Law, our controlling shareholder (the Stichting) and the six entities acting in concert with it (as set out in “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—A. Major Shareholders—Shareholding Structure”) have filed with us and the FSMA the disclosures set forth by the Takeover Law and are, therefore, exempt from the obligation to launch a takeover bid on our shares and other securities giving access to voting rights.

 

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Limitations on the Right to Own Securities

Neither Belgian law nor our articles of association imposes any general limitation on the right of non-residents or foreign persons to hold our securities or exercise voting rights on our securities other than those limitations that would generally apply to all shareholders.

C. MATERIAL CONTRACTS

The following contracts have been entered into by us within the two years immediately preceding the date of this Form 20-F or contain provisions under which we or another member of our group has an obligation or entitlement which is material to our group:

2010 Senior Facilities Agreement

On 26 February 2010, we entered into USD 17.2 billion of senior credit agreements, comprising a USD 13 billion 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement (the “ 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement ”) with a syndicate of thirteen banks, and two term facilities totaling USD 4.2 billion, enabling us to fully refinance a previous senior facilities agreement related to our Anheuser-Busch merger in 2008 (the “ 2008 Senior Facilities Agreement ”). These facilities extended our debt maturities while building additional liquidity, thus enhancing our credit profile as evidenced by the improved terms under the facilities, which do not include financial covenants or mandatory prepayment provisions (except in the context of a change in control). The two term facilities totaling USD 4.2 billion were cancelled on 31 March 2010 before being drawn.

The 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement made the following two senior facilities available to us and our subsidiary, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc.: (i) the “ 2010 Term Facility ,” a three-year term loan facility for up to USD 5.0 billion principal amount available to be drawn in USD, and (ii) the “ 2010 Revolving Facility ,” a five-year multicurrency revolving credit facility for up to USD 8.0 billion principal amount, which is also available to Cobrew NV and BrandBrew S.A. The 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement is filed as Exhibit 4.2 to our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2009 filed with the SEC on 15 April 2010.

The 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement contains customary representations and warranties, covenants and events of default. Among other things, an event of default is triggered if either a default or an event of default occurs under any of our or our subsidiaries’ financial indebtedness. The obligations of the borrowers under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement are jointly and severally guaranteed by the other borrowers, Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc., Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC and Brandbev S.à r.l.

Initial drawdowns under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement were applied towards refinancing the 2008 Senior Facilities Agreement. After the initial drawdowns, borrowings under the 2010 Revolving Facility, which may be drawn down or utilized by way of letters of credit, may be applied towards the general corporate and working capital purposes of us and our subsidiaries.

The availability of funds under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement was subject to the satisfaction of a customary set of initial conditions precedent. In addition, prior to the initial drawdown, all available facilities under the 2008 Senior Facilities Agreement were notified for cancellation. All proceeds from the initial drawdown on 6 April 2010 under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement were applied towards repayment of the 2008 Senior Facilities and, immediately after such date, all outstanding amounts under the 2008 Senior Facilities Agreement were repaid. In addition to these conditions precedent, all utilizations, both initial and subsequent, also generally require satisfaction of further conditions precedent, including that no event of default or (in the case of any utilization that does not constitute a rollover loan, that is, a revolving credit facility loan for purposes of refinancing a maturing revolving credit facility loan or satisfying a claim in respect of a letter of credit and meeting specified conditions) potential event of default is continuing or would result from the proposed utilization and that certain repeating representations and warranties made by each borrower or guarantor remain true in all material respects.

Mandatory prepayments are required to be made under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement in circumstances where a person or a group of persons acting in concert (other than our controlling shareholder,

 

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Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev or any of its certificate holders or any persons or group of persons acting in concert with such persons) acquires control of us, in which case individual lenders are accorded rights to require prepayment in full of their respective portions of the outstanding utilizations.

On 6 April 2010, we drew USD 10.1 billion under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement and fully repaid the 2008 Senior Facilities, which has been terminated. During 2010, we repaid USD 5.05 billion of the 2010 Revolving Facility and USD 590 million of the 2010 Term Facility. For details on repayments using proceeds from capital markets offerings, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—G. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Net Debt and Equity.”

As of 31 December 2010, the 2010 Revolving Facility had been fully repaid and USD 8 billion remained available to be drawn. As of 31 December 2010, USD 4.41 billion remained outstanding under the 2010 Term Facility.

Effective 25 July 2011, we amended the 2010 Revolving Facility under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement. The termination date of the 2010 Revolving Facility was amended to 25 July 2016. On 5 July 2011, in connection with the amendment, we fully prepaid and terminated the 2010 Term Facility under the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement. The amendment to the 2010 Revolving Facility is incorporated by reference as Exhibit 4.2 to this Form 20-F. Effective 20 August 2013, we amended the terms of the USD 8.0 billion five-year revolving credit facility extending the provision of USD 7.2 billion to a revised maturity of July 2018. The amendment to the 2010 Revolving Facility is filed as Exhibit 4.2 to this Form 20-F.

We borrow under the 2010 Revolving Facility at an interest rate equal to LIBOR (or EURIBOR for euro-denominated loans) plus a margin of 0.375% per annum based upon the ratings assigned by rating agencies to our long-term debt as of the date of this report. These margins may change to the extent that the ratings assigned to our long-term debt are modified, ranging between 0.35% per annum and 1.50% per annum. A commitment fee of 35% of the applicable margin is applied to any undrawn but available funds under the 2010 Revolving Facility. In addition, a utilization fee of up to 0.3% per annum is payable, dependent on the amount drawn under the 2010 Revolving Facility.

In 2013, we drew 3.5 billion from the 2010 Revolving Facility and repaid 3.5 billion. As of 31 December 2013, the 2010 Revolving Facility had been fully repaid and USD 8.0 billion remained available to be drawn.

Grupo Modelo Transaction Agreement

On 28 June 2012, we, Anheuser-Busch International Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation and predecessor of Anheuser-Busch International Holdings, LLC (“ABI Holdings”), Anheuser-Busch México Holding, S. de R.L. de C.V., a Mexican corporation (“ABI Sub”), Grupo Modelo and Diblo, S.A. de C.V. (“Diblo”), then a subsidiary of Grupo Modelo, entered into a Transaction Agreement (the “Transaction Agreement”).

We agreed to various covenants and agreements in the Transaction Agreement, including, among other things, to (i) preserve Grupo Modelo’s name, its existence and the location of its headquarters in Mexico, (ii) continue to honor its obligations under Grupo Modelo’s collective bargaining agreements, (iii) continue certain indemnification obligations for current and former Grupo Modelo officers and directors, and (iv) provide substantially similar compensation and benefits to Grupo Modelo employees for one year after the closing of the mergers agreed to therein.

In a transaction related to, and following the settlement of, the tender offer for Grupo Modelo contemplated by the Transaction Agreement, select Grupo Modelo shareholders purchased a deferred share entitlement to acquire the equivalent of approximately 23.1 million AB InBev shares, to be delivered within five years, for consideration of approximately USD 1.5 billion. This investment occurred on 5 June 2013. María Asuncion Aramburuzabala and Valentín Diez Morodo have agreed to serve on our Board of Directors for a term of at least four years. They have also agreed to a non-competition provision for three years following the completion of the tender offer for Grupo Modelo.

 

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Crown Imports Membership Interest Purchase Agreement and Brewery Sale and Purchase Agreement

In a sale related to the combination with Grupo Modelo, we, Grupo Modelo and Constellation Brands, Inc. (“Constellation”) announced on 29 June 2012 that Grupo Modelo would sell its existing 50% stake in Crown Imports, the joint venture that imports and markets Grupo Modelo’s brands in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam, to Constellation for USD 1.85 billion, giving Constellation 100% ownership and control of Crown Imports.

On 14 February 2013, we, Grupo Modelo and Constellation announced a revised agreement that establishes Crown Imports as a fully-owned entity of Constellation, and provides Constellation with independent brewing operations, Grupo Modelo’s full profit stream from all sales in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam, and rights in perpetuity to certain of the Modelo brands in the United States. We agreed to sell Compañía Cervecera de Coahuila, Grupo Modelo’s state-of-the-art brewery in Piedras Negras, Mexico, and grant perpetual brand licenses to Constellation for USD 2.9 billion, subject to a post-closing adjustment. This price is based on an assumed 2012 EBITDA of USD 310 million earned from manufacturing and licensing the Modelo brands for sale by the Crown Imports joint venture, with an implied multiple of approximately nine times. We and Constellation also agreed to a three-year transition services agreement to ensure the smooth transition of the operation of the Piedras Negras brewery, which is fully self-sufficient, utilizes top-of-the-line technology and was built to be readily expanded to increase production capacity.

On 4 June 2013 we announced the completion of the combination with Grupo Modelo, and on 7 June 2013, Grupo Modelo completed the sale of its business in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam to Constellation Brands, Inc. for approximately USD 4.75 billion, in aggregate, subject to post-closing adjustment, which will be paid by Constellation no later than 7 June 2014. The post-closing adjustment is approximately USD 558 million.

The license agreement that a subsidiary of Grupo Modelo entered on 7 June 2013, at the closing of the brewery sale and purchase agreement granted to Constellation an irrevocable, exclusive, fully paid-up sub-license to use certain trademarks, recipes, trade secrets, know-how, trade dress, mold designs, patents, copyrights, trade names, and certain other intellectual property rights in connection with the manufacture, bottling and packaging in Mexico (or worldwide under certain circumstances including force majeure events) and importation, distribution, sale, resale, advertisement, promotion and marketing in the fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia and Guam of Grupo Modelo’s Mexican beer portfolio and certain extension brands. The term of the license agreement is perpetual, and the Grupo Modelo subsidiary has no right to terminate the license agreement notwithstanding any breach of the license agreement by Constellation.

2012 Senior Facilities Agreement

On 20 June 2012, we entered into a USD 14.0 billion Senior Facilities Agreement with a syndicate of eleven banks in connection with the combination with Grupo Modelo. The 2012 Senior Facilities Agreement made the following two facilities available to us, our subsidiaries, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. and Cobrew NV: (i) “Facility A”, a term facility with a maximum maturity of two years from the funding date for up to USD 6.0 billion principal amount available to be drawn in USD and (ii) “Facility B”, a three-year term facility for up to USD 8.0 billion principal amount available to be drawn in USD. The 2012 Senior Facilities Agreement is filed as Exhibit 4.16 to this Form 20-F.

As of 30 September 2012, the amount of the Facility A was reduced from USD 6.0 billion to USD 5.1 billion and on 31 May 2013 the amount of Facility A was reduced from USD 5.1 billion to USD 0.0 billion. Facility B was drawn for the full USD 8.0 billion principal amount on 3 June 2013 to partially fund the combination with Grupo Modelo. The amount of Facility B was reduced to USD 0.0 billion on 17 June 2013. As of 17 June 2013, we had fully terminated the USD 14.0 billion Senior Facilities Agreement.

 

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Grupo Modelo Settlement Agreement

On 19 April 2013 we, Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V., Constellation Brands, Inc. and Crown Imports LLC, reached a final agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice on the terms of a settlement of the Department of Justice’s litigation challenging our acquisition of Grupo Modelo. The parties to the settlement jointly approached the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with the terms of a proposed final judgment, fully resolving the Department of Justice’s claims in its litigation challenging our proposed acquisition of the remaining stake in Grupo Modelo that we did not already own. The settlement required the divestiture to Constellation Brands, Inc. of Grupo Modelo’s brewery in Piedras Negras, Mexico and Grupo Modelo’s 50% stake in Crown Imports LLC, as well as the grant of perpetual brand licenses to Constellation Brands, Inc. On 22 April 2013, the Court signed a stipulation and order between us, Grupo Modelo, Constellation Brands, Inc. and the Department of Justice, which required the parties to comply with the proposed final judgment pending final approval by the Court and allowed the parties to complete the pending transactions. The final judgment was subsequently approved by the Court in October 2013.

Under the terms of the stipulation order and final judgment, (i) Constellation Brands, Inc. was joined as a party to the action for the purposes of settlement and for the entry of a final judgment, (ii) we and Modelo agreed to the prompt and certain divestiture of certain rights and assets held by them, (iii) we and Constellation Brands, Inc. agreed to amend certain agreements that were executed in connection with the acquisition of the equity interest in Crown Imports LLC and the brewery, (iv) Constellation Brands, Inc. is obligated to build-out and expand the Brewery to a nominal capacity of at least 20 million hectoliters of packaged beer annually by 31 December 2016, and to use its best efforts to achieve certain construction milestones by specified dates, (v) the United States has approval rights, in its sole discretion, for amendments or modifications to the agreements between us and Constellation Brands, Inc., and (vi) the United States has a right of approval, in its sole discretion, of any extension beyond three years of the term of the interim supply agreement, which was executed by us and Constellation Brands, Inc. at the closing of the acquisition.

D. EXCHANGE CONTROLS

There are no Belgian exchange control regulations that would affect the remittance of dividends to non-resident holders of our shares. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review—G. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Transfers from Subsidiaries” for a discussion of various restrictions applicable to transfers of funds by our subsidiaries.

E. TAXATION

Belgian Taxation

The following paragraphs are a summary of material Belgian tax consequences of the ownership of our shares or ADSs by an investor. The summary is based on laws, treaties and regulatory interpretations in effect in Belgium on the date of this document, all of which are subject to change, including changes that could have retroactive effect.

The summary only discusses Belgian tax aspects which are relevant to U.S. holders of our shares or ADSs (“ Holders ”). This summary does not address Belgian tax aspects which are relevant to persons who are residents in Belgium or engaged in a trade or business in Belgium through a permanent establishment or a fixed base in Belgium. This summary does not purport to be a description of all of the tax consequences of the ownership of our shares or ADSs, and does not take into account the specific circumstances of any particular investor, some of which may be subject to special rules, or the tax laws of any country other than Belgium. This summary does not describe the tax treatment of investors that are subject to special rules, such as banks, insurance companies, collective investment undertakings, dealers in securities or currencies, persons that hold, or will hold, our shares or ADSs in a position in a straddle, share-repurchase transaction, conversion transactions, synthetic security or other integrated financial transactions.

Investors should consult their own advisers regarding the tax consequences of an investment in our shares or ADSs in the light of their particular circumstances, including the effect of any state, local or other national laws.

 

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Dividend Withholding Tax

As a general rule, a withholding tax of 25% is levied on the gross amount of dividends paid on or attributed to our shares or ADSs, subject to such relief as may be available under applicable domestic or tax treaty provisions. Dividends subject to the dividend withholding tax include all benefits paid on or attributed to our shares or ADSs, irrespective of their form, as well as reimbursements of statutory share capital, except reimbursements of fiscal capital made in accordance with the Belgian Companies Code. In principle, fiscal capital includes paid-up statutory share capital, and subject to certain conditions, the paid-up issue premiums and the cash amounts subscribed to at the time of the issue of profit-sharing certificates.

If we redeem our own shares or ADSs, the redemption distribution (after deduction of the portion of fiscal capital represented by our redeemed shares or ADSs) will be treated as a dividend, which in certain circumstances may be subject to a withholding tax of 25%, subject to such relief as may be available under applicable domestic or tax treaty provisions. No withholding tax will be triggered if such redemption is carried out on a stock exchange and meets certain conditions. In case of our liquidation, any amounts distributed in excess of the fiscal capital will be subject to a 10% withholding tax, subject to such relief as may be available under applicable domestic or tax treaty provisions. However, this withholding tax will increase from 10% to 25% as from 1 October 2014.

For non-resident individuals and companies, the dividend withholding tax will be the only tax on dividends in Belgium, unless the non-resident holds our shares or ADSs in connection with a business conducted in Belgium, through a fixed base in Belgium or a Belgian permanent establishment.

Relief of Belgian dividend withholding tax

Under the income tax convention between the United States of America and Belgium (the “ Treaty ”), there is a reduced Belgian withholding tax rate of 15% on dividends paid by us to a U.S. resident that beneficially owns the dividends and is entitled to claim the benefits of the Treaty under the limitation of benefits article included in the Treaty (“ Qualifying Holders ”). If such Qualifying Holder is a company that owns directly at least 10% of our voting stock, the Belgian withholding tax rate is further reduced to 5%. No withholding tax is, however, applicable if the Qualifying Holder is: (i) a company that is a resident of the United States that has owned directly our shares or ADSs representing at least 10% of our capital for a 12-month period ending on the date the dividend is declared, or (ii) a pension fund that is a resident of the United States, provided that such dividends are not derived from the carrying on of a business by the pension fund or through an associated enterprise.

Under the normal procedure, we or our paying agent must withhold the full Belgian withholding tax (without taking into account the Treaty rate). Qualifying Holders may make a claim for reimbursement for amounts withheld in excess of the rate defined by the Treaty. The reimbursement form (Form 276 Div-Aut.) may be obtained from the Bureau Central de Taxation Bruxelles-Etranger, 33 Boulevard Roi Albert II, 33 (North Galaxy Tower B7), 1030 Brussels, Belgium. Qualifying Holders may also, subject to certain conditions, obtain the reduced Treaty rate at source. Qualifying Holders should deliver a duly completed Form 276 Div-Aut. no later than ten days after the date on which the dividend becomes payable. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisers as to whether they qualify for reduction in withholding tax upon payment or attribution of dividends, and as to the procedural requirements for obtaining a reduced withholding tax upon the payment of dividends or for making claims for reimbursement.

Withholding tax is also not applicable, pursuant to Belgian domestic tax law, on dividends paid to a U.S. pension fund which satisfies the following conditions: (i) to be a legal entity with fiscal residence in the United States; (ii) whose corporate purpose consists solely in managing and investing funds collected in order to pay legal or complementary pensions; (iii) whose activity is limited to the investment of funds collected in the exercise of its statutory mission, without any profit making aim; (iv) which is exempt from income tax in the United States; and (v) provided that it is not contractually obligated to redistribute the dividends to any ultimate beneficiary of such dividends for whom it would manage the shares or ADSs, nor obligated to pay a manufactured dividend with respect to the shares or ADSs under a securities borrowing transaction. The exemption will only apply if the U.S. pension fund provides a certificate confirming that it is the full legal owner or usufruct holder of the shares or ADSs and that the above conditions are satisfied. The organization must then forward that certificate to us or our paying agent.

 

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Capital Gains and Losses

Pursuant to the Treaty, capital gains and/or losses realized by a Qualifying Holder from the sale, exchange or other disposition of our shares or ADSs do not fall within the scope of application of Belgian domestic tax law.

Capital gains realized on our shares or ADSs by a corporate Holder which is not entitled to claim the benefits of the Treaty under the limitation of benefits article included in the Treaty are generally not subject to taxation and losses are not deductible (provided that our shares or ADSs are neither held in connection with a business conducted in Belgium, nor through a fixed base or permanent establishment in Belgium).

Private individual Holders who are not entitled to claim the benefits of the Treaty under the limitation of benefits article included in the Treaty and which are holding our shares or ADSs as a private investment will, as a rule, not be subject to tax on any capital gains arising out of a disposal of our shares or ADSs. Losses will, as a rule, not be deductible in Belgium.

However, if the gain realized by such individual Holders on our shares or ADSs is deemed to be realized outside the scope of the normal management of such individual’s private estate and the capital gain is obtained or received in Belgium, the gain will be subject to a final professional withholding tax of 30.28%. The Official Commentary to the ITC 1992 stipulates that occasional transactions on a stock exchange regarding our shares or ADSs should not be considered as transactions realized outside the scope of normal management of one’s own private estate.

Capital gains realized by such individual Holders on the disposal of our shares or ADSs for consideration, outside the exercise of a professional activity, to a non-resident company (or a body constituted in a similar legal form), to a foreign State (or one of its political subdivisions or local authorities) or to a non-resident legal entity who is established outside the European Economic Area, are in principle taxable at a rate of 16.5% if, at any time during the five years preceding the sale, such individual Holder has owned directly or indirectly, alone or with his/her spouse or with certain relatives, a substantial shareholding in us (that is, a shareholding of more than 25% of our shares).

Capital gains realized by a Holder upon the redemption of our shares or ADSs or upon our liquidation will generally be taxable as a dividend (see above).

Estate and Gift Tax

There is no Belgium estate tax on the transfer of our shares or ADSs on the death of a Belgian non-resident.

Donations of our shares or ADSs made in Belgium may or may not be subject to gift tax depending on the modalities under which the donation is carried out.

Belgian Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions

A stock market tax is normally levied on the purchase and the sale and on any other acquisition and transfer for consideration in Belgium of our existing shares or ADSs through a professional intermediary established in Belgium on the secondary market (so-called “secondary market transactions”). The applicable rate amounts to 0.25% of the consideration paid, but with a cap of EUR 740 (USD 1,021) per transaction and per party. Under current Belgian tax law, this rate and this cap will reduce to 0.22% and EUR 650 (USD 896), respectively, for transactions occurring from 1 January 2015.

Belgian non-residents who purchase or otherwise acquire or transfer, for consideration, existing shares or ADSs in Belgium for their own account through a professional intermediary may be exempt from the stock market tax if they deliver a sworn affidavit to the intermediary in Belgium confirming their non-resident status.

In addition to the above, no stock market tax is payable by: (i) professional intermediaries described in Article 2, 9° and 10° of the Law of 2 August 2002 acting for their own account, (ii) insurance companies described

 

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in Article 2, § 1 of the Law of 9 July 1975 acting for their own account, (iii) professional retirement institutions referred to in Article 2, 1° of the Law of 27 October 2006 relating to the control of professional retirement institutions acting for their own account, or (iv) collective investment institutions acting for their own account.

No stock market tax will thus be due by Holders on the subscription, purchase or sale of existing shares or ADSs, if the Holders are acting for their own account. In order to benefit from this exemption, the Holders must file with the professional intermediary in Belgium a sworn affidavit evidencing that they are non-residents for Belgian tax purposes.

U.S. Taxation

This section describes the material United States federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of shares or ADSs. It applies to you only if you are a U.S. holder, as described below, and you hold your shares or ADSs as capital assets for United States federal income tax purposes. This section does not apply to you if you are a member of a special class of holders subject to special rules, including:

 

   

a bank;

 

   

a dealer in securities;

 

   

a trader in securities that elects to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for securities holdings;

 

   

a tax-exempt organization;

 

   

a life insurance company;

 

   

a person liable for alternative minimum tax;

 

   

a person that actually or constructively owns 10% or more of our voting stock;

 

   

a person that holds shares or ADSs as part of a straddle or a hedging or conversion transaction;

 

   

a person that purchases or sells shares or ADSs as part of a wash sale for tax purposes; or

 

   

a person whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar.

This section is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, its legislative history, existing and proposed regulations, published rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect, as well as on the Treaty. These laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis. In addition, this section is based in part upon the representations of the Depositary and the assumption that each obligation in the deposit agreement and any related agreement will be performed in accordance with its terms.

You are a U.S. holder if you are a beneficial owner of shares or ADSs and you are:

 

   

a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

   

a domestic corporation;

 

   

an estate whose income is subject to United States federal income tax regardless of its source; or

 

   

a trust if a United States court can exercise primary supervision over the trust’s administration and one or more United States persons are authorized to control all substantial decisions of the trust.

 

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You should consult your own tax advisor regarding the United States federal, state, local, foreign and other tax consequences of owning and disposing of our shares and ADSs in your particular circumstances. In particular, you should confirm whether you qualify for the benefits of the Treaty and the consequences of failing to do so.

If a partnership holds our shares or ADSs, the United States federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the tax treatment of the partnership. If you hold our shares or ADSs as a partner in a partnership, you should consult your tax advisor with regard to the United States federal income tax treatment of an investment in our shares or ADSs.

Taxation of Dividends

Under the United States federal income tax laws, and subject to the passive foreign investment company (or PFIC) rules discussed below, if you are a U.S. holder, the gross amount of any dividend we pay out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined for United States federal income tax purposes) is subject to United States federal income taxation. If you are a non-corporate U.S. holder, dividends that constitute qualified dividend income will be taxable to you at the preferential rates applicable to long-term capital gain provided that you hold our shares or ADSs for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date and meet other holding period requirements. Dividends we pay with respect to the shares generally will be qualified dividend income.

You must include any Belgian tax withheld from the dividend payment in this gross amount even though you do not in fact receive it. The dividend is taxable to you when you, in the case of shares, or the Depositary, in the case of ADSs, receive the dividend, actually or constructively. The dividend will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to United States corporations in respect of dividends received from other United States corporations. If the dividend is paid in Euros, the amount of the dividend distribution that you must include in your income as a U.S. holder will be the U.S. dollar value of the Euro payments made, determined at the spot Euro/U.S. dollar rate on the date the dividend distribution is includible in your income, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars. Generally, any gain or loss resulting from currency exchange fluctuations during the period from the date you include the dividend payment in income to the date you convert the payment into U.S. dollars will be treated as ordinary income or loss and will not be eligible for the special tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income. The gain or loss generally will be income or loss from sources within the United States for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits, as determined for United States federal income tax purposes, will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of your basis in the shares or ADSs and thereafter as capital gain.

Subject to certain limitations, the Belgian tax withheld in accordance with the Treaty and paid over to Belgium will be creditable against your United States federal income tax liability. Special rules apply in determining the foreign tax credit limitation with respect to dividends that are subject to the preferential tax rates. To the extent a refund of the tax withheld is available to you under Belgian law or under the Treaty, the amount of tax withheld that is refundable will not be eligible for credit against your United States federal income tax liability. In addition, if you are eligible under the Treaty for a lower rate of Belgian withholding tax on a distribution with respect to the shares or ADSs, yet you do not claim such lower rate and as a result, you are subject to a greater Belgian withholding tax on the distribution than you could have obtained by claiming benefits under the Treaty, such additional Belgian withholding tax would likely not be eligible for credit against your United States federal income tax liability.

Dividends will generally be income from sources outside the United States, and depending on your circumstances, will generally be either “passive” or “general” income for purposes of computing the foreign tax credit allowable to you.

Taxation of Capital Gains

Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, if you are a U.S. holder and you sell or otherwise dispose of your shares or ADSs, you will recognize capital gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes equal to the difference between the U.S. dollar value of the amount that you realize and your tax basis, determined in U.S. dollars, in your shares or ADSs. Capital gain of a non-corporate U.S. holder is generally taxed at preferential rates where the property is held for more than one year. The gain or loss will generally be income or loss from sources within the United States for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. Your ability to deduct capital losses is subject to limitations.

 

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PFIC Rules

We believe that our shares and ADSs should not be treated as stock of a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes, but this conclusion is a factual determination that is made annually and thus may be subject to change. A company is considered a PFIC if, for any taxable year, either (i) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. If we were to be treated as a PFIC, unless a U.S. holder elects to be taxed annually on a mark-to-market basis with respect to the shares or ADSs or makes a “qualified electing fund” (“ QEF ”) election the first taxable year in which we are treated as a PFIC, gain realized on the sale or other disposition of your shares or ADSs would in general not be treated as capital gain. Instead, if you are a U.S. holder, you would be treated as if you had realized such gain and certain excess distributions ratably over your holding period for the shares or ADSs and would be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for each such year to which the gain was allocated, together with an interest charge in respect of the tax attributable to each such year. With certain exceptions, your shares or ADSs will be treated as stock in a PFIC if we were a PFIC at any time during your holding period in your shares or ADSs. Dividends that you receive from us will not be eligible for the special tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income if we are treated as a PFIC with respect to you either in the taxable year of the distribution or the preceding taxable year, but instead will be taxable at rates applicable to ordinary income. The QEF election is conditioned upon our furnishing you annually with certain tax information. We may not take the action necessary for a U.S. shareholder to make a QEF election in the event our company is determined to be a PFIC.

Belgian Stock Market Tax

Any Belgian stock market tax that you pay will likely not be a creditable tax for United States federal income tax purposes. However, U.S. holders are exempt from such tax if they act for their own account and certain information is provided to relevant professional intermediaries (as described under “—Belgian Taxation—Belgian Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions”). U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the potential application of Belgian tax law to the ownership and disposition of our shares or ADSs.

F. DIVIDENDS AND PAYING AGENTS

Not applicable.

G. STATEMENT BY EXPERTS

Not applicable.

H. DOCUMENTS ON DISPLAY

You may read and copy any reports or other information that we file at the public reference rooms of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“ SEC ”) at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, and at the SEC’s regional offices located at 3 World Financial Center, Suite 400, New York, New York 10281 and 175 W. Jackson Boulevard, Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60604. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference rooms. Electronic filings made through the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system are also publicly available through the SEC’s website on the Internet at http://www.sec.gov .

We also make available on our website, free of charge, our annual reports on Form 20-F, as well as certain other SEC filings, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Our website address is http://www.ab-inbev.com . The information on our website is not incorporated by reference in this document.

We have filed our amended and restated articles of association and all other deeds that are to be published in the annexes to the Belgian State Gazette with the clerk’s office of the Commercial Court of Brussels (Belgium),

 

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where they are available to the public. A copy of the articles of association dated 10 February 2014 has been filed as Exhibit 99.2 to Form 6-K filed on 11 February 2014, and is also available on our website under http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/corporate_governance/bylaws.cfm .

In accordance with Belgian law, we must prepare audited annual statutory and consolidated financial statements. The audited annual statutory and consolidated financial statements and the reports of our Board and statutory auditor relating thereto are filed with the Belgian National Bank, where they are available to the public. Furthermore, as a listed company, we publish an annual announcement preceding the publication of our annual financial report (which includes the audited annual financial statements, the report of our Board and the statutory auditor’s report). In addition, we publish interim management statements. Copies of these documents are available on our website under:

 

   

http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/investors/reports_and_publications/statutory_accounts.cfm;

 

   

http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/investors/reports_and_publications/annual_and_hy_reports.cfm; and

 

   

http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/investors/reports_and_publications/quarterly_reports.cfm.

We also disclose price sensitive information (inside information) and certain other information to the public. In accordance with the Belgian Royal Decree of 14 November 2007 on the obligations of issuers of financial instruments that are admitted to trading on a regulated market, such information and documentation is made available through our website, press releases and the communication channels of Euronext Brussels.

Our head office is located at Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Our telephone number is +32 (0)1 627 6111 and our website is http://www.ab-inbev.com. The contents of our website do not form a part of this Form 20-F. Although certain references are made to our website in this Form 20-F, no information on our website forms part of this Form 20-F.

Documents related to us that are available to the public (reports, our Corporate Governance Charter, written communications, financial statements and our historical financial information for each of the three financial years preceding the publication of this Form 20-F) can be consulted on our website ( http://www.ab-inbev.com ) and at: Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, Brouwerijplein 1, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

Unless stated otherwise in this Form 20-F, none of these documents form part of this Form 20-F.

I. SUBSIDIARY INFORMATION

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 11. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Market Risk, Hedging and Financial Instruments

Our activities expose us to a variety of financial risks: market risk (including currency risk, fair value interest risk, cash flow interest risk, commodity risk and equity risk), credit risk and liquidity risk. We analyze each of these risks individually as well as on an interconnected basis, and define strategies to manage the economic impact on our performance in line with our financial risk management policy. Management meets on a frequent basis and is responsible for reviewing the results of the risk assessment, approving recommended risk management strategies, monitoring compliance with the financial risk management policy and reporting to the Finance Committee of our Board.

Some of our risk management strategies include the usage of derivatives. The main derivative instruments used are foreign currency rate agreements, exchange traded foreign currency futures and options, interest rate swaps and forwards, cross currency interest rate swaps, exchange traded interest rate futures, commodity swaps, exchange traded commodity futures and equity swaps. We do not, as a matter of policy, make use of derivative financial instruments in the context of speculative trading.

 

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Financial markets experienced significant volatility over the past years, which we have addressed and are continuing to address through our existing risk management policies.

Please refer to note 29 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for a fuller quantitative and qualitative discussion on the market risks to which we are subject and our policies with respect to managing those risks.

Foreign Currency Risk

We are exposed to foreign currency risk on borrowings, investments, (forecasted) sales, (forecasted) purchases, royalties, dividends, licenses, management fees and interest expense/income whenever they are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of our subsidiary engaged in the relevant transaction. To manage this risk, we primarily make use of foreign currency rate agreements, exchange-traded foreign currency futures and cross-currency interest rate swaps.

As far as foreign currency risk on firm commitments and forecasted transactions is concerned, our policy is to hedge operational transactions that are reasonably expected to occur (for example, cost of goods sold and sales and marketing, general and administrative expenses) within the forecast period determined in the financial risk management policy. Operational transactions that are certain are hedged without any limitation in time. Non-operational transactions (such as acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries) are hedged as soon as they are certain.

As of 31 December 2013, we have substantially locked in our anticipated transactional exposure for 2014 for the most important currency pairs such as USD/Brazilian real, USD/Mexican peso and USD/Argentinean peso. Some exposures in certain Eastern European countries had been either mostly or partially covered due to the fact that hedging can be limited in such countries as the local foreign exchange market prevents us from hedging at a reasonable cost. Open positions can also be the result of our risk management policy.

We have performed analyses in relation to our foreign currency transaction exposures using a currency sensitivity model that identified varying ranges of possible closing rates for 2013, factoring in the possible volatility in those exchange rates (see note 29 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013). Based on such analysis, we estimate that if certain currencies had weakened or strengthened against the U.S. dollar or euro during 2013, our 2013 profit before taxes would have been USD 19 million higher or lower, respectively, while the pre-tax translation reserves in equity would have been USD 427 million higher or lower, respectively.

Foreign exchange rates have been subject to significant volatility in the recent past and may be again in the future. See note 29 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for details of the above sensitivity analyses, a fuller quantitative and qualitative discussion on the foreign currency risks to which we are subject and our policies with respect to managing those risks.

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to interest rate risk on our variable-rate interest-bearing financial liabilities. As of 31 December 2013, after certain hedging and fair value adjustments, USD 4.4 billion, or 8.9%, of our interest-bearing financial liabilities (which include loans, borrowings and bank overdrafts) bore a variable interest rate. We apply a dynamic interest rate hedging approach where the target mix between fixed and floating rate is reviewed periodically. The purpose of our policy is to achieve an optimal balance between cost of funding and volatility of financial results, while taking into account market conditions as well as our overall business strategy. From time to time, we enter into interest rate swap agreements and forward rate agreements to manage our interest rate risk, and also enter into cross-currency interest rate swap agreements to manage both our foreign currency risk and interest rate risk.

 

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We have performed sensitivity analyses in relation to our interest-bearing financial liabilities and assets that bear a variable rate of interest, factoring in a range of possible volatilities in the different markets where we hold such instruments (see note 29 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013). We have estimated that a change in market interest rates based on the range of volatilities considered in our analysis could have impacted our 2013 interest expense by plus or minus USD 13 million in relation to our floating rate debt. Such increase or decrease would be more than offset by an USD 82 million decrease or increase in interest income on our interest-bearing financial assets.

Interest rates have been subject to significant volatility in the recent past and may be again in the future. See note 29 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for details of the above sensitivity analyses, a fuller quantitative and qualitative discussion on the interest rate risks to which we are subject and our policies with respect to managing those risks.

Commodity Price Risk

We have significant exposures to the following commodities: aluminum, barley, corn grits, coal, corn syrup, corrugated cardboard, fuel oil, glass, hops, labels, malt, natural gas, orange juice, rice, steel and wheat. The commodity markets have experienced and are expected to continue to experience price fluctuation in the future. We therefore use both fixed-price purchasing contracts and commodity derivatives to minimize exposure to commodity price volatility, such as for aluminum.

As of 31 December 2013, we had the following commodity derivatives outstanding, by maturity:

 

     Notional      Fair  Value (1)  
Commodities    <1 year      1-5 years      >5 years      Total         

Aluminum swaps

     1,383         327         —           1,710         (89

Other commodity derivatives

     992         293         —           1,285         (60

 

Note:

 

(1) Represents the excess of assets over liabilities as of 31 December 2013.

These hedges are designated in a cash flow hedge accounting relationship in accordance with IAS 39.

See note 29 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for a fuller quantitative and qualitative discussion on the commodity risks that we are subjected to, and our policies with respect to managing those risks.

Other Risks

See note 29 to our audited consolidated financial statements as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and for the three years ended 31 December 2013 for a fuller quantitative and qualitative discussion on the equity, credit and liquidity risks to which we are subject and our policies with respect to managing those risks.

 

ITEM 12. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES

A. DEBT SECURITIES

Not applicable.

B. WARRANTS AND RIGHTS

Not applicable.

 

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C. OTHER SECURITIES

Not applicable.

D. AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

Pursuant to our registration statement on Form 20-F declared effective by the SEC on 15 September 2009, we registered American Depositary Shares (“ ADSs ”) which are represented by American Depositary Receipts (“ ADRs ”) in a sponsored facility. The deposit agreement is among us, The Bank of New York Mellon, as ADR depositary, and all holders from time to time of ADRs issued under the deposit agreement. Copies of the deposit agreement are also on file at the ADR depositary’s corporate trust office and the office of the custodian. They are open to inspection by owners and holders during business hours.

American Depositary Shares

The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary, will register and deliver American Depositary Shares, also referred to as ADSs. Each ADS will represent one share (or a right to receive one share) deposited with the principal Brussels office of ING Belgium SA/NV, as custodian for the depositary. Each ADS will also represent any other securities, cash or other property which may be held by the depositary. The depositary’s corporate trust office at which the ADSs will be administered is located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. The Bank of New York Mellon’s principal executive office is located at One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286.

You may hold ADSs either (A) directly (i) by having an American Depositary Receipt, also referred to as an ADR, which is a certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs, registered in your name, or (ii) by having ADSs registered in your name in the Direct Registration System, or (B) indirectly by holding a security entitlement in ADSs through your broker or other financial institution. If you hold ADSs directly, you are a registered ADS holder, also referred to as an ADS holder. This description assumes you are an ADS holder. If you hold the ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or other financial institution to assert the rights of ADS holders described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are.

The Direct Registration System, or DRS, is a system administered by The Depository Trust Company, also referred to as DTC, pursuant to which the depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership shall be evidenced by periodic statements sent by the depositary to the registered holders of uncertificated ADSs.

As an ADS holder, we will not treat you as one of our shareholders and you will not have shareholder rights. Belgian law governs shareholder rights. The depositary will be the holder of the shares underlying your ADSs. As a registered holder of ADSs, you will have ADS holder rights. A deposit agreement among us, the depositary and you, as an ADS holder, and all other persons indirectly holding ADSs sets out ADS holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. New York law governs the deposit agreement and the ADSs.

The following is a summary of the fee provisions of the deposit agreement. For more complete information regarding ADRs, you should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of ADR.

Fees and Expenses payable by holders

 

Persons depositing or withdrawing shares

or ADS holders must pay :

  

For :

$5.00 (or less) per 100 ADSs (or portion of 100 ADSs)   

Issuance of ADSs, including issuances resulting from a distribution of shares or rights or other property

 

Cancellation of ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal, including if the deposit agreement terminates

 

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Persons depositing or withdrawing shares

or ADS holders must pay :

  

For :

The greater of (a) $.02 (or less) per ADS and (b) 6% of the cash distribution amount per ADS    Any cash distribution to ADS holders
A fee equivalent to the fee that would be payable if securities distributed to you had been shares and the shares had been deposited for issuance of ADSs    Distribution of securities to holders of deposited securities by the depositary to ADS holders
$.02 (or less) per ADSs per calendar year    Depositary services. The combined fee for depositary services and cash distribution fees will not exceed $0.02 per ADS for any year
Registration or transfer fees    Transfer and registration of shares on our share register to or from the name of the depositary or its agent when you deposit or withdraw shares
Expenses of the depositary   

Cable, telex and facsimile transmissions (when expressly provided in the deposit agreement)

 

Converting foreign currency to U.S. dollars

Taxes and other governmental charges that the depositary or the custodian has to pay on any ADS or share underlying an ADS, for example, stock transfer taxes, stamp duty or withholding taxes    As necessary
Telex or facsimile charges provided for in the deposit agreement    Expenses for depositary services
Any unavoidable charges incurred by the depositary or its agents for servicing the deposited securities    As necessary

The depositary collects its fees for delivery and surrender of ADSs directly from investors depositing shares or surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal or from intermediaries acting for them. The depositary collects fees for making distributions to investors by deducting those fees from the amounts distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. The depositary may collect its annual fee for depositary services by deduction from cash distributions or by directly billing investors or by charging the book-entry system accounts of participants acting for them. The depositary may generally refuse to provide fee-attracting services until its fees for those services are paid.

Payment of Taxes

You will be responsible for any taxes or other governmental charges payable on your ADSs or on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs. The depositary may refuse to register any transfer of your ADSs or allow you to withdraw the deposited securities represented by your ADSs until such taxes or other charges are paid. It may apply payments owed to you or sell deposited securities represented by your ADSs to pay any taxes owed and you will remain liable for any deficiency. If the depositary sells deposited securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number of ADSs to reflect the sale and pay to ADS holders any proceeds, or send to ADS holders any property remaining after it has paid the taxes.

 

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Fees payable by the depositary

For the year ended 31 December 2013, the depositary reimbursed us for expenses we incurred, or paid amounts on our behalf to third parties in connection with the ADS program for a total sum of USD 9,081,413.71.

 

Expenses the depositary reimbursed us

   Amount (in USD)  

Maintenance expenses

   $ 9,081,413.71   
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 9,081,413.71   
  

 

 

 

The depositary has also agreed to waive fees for standard costs associated with the administration of the program and has paid certain expenses directly to third parties on our behalf. The table below sets forth those expenses that the depositary paid directly to third parties for the year ended 31 December 2013.

 

Expenses the depositary paid to third parties on our behalf

   Amount (in USD)  

Annual stock exchange listing fees

   $ 0.00   

Standard out-of-pocket maintenance costs

   $ 136,185.45   
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 136,185.45   
  

 

 

 

 

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PART II

 

ITEM 13. DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES

None.

 

ITEM 14. MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS

None.

 

ITEM 15. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial & Technology Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b) as of 31 December 2013. While there are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures, our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives. Based upon our evaluation, as of 31 December 2013, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial & Technology Officer have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures, in accordance with Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e), (i) are effective at that level of reasonable assurance in ensuring that information required to be disclosed in the reports that are filed or submitted under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and (ii) are effective at that level of reasonable assurance in ensuring that information to be disclosed in the reports that are filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the management of our company, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial & Technology Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management’s annual report on internal control over financial reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed, under the supervision of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial & Technology Officer, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Our internal control over financial reporting includes policies and procedures that pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly, reflect transactions and dispositions of assets, provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded in the manner necessary to permit the preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are only carried out in accordance with the authorization of our management and directors, and provide reasonable assurance regarding the prevention or timely detection of any unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect all misstatements. Moreover, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control to future periods are subject to a risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions and that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Our management has assessed the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting based on the Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in 1992. Based on this assessment, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting as of 31 December 2013 was effective.

 

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Our management has excluded Grupo Modelo from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of 31 December 2013 as the combination with Grupo Modelo occurred during 2013. As a result, our independent registered public accounting firm has also excluded Grupo Modelo from the audit of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. As of 31 December 2013, we owned approximately 96% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares; Grupo Modelo’s total segment assets and total revenues represent 21.4% and 6.4%, respectively, of our consolidated total assets and consolidated revenues as of and for the year ended 31 December 2013.

The effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of 31 December 2013 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers Bedrijfsrevisoren BCVBA (“PricewaterhouseCoopers Bedrijfsrevisoren”), our independent registered public accounting firm, as represented by Yves Vandenplas. Their audit report, including their opinion on management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting, is included in our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Form 20-F.

Changes in internal control over financial reporting

During the period covered by this Form 20-F, we have not made any change to our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

ITEM 16A. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT

Our board of directors has determined that Kees Storm and Olivier Goudet are “audit committee financial experts” as defined in Item 16A of Form 20-F under the Exchange Act and are independent directors under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act.

 

ITEM 16B. CODE OF ETHICS

We have adopted a Code of Conduct and Code of Dealing, each of which applies to all of our employees, including our principal executive, principal financial and principal accounting officers. Our Code of Conduct and Code of Dealing are together intended to meet the definition of “code of ethics” under Item 16B of Form 20-F under the Exchange Act. Our Code of Conduct and Code of Dealing are filed as Exhibits 11.1 and 11.2 to this Form 20-F.

If the provisions of the code that apply to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer are amended, or if a waiver is granted, we will disclose such amendment or waiver.

 

ITEM 16C. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

PricewaterhouseCoopers Bedrijfsrevisoren acted as our independent auditor for the fiscal years ended 31 December 2013 and 2012. The table below sets forth the total amount billed to us by PricewaterhouseCoopers Bedrijfsrevisoren for services performed in 2013 and 2012, and breaks down these amounts by category of service:

 

     2013      2012  
     (USD thousand)  

Audit Fees

     13,668         8,277   

Audit-Related Fees

     1,437         359   

Tax Fees

     6,540         5,691   

All Other Fees

     104         337   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     21,749         14,664   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Audit Fees

Audit fees are fees billed for services that provide assurance on the fair presentation of financial statements and encompass the following specific elements:

 

   

An audit opinion on our consolidated financial statements;

 

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An audit opinion on the statutory financial statements of individual companies within the AB InBev Group, where legally required;

 

   

A review opinion on interim financial statements;

 

   

In general, any opinion assigned to the statutory auditor by local legislation or regulations.

Audit-Related Fees

Audit-related fees are fees for assurance services or other work traditionally provided to us by external audit firms in their role as statutory auditors. These services usually result in a certification or specific opinion on an investigation or specific procedures applied, and include the following:

 

   

Opinions/audit reports on information provided by us at the request of a third party (for example, prospectuses, comfort letters).

Tax Fees

Tax fees in 2013 were primarily related to expat services, tax planning and services related to due diligence work, and tax fees in 2012 were primarily related to services incurred in connection with expat services and services related to due diligence work.

All Other Fees

All other fees in 2013 primarily related to the development of the global scorecard and other services, and in 2012 primarily related to due diligence and internal control framework.

Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

The advance approval of the Audit Committee or member thereof, to whom approval authority has been delegated, is required for all audit and non-audit services provided by our auditors.

The Audit Committee decided as of 27 April 2012 to change the Pre-Approval Procedure. The advance approval of the Chairman of the Audit Committee is required for all audit and non-audit services provided by our auditors. The Vice-President of Corporate Audit can no longer pre-approve services provided by our auditors.

Our auditors and management report, on a quarterly basis, to the Audit Committee regarding the extent of the services provided and the fees for the services performed to date.

 

ITEM 16D. EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES

None.

 

ITEM 16E. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER

There are no outstanding buy-back programs of our shares.

 

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The following table sets forth certain information related to purchases made by the AB InBev Group of our shares or ADSs:

 

    Total Number of
Shares Purchased
    Average Price Paid
per Share
    Total Number of
Shares Purchased as
Part of Publicly
Announced  Plans or
Programs
  Maximum Number (or
Approximate Dollar
Value) of Shares that  May
Yet Be Purchased Under
the Plans or Programs
    (number of shares)     (USD)     (number of shares)   (USD million)

1 January 2013 – 31 January 2013

    4,123        (1 )      

1 February 2013 – 28 February 2013

    166        (1 )      

1 March 2013 – 31 March 2013

    —           

1 April 2013 – 30 April 2013

    499        (1 )      

1 May 2013 – 31 May 2013

    658        (1 )      

1 June 2013 – 30 June 2013

    665        (1 )      

1 July 2013 – 31 July 2013

    —           

1 August 2013 – 31 August 2013

    —           

1 September 2013 – 30 September 2013

    —           

1 October 2013 – 31 October 2013

    —           

1 November 2013 – 30 November 2013

    —           

1 December 2013 – 31 December 2013

    —           

Total

    6,111         

 

Note:

 

(1) Under certain of our share-based compensation plans, shares are granted to employees at a discount. See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation—Share-Based Payment Plans” The discount is granted in the form of additional shares, and if such employees leave the AB InBev Group prior to the end of the applicable vesting period, we take back the shares representing the discount. Technically, all of the “discount” shares are repurchased from the employee by our subsidiary, Brandbrew, for an aggregate price of EUR 1, or USD 1 if the individual is located in the United States.

 

ITEM 16F. CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 16G. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

We believe the following to be the significant differences between our corporate governance practices and those applicable to U.S. companies under the NYSE listing standards.

In general, the 2009 Belgian Corporate Governance Code that applies to us is a code of best practices applied to listed companies on a non-binding basis. The Code applies a “comply or explain” approach. That is, companies may depart from the Code’s provisions if they give a reasoned explanation of the reasons for doing so.

Under the NYSE listing standards, a majority of the directors of a listed U.S. company are required to be independent, while in Belgium, only three directors need to be independent. As of 31 December 2013, our Board of

 

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Directors comprised three independent directors and eight non-independent directors. None of the eight non-independent directors serve as part of our management, and these eight directors are deemed not to be “independent” under the NYSE listing standards solely because they serve as directors of our majority shareholder, Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev.

The NYSE rules further require that the audit, nominating and compensation committees of a listed U.S. company be composed entirely of independent directors, including that there be a minimum of three members on the audit committee. The Belgian Corporate Governance Code recommends only that a majority of the directors on each of these committees meet the technical requirements for independence under Belgian corporate law. As of 1 January 2014, all voting members of the Audit Committee are independent under the NYSE rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. However, four of the five directors on our Nomination Committee and one of the three directors on our Remuneration Committee would not meet the NYSE independence requirements. As the Nomination Committee and Remuneration Committee are composed exclusively of non-executive directors who are independent of management and free from any business relationship that could materially interfere with the exercise of their independent judgment, we consider that the composition of these committees achieves the Belgian Corporate Governance Code’s aim of avoiding potential conflicts of interest.

We consider that the terms of reference of our board committees are generally responsive to the relevant NYSE rules, but may not address all aspects of these rules.

 

ITEM 16H. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE

Not applicable.

 

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PART III

 

ITEM 17. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

We have elected to provide financial statements pursuant to Item 18.

 

ITEM 18. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The audited consolidated financial statements as required under Item 18 are attached hereto starting on page F-1 of this Form 20-F. The audit report of PricewaterhouseCoopers Bedrijfsrevisoren, independent registered public accounting firm, is included herein preceding the audited consolidated financial statements.

 

ITEM 19. EXHIBITS

 

  1.1    Consolidated Articles of Association of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, dated as of 10 February 2014 (English-language translation) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to Form 6-K filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 11 February 2014).
  2.1
   Indenture, dated as of 16 October 2009, among Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc., Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, Brandbrew S.A., Cobrew NV/SA and Anheuser Busch Companies, LLC and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “Trustee”) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Form F-4 (File No. 333-163464) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 3 December 2009).
  2.2    Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of 27 November 2009, among Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc., Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, the Subsidiary Guarantors named therein, and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to Form F-4 (File No. 333-163464) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 3 December 2009).
  2.3    Tenth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of 7 April 2010, among Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc., Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, the Subsidiary Guarantors named therein, and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.3 to Form 20-F (File No. 001-34455) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 13 April 2011).
  2.4    Twenty-Fourth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of 6 October 2011, among Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc., Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, the Subsidiary Guarantors named therein, and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Form F-3/A (File No. 333-169514) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 7 October 2011).
  2.5    Twenty-Ninth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of 20 December 2012, among Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc., Anheuser-Busch InBev NV/SA, the Subsidiary Guarantors party thereto from time to time and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Form F-3/A (File No. 333-169514) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 21 December 2012).
  2.6    Indenture, dated as of 17 January 2013, among Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc., Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, Brandbrew S.A., Cobrew NV/SA, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. and Anheuser Busch Companies, LLC and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “Trustee”) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.5 to Form 20-F filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 25 March 2013).

 

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  3.1    Amended and Restated Anheuser-Busch InBev Shareholders Agreement (formerly InBev Shareholders Agreement and Interbrew Shareholders Agreement) dated 9 September 2009 among BRC S.à.R.L, Eugénie Patri Sébastien S.A. (formerly Eugénie Patri Sébastien SCA), Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev (formerly Stichting InBev and Stichting Interbrew) and Rayvax Société d’Investissement NV/SA (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 20-F (File No. 001-36455) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 14 September 2009).
  3.2    Voting Agreement between Stichting Anheuser-Busch InBev, Fonds InBev-Baillet Latour SPRL and Fonds Voorzitter Verhelst SPRL, dated 17 October 2008 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Form 20-F filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 14 September 2009).
  4.1    2010 Senior Facilities Agreement for Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc., dated 26 February 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Form 20-F filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 15 April 2010).*
  4.2    Letter of Amendment dated 23 June 2011 amending the 2010 Senior Facilities Agreement dated 26 February 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Form 20-F filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 13 April 2012).*
  4.3    Share-Based Compensation Plan Relating to Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-172069) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 4 February 2011).
  4.4    Share-Based Compensation Plan Relating to American Depositary Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-172069) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 4 February 2011).
  4.5    Long-Term Incentive Plan Relating to Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev (most recent version is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-192806) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 13 December 2013).
  4.6    Long-Term Incentive Plan Relating to American Depositary Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev (most recent version is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-192806) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 13 December 2013).
  4.7    Exceptional Incentive Restricted Stock Units Programme (most recent version is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-171231) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 10 May 2013).
  4.8    Discretionary Restricted Stock Units Programme (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-169272) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 8 September 2010).
  4.9    Terms and Conditions of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Option Plan – Stock Options Grant of 18 December 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-165065) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 25 February 2010 and post-effectively amended by Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-8 filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 4 February 2011).
  4.10    Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Long-Term Incentive Plan – Stock Options Grant of 18 December 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-165065) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 25 February 2010 and post-effectively amended by Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-8 filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 4 February 2011).
  4.11    Forms of Stock Option Plan underlying the Dividend Waiver and Exchange Program (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-165065) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 25 February 2010 and post-effectively amended by Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-8 filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 4 February 2011).

 

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  4.12    Share-Based Compensation Plan March 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to Form S-8 (File No. 333-165065) filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 25 February 2010 and post-effectively amended by Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-8 filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 4 February 2011).
  4.13    Share-Based Compensation Plan March 2010 for EBM, GHQ & NY (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.7 to Form S-8 filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 25 February 2010 and post-effectively amended by Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-8 filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 4 February 2011).
  4.14    2012 Senior Facilities Agreement for Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. and Cobrew NV, dated 20 June 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.14 to Form 20-F filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 25 March 2013).*
  4.15    Transaction Agreement by and among Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V., Diblo, S.A. de C.V., Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, Anheuser-Busch International Holdings, Inc. and Anheuser-Busch México Holdings, S. de R.L. de C.V., dated as of 28 June 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to Form 6-K filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 2 July 2012).
  4.16    Amended and restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, dated 13 February 2013, among Constellation Beers Ltd., Constellation Brands Beach Holdings, Inc., Constellation Brands, Inc. and Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.16 to Form 20-F filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 25 March 2013).
  4.17    Stock Purchase Agreement between Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and Constellation Brands, Inc. dated 13 February 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.17 to Form 20-F filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 25 March 2013).*
  4.18    Final Judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia entered into on 21 October 2013 outlining the Grupo Modelo settlement.
  4.19    First Amendment to Amended and Restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, dated as of 19 April 2013, among Anheuser-Busch SA/NV, Constellation Beers Ltd., Constellation Brands Beach Holdings, Inc. and Constellation Brands, Inc., as part of the Grupo Modelo settlement agreement.
  4.20    First Amendment to Stock Purchase Agreement dated as 19 April 2013, between Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and Constellation Brands, Inc., as part of the Grupo Modelo settlement agreement.*
  6.1    Description of earnings per share (included in note 23 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Form 20-F).
  7.1    Description of ratios.
  8.1    List of significant subsidiaries (included in note 36 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Form 20-F).
11.1    Anheuser-Busch InBev Code of Business Conduct, dated as of January 2014.
11.2    Anheuser-Busch InBev Code of Dealing, dated as of February 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 11.2 to Form 20-F filed by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV on 13 April 2012).

 

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12.1    Principal Executive Officer Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
12.2    Principal Financial Officer Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
13.1    Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
15.1    Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers Bedrijfsrevisoren BCVBA.

 

Note:

 

* Certain terms are omitted pursuant to a request for confidential treatment.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 20-F and has duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

      Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV
      (Registrant)
Date: 24 March 2014     By:  

/s/ Sabine Chalmers

    Name:   Sabine Chalmers
    Title:   Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer

 

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AB INBEV GROUP AUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Account Firm

     F-2   

Consolidated income statement for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011

     F-4   

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011

     F-5   

Consolidated statement of financial position as of 31 December 2013 and 2012, and 1 January 2012

     F-6   

Consolidated statement of changes in equity for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011

     F-7   

Consolidated cash flow statement for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011

     F-9   

Notes to the consolidated financial statements

     F-10   

 

F-1


Table of Contents

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated statement of financial position and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and its subsidiaries at 31 December 2013 and 2012, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended 31 December 2013 in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board and in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of 31 December 2013, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in “Management’s annual report on internal control over financial reporting” as set out in Part II - Item 15. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

 

F-2


Table of Contents

 

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

As described in “Management’s annual report on internal control over financial reporting” as set out in part II - Item 15, management has excluded Grupo Modelo from its assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of 31 December 2013 as the combination with Grupo Modelo occurred during 2013. We have also excluded Grupo Modelo from our audit of internal control over financial reporting. As of 31 December 2013, the Company owned approximately 96% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares; Grupo Modelo’s total segment assets and total revenues represent 21,4% and 6,4%, respectively, of the related consolidated total assets and consolidated revenues as of and for the year ended 31 December 2013.

Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, 21 March 2014

PwC Bedrijfsrevisoren BCVBA

Represented by

/s/ Yves Vandenplas

Yves Vandenplas

Bedrijfsrevisor

PwC Bedrijfsrevisoren cvba, burgerlijke vennootschap met handelsvorm - PwC Reviseurs d’Entreprises scrl,

société civile à forme commerciale - Financial Assurance Services

Maatschappelijke zetel/Siège social: Woluwe Garden, Woluwedal 18, B-1932 Sint-Stevens-Woluwe

T: +32 (0)2 710 4211, F: +32 (0)2 710 4299, www.pwc.com

BTW/TVA BE 0429.501.944 / RPR Brussel - RPM Bruxelles / ING BE43 3101 3811 9501 - BIC BBRUBEBB /

RBS BE89 7205 4043 3185 - BIC ABNABEBR

 

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Consolidated financial statements

Consolidated income statement

 

For the year ended 31 December

Million US dollar, except earnings per shares in US dollar

   Notes      2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Revenue

        43 195        39 758        39 046   

Cost of sales

        (17 594     (16 422     (16 610

Gross profit

        25 601        23 336        22 436   

Distribution expenses

        (4 061     (3 787     (3 315

Sales and marketing expenses

        (5 958     (5 254     (5 133

Administrative expenses

        (2 539     (2 200     (2 057

Other operating income/(expenses)

     7         1 160        684        694   

Restructuring (including impairment losses)

     8         (118     (36     (352

Business and asset disposal (including impairment losses)

     8         30        58        78   

Acquisition costs business combinations

     8         (82     (54     (5

Fair value adjustments

        6 410        —       

Profit from operations

        20 443        12 747        12 346   

Finance cost

     11         (3 047     (2 710     (3 722

Finance income

     11         844        344        438   

Net finance cost

        (2 203     (2 366     (3 284

Share of result of associates

     16         294        624        623   

Profit before tax

        18 534        11 005        9 685   

Income tax expense

     12         (2 016     (1 680     (1 826

Profit

        16 518        9 325        7 859   

Attributable to:

         

Equity holders of AB InBev

        14 394        7 160        5 779   

Non-controlling interest

        2 124        2 165        2 080   

Basic earnings per share

     23         8.90        4.48        3.62   

Diluted earnings per share

     23         8.72        4.40        3.58   

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

 

For the year ended 31 December

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Profit

     16 518        9 325        7 859   

Other comprehensive income: Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss:

      

Re-measurements of post-employment benefits

     503        (270     (563
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     503        (270     (563

Other comprehensive income: Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss:

      

Translation reserves (gains/(losses))

      

Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations

     (3 500     (764     (1 037

Effective portion of changes in fair value of net investment hedges

     (66     (104     (229

Cash flow hedges

      

Recognized in equity

     579        123        25   

Removed from equity and included in profit or loss

     (36     (6     77   

Share of other comprehensive results of associates

     (67     475        (820
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (3 090     (276     (1 984

Other comprehensive income, net of tax

     (2 587     (546     (2 547

Total comprehensive income

     13 931        8 779        5 312   

Attributable to:

      

Equity holders of AB InBev

     12 285        6 724        3 660   

Non-controlling interest

     1 646        2 055        1 652   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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Consolidated statement of financial position

 

As at

Million US dollar

   Notes      31 December
2013
     31  December
2012 1
     1 January
2012 1
 

ASSETS

           

Non-current assets

           

Property, plant and equipment

     13         20 889         16 461         16 022   

Goodwill

     14         69 927         51 766         51 302   

Intangible assets

     15         29 338         24 371         23 818   

Investments in associates

     16         187         7 090         6 696   

Investment securities

     17         193         256         244   

Deferred tax assets

     18         1 180         807         673   

Employee benefits

     25         10         12         10   

Trade and other receivables

     20         1 252         1 228         1 339   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
        122 976         101 991         100 104   

Current assets

           

Investment securities

     17         123         6 827         103   

Inventories

     19         2 950         2 500         2 466   

Income tax receivable

        332         195         312   

Trade and other receivables

     20         5 362         4 023         4 121   

Cash and cash equivalents

     21         9 839         7 051         5 320   

Assets held for sale

     22         84         34         1   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
        18 690         20 630         12 323   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets

        141 666         122 621         112 427   

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

           

Equity

           

Issued capital

     23         1 735         1 734         1 734   

Share premium

        17 608         17 574         17 557   

Reserves

        18         327         469   

Retained earnings

        31 004         21 519         17 744   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Equity attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

        50 365         41 154         37 504   

Non-controlling interest

        4 943         4 299         3 552   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
        55 308         45 453         41 056   

Non-current liabilities

           

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     24         41 274         38 951         34 598   

Employee benefits

     25         2 862         3 687         3 428   

Deferred tax liabilities

     18         12 841         11 168         11 279   

Trade and other payables

     28         3 222         2 313         1 548   

Provisions

     27         532         641         874   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
        60 731         56 760         51 727   

Current liabilities

           

Bank overdrafts

     21         6         —           8   

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     24         7 846         5 390         5 559   

Income tax payable

        1 105         543         499   

Trade and other payables

     28         16 474         14 295         13 337   

Provisions

     27         196         180         241   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
        25 627         20 408         19 644   
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total equity and liabilities

        141 666         122 621         112 427   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 

1   2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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Consolidated statement of changes in equity

 

    Attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 1  

Million US dollar

  Issued
capital
    Share
premium
    Treasury
shares
    Share-
based
payment
reserves
    Translation
reserves
    Hedging
reserves
    Re-measurements
of post-employment
benefits
    Deferred
share
instrument
    Retained
earnings
    Total     Non-
controlling
interest
    Total
equity
 

As per 1 January 2011

    1 733        17 535        (1 233     379        4 182        (306     (687     —          13 656        35 259        3 540        38 799   

Profit

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          5 779        5 779        2 080        7 859   

Other comprehensive income

                       

Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations (gains/(losses))

    —          —          —          —          (944     —          —          —          —          (944     (322     (1 266

Cash flow hedges

    —          —          —          —          —          118        —          —          —          118        (16     102   

Re-measurements of post-employment benefits

    —          —          —          —          —          —          (473     —          —          (473     (90     (563

Share of other comprehensive results of associates

    —          —          —          —          (820     —          —          —          —          (820     —          (820

Total comprehensive income

    —          —          —          —          (1 764     118        (473     —          5 779        3 660        1 652        5 312   

Shares issued

    1        22        —          —          —          —          —          —          —          23        —          23   

Dividends

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          (1 686     (1 686     (1 742     (3 428

Treasury shares

    —          —          96        —          —          —          —          —          —          96        (10     86   

Share-based payments

    —          —          —          157        —          —          —          —          —          157        18        175   

Scope and other changes

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          (5     (5     94        89   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As per 31 December 2011

    1 734        17 557        (1 137     536        2 418        (188     (1 160     —          17 744        37 504        3 552        41 056   

 

    Attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 1  

Million US dollar

  Issued
capital
    Share
premium
    Treasury
shares
    Share-
based
payment
reserves
    Translation
reserves
    Hedging
reserves
    Re-measurements
of post-employment
benefits
    Deferred
share
instrument
    Retained
earnings
    Total     Non-
controlling
interest
    Total
equity
 

As per 1 January 2012

    1 734        17 557        (1 137     536        2 418        (188     (1 160     —          17 744        37 504        3 552        41 056   

Profit

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          7 160        7 160        2 165        9 325   

Other comprehensive income

                       

Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations (gains/(losses))

    —          —          —          —          (746     —          —          —          —          (746     (122     (868

Cash flow hedges

    —          —          —          —          —          109        —          —          —          109        8        117   

Re-measurements of post-employment benefits

    —          —          —          —          —          —          (274     —          —          (274     4        (270

Share of other comprehensive results of associates

    —          —          —          —          475        —          —          —          —          475        —          475   

Total comprehensive income

    —          —          —          —          (271     109        (274     —          7 160        6 724        2 055        8 779   

Shares issued

    —          17        —          —          —          —          —          —          —          17        —          17   

Dividends

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          (2705     (2 705     (1 406     (4 111

Treasury shares

    —          —          137        —          —          —          —          —          (56     81        (7     74   

Share-based payments

    —          —          —          157        —          —          —          —          —          157        18        175   

Scope and other changes

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          (624     (624     87        (537
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As per 31 December 2012

    1 734        17 574        (1 000     693        2 147        (79     (1 434     —          21 519        41 154        4 299        45 453   

 

1   2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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    Attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 1  

Million US dollar

  Issued
capital
    Share
premium
    Treasury
shares
    Share-
based
payment
reserves
    Translation
reserves
    Hedging
reserves
    Re-measurements
of post-employment
benefits
    Deferred
share
instrument
    Retained
earnings
    Total     Non-
controlling
interest
    Total
equity
 

As per 1 January 2013

    1 734        17 574        (1 000     693        2 147        (79     (1 434     —          21 519        41 154        4 299        45 453   

Profit

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          14 394        14 394        2 124        16 518   

Other comprehensive income

                       

Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations (gains/(losses))

    —          —          —          —          (3 042     —          —          —          —          (3 042     (524     (3 566

Cash flow hedges

    —          —          —          —          —          534        —          —          —          534        9        543   

Re-measurements of post-employment benefits

    —          —          —          —          —          —          466        —          —          466        37        503   

Share of other comprehensive results of associates

    —          —          —          —          (67     —          —          —          —          (67     —          (67

Total comprehensive income

    —          —          —          —          (3 109     534        466        —          14 394        12 285        1 646        13 931   

Shares issued

    1        34        —          —          —          —          —          1 500        —          1 535        —          1 535   

Dividends

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          (18     (4 788     (4 806     (1 019     (5 825

Treasury shares

    —          —          126        —          —          —          —          —          —          126        —          126   

Share-based payments

    —          —          —          192        —          —          —          —          —          192        23        215   

Scope and other changes

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          (121     (121     (6     (127
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

As per 31 December 2013

    1 735        17 608        (874     885        (962     455        (968     1 482        31 004        50 365        4 943        55 308   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

 

1   2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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Consolidated cash flow statement

 

For the year ended 31 December

Million US dollar

   Notes      2013     2012 1     2011 1  

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

         

Profit

        16 518        9 325        7 859   

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     10         2 985        2 747        2 783   

Impairment losses on receivables, inventories and other assets

        91        106        47   

Additions/(reversals) in provisions and employee benefits

        109        (14     294   

Net finance cost

     11         2 203        2 366        3 284   

Loss/(gain) on sale of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets

        (25     (68     (39

Loss/(gain) on sale of subsidiaries, associates and assets held for sale

        (85     (19     (71

Revaluation of initial investment in Grupo Modelo

     6         (6 415     —          —     

Equity-settled share-based payment expense

     26         240        201        203   

Income tax expense

     12         2 016        1 680        1 826   

Other non-cash items included in the profit

        (105     28        (184

Share of result of associates

     16         (294     (624     (623
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flow from operating activities before changes in working capital and use of provisions

        17 238        15 728        15 379   

Decrease/(increase) in trade and other receivables

        (25     (102     174   

Decrease/(increase) in inventories

        (129     (130     (157

Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables

        1 020        1 331        1 392   

Pension contributions and use of provisions

        (653     (621     (710
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash generated from operations

        17 451        16 206        16 078   

Interest paid

        (2 214     (1 978     (2 612

Interest received

        297        112        308   

Dividends received

        606        720        406   

Income tax paid

        (2 276     (1 792     (1 694
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

        13 864        13 268        12 486   

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

         

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and of intangible assets

        257        175        120   

Sale of subsidiaries, net of cash disposed of

     6         42        33        454   

Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired

     6         (17 439     (1 445     (479

Purchase of non-controlling interest

     23         (99     (110     (25

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment and of intangible assets

     13/15         (3 869     (3 264     (3 376

Proceeds from the sale of assets held for sale

        4 002        (3     39   

Net proceeds from sale/(acquisition) of investment in short-term debt securities

     17         6 707        (6 702     529   

Net proceeds from sale/(acquisition) of other assets

        (13     (39     (3

Net repayments/(payments) of loans granted

        131        14        10   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

        (10 281     (11 341     (2 731

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

         

Net proceeds from the issue of share capital

     23         73        102        155   

Proceeds from borrowings

        22 464        18 463        17 291   

Payments on borrowings

        (18 006     (14 814     (21 849

Cash received for deferred shares instrument

        1 500        —          —     

Cash net finance (cost)/income other than interests

        563        43        (1 505

Dividends paid

        (6 253     (3 632     (3 088
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

        341        162        (8 996

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

        3 924        2 089        759   

Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at beginning of year

        7 051        5 312        4 497   

Effect of exchange rate fluctuations

        (1 142     (350     56   
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at end of period

     21         9 833        7 051        5 312   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

1   2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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Table of Contents

Notes to the consolidated financial statements

 

Corporate information

     11   

Statement of compliance

     11   

Summary of significant accounting policies

     11   

Use of estimates and judgments

     22   

Segment reporting

     24   

Acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries

     27   

Other operating income/(expenses)

     30   

Exceptional items

     31   

Payroll and related benefits

     32   

Additional information on operating expenses by nature

     32   

Finance cost and income

     33   

Income taxes

     34   

Property, plant and equipment

     36   

Goodwill

     36   

Intangible assets

     38   

Investment in associates

     39   

Investment securities

     39   

Deferred tax assets and liabilities

     39   

Inventories

     40   

Trade and other receivables

     41   

Cash and cash equivalents

     42   

Assets and liabilities held for sale

     42   

Changes in equity and earnings per share

     42   

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     45   

Employee benefits

     48   

Share-based payments

     51   

Provisions

     56   

Trade and other payables

     56   

Risks arising from financial instruments

     57   

Operating leases

     69   

Collateral and contractual commitments for the acquisition of property, plant and equipment, loans to customers and other

     70   

Contingencies

     70   

Related parties

     73   

Supplemental guarantor financial information

     74   

Events after the balance sheet date

     81   

AB InBev companies

     83   

 

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Table of Contents
1. CORPORATE INFORMATION

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). It is the leading global brewer and one of the world’s top five consumer products companies. Beer, the original social network, has been bringing people together for thousands of years and the company’s portfolio of well over 200 beer brands continues to forge strong connections with consumers. This includes global brands Budweiser ® , Corona ® and Stella Artois ® ; international brands Beck’s ® , Leffe ® and Hoegaarden ® ; and local champions Bud Light ® , Skol ® , Brahma ® , Antarctica ® , Quilmes ® , Victoria ® , Modelo Especial ® Michelob Ultra ® , Harbin ® , Sedrin ® , Klinskoye ® , Sibirskaya Korona ® , Chernigivske ® , and Jupiler ® . Anheuser-Busch InBev’s dedication to heritage and quality originates from the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium dating back to 1366 and the pioneering spirit of the Anheuser & Co brewery, with origins in St. Louis, USA since 1852. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, Anheuser Busch InBev leverages the collective strengths of its more than 150 000 employees based in 24 countries worldwide. In 2013, AB InBev realized 43.2 billion US dollar revenue. The company strives to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World.The consolidated financial statements of the company for the year ended 31 December 2013 comprise the company and its subsidiaries (together referred to as “AB InBev” or the “company”) and the company’s interest in associates and jointly controlled entities.

The financial statements were authorized for issue by the Board of Directors on 21 March 2014.

 

2. STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE

The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (‘IASB”) and in conformity with IFRS as adopted by the European Union up to 31 December 2013 (collectively “IFRS”). AB InBev did not apply any European carve-outs from IFRS. AB InBev has not applied early any new IFRS requirements that are not yet effective in 2013.

 

3. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The accounting policies set out below have been applied consistently to all periods presented in these consolidated financial statements by the company and its subsidiaries.

 

(A) BASIS OF PREPARATION AND MEASUREMENT

Depending on the applicable IFRS requirements, the measurement basis used in preparing the financial statements is cost, net realizable value, fair value or recoverable amount. Whenever IFRS provides an option between cost and another measurement basis (e.g. systematic re-measurement), the cost approach is applied.

 

(B) FUNCTIONAL AND PRESENTATION CURRENCY

Unless otherwise specified, all financial information included in these financial statements have been stated in US dollar and has been rounded to the nearest million. The functional currency of the parent company is the euro.

 

(C) USE OF ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, income and expenses. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making the judgments about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

 

(D) PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION

Subsidiaries are those entities controlled by AB InBev. AB InBev controls an entity when it is exposed to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity. In assessing control, potential voting rights are taken into account. Control is presumed to exist where AB InBev owns, directly or indirectly, more than one half of the voting rights (which does not always equate to economic ownership), unless it can be demonstrated that such ownership does not constitute control. The financial statements of subsidiaries are included in the consolidated financial statements from the date that control commences until the date that control ceases. Total comprehensive income of subsidiaries is attributed to the owners of the company and to the non-controlling interests even if this results in the non-controlling interests having a deficit balance.

Associates are undertakings in which AB InBev has significant influence over the financial and operating policies, but which it does not control. This is generally evidenced by ownership of between 20% and 50% of the voting rights. A joint venture is an arrangement in which AB InBev has joint control, whereby AB InBev has rights to the net assets of the arrangement, rather than rights to its assets and obligations for its liabilities. Associates and joint ventures are accounted for by the equity method of accounting, from the date that significant influence or joint control commences until the date that significant influence or joint control ceases. When AB InBev’s share of losses exceeds the carrying amount of the associate or joint venture, the carrying amount is reduced to nil and recognition of further losses is discontinued except to the extent that AB InBev has incurred legal or constructive obligations on behalf of the associate or joint venture.

 

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Table of Contents

Joint operations arise when AB InBev has rights to the assets and obligations to the liabilities of a joint arrangement. AB InBev accounts for its share of the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses as from the moment joint operation commences until the date that joint operation ceases.

The financial statements of the company’s subsidiaries, joint ventures, joint operations and associates are prepared for the same reporting year as the parent company, using consistent accounting policies. In exceptional cases when the financial statements of a subsidiary, joint venture, joint operation or associate are prepared as of a different date from that of AB InBev (e.g. Modelo prior to the AB InBev and Grupo Modelo combination), adjustments are made for the effects of significant transactions or events that occur between that date and the date of AB InBev’s financial statements. In such cases, the difference between the end of the reporting period of these subsidiaries, joint ventures, joint operations or associates from AB InBev’s reporting period is no more than three months.

All intercompany transactions, balances and unrealized gains and losses on transactions between group companies have been eliminated. Unrealized gains arising from transactions with joint ventures, joint operations and associates are eliminated to the extent of AB InBev’s interest in the entity. Unrealized losses are eliminated in the same way as unrealized gains, but only to the extent that there is no evidence of impairment.

A listing of the company’s most important subsidiaries, joint ventures, joint operations and associates is set out in Note 36 AB InBev companies .

 

(E) SUMMARY OF CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES

IFRSs WITH EFFECTIVE APPLICATION FOR ANNUAL PERIODS BEGINNING ON 1 st JANUARY 2013:

IFRS 10 Consolidated Financial Statements , which provides a single consolidation model that identifies control as the basis for consolidation for all types of entities.

IFRS 11 Joint Arrangements , which establishes principles for the financial reporting by parties to a joint arrangement and replaces the proportionate consolidation method by the equity method.

IFRS 12 Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities , which combines, enhances and replaces the disclosure requirements for subsidiaries, joint arrangements, associates and unconsolidated structured entities.

IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement , which does not establish new requirements for when fair value is required but provides a single source of guidance on how fair value is measured.

IAS 19 Employee Benefits (Revised 2011):

The amendments that caused the most significant impacts in the company’s financial statements include:

 

   

Expected returns on plan assets are no longer recognized in profit or loss. Expected returns are replaced by recording interest income in profit or loss. This interest is calculated using the discount rate used to measure the pension obligation.

 

   

Unvested past service costs can no longer be deferred and recognized over the future vesting period. Instead, all past service costs are recognized at the earlier of when the amendment/curtailment occurs or when the company recognizes related restructuring or termination costs.

Except for IAS 19 (Revised 2011), the standards above did not have a significant impact on AB InBev’s consolidated financial statements upon initial application.

IAS 19 (Revised 2011) requires retrospective application. Accordingly, the comparative figures in AB InBev’s consolidated financial statements have been adjusted as if IAS 19 (Revised 2011) had always applied.

Similar to the 2012 version of IAS 19, IAS 19 (Revised 2011) does not specify where in profit or loss an entity should present the net interest on net defined benefit liabilities. As a consequence, the company has determined that, upon initial application of IAS 19 (Revised 2011), the net interest component would be presented as part of the company’s net finance cost. This change in presentation is in line with IAS 1, which permits entities to provide disaggregated information in the performance statements.

With the retrospective application of IAS 19 (Revised 2011) and the decision of the company to present the net interest component as part of the company’s net finance cost as described above, the 2012 full year adjusted total pre-tax pension expense is 146m US dollar higher than previously reported, with profits from operations and net finance costs higher by 14m US dollar and 160m US dollar, respectively. On the same basis, , the 2011 full year adjusted total pre-tax pension expense is 130m US dollar higher than previously reported, with profits from operations and net finance costs higher by 17m US dollar and 147m US dollar, respectively. The impact is mainly caused by the change in the calculation of returns on assets mentioned above. The impact of the retrospective application of IAS 19 (Revised 2011) on the net benefit obligation was a decrease in the liability by 12m US dollar as at 31 December 2012 and as at 1 st  January 2012.

 

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The adjusted figures upon implementation of IAS 19 (Revised 2011) and the previously reported figures are demonstrated below:

Consolidated income statement

 

For the period ended

Million US dollar

   31 December
2012

(adjusted)
    31 December
2012

(reported)
    31 December
2011

(adjusted)
    31 December
2011

(reported)
 

Revenue

     39 758        39 758        39 046        39 046   

Cost of sales

     (16 422     (16 447     (16 610     (16 634

Distribution expenses

     (3 787     (3 785     (3 315     (3 313

Sales and marketing expenses

     (5 254     (5 258     (5 133     (5 143

Administrative expenses

     (2 200     (2 187     (2 057     (2 043

Other operating income/(expenses)

     684        684        694        694   

Exceptional items

     (32     (32     (278     (278

Profit from operations (EBIT)

     12 747        12 733        12 346        12 329   

Net finance cost

     (2 366     (2 206     (3 284     (3 137

Share of result of associates

     624        624        623        623   

Profit before tax

     11 005        11 151        9 685        9 815   

Income tax expense

     (1 680     (1 717     (1 826     (1 856

Profit

     9 325        9 434        7 859        7 959   

Consolidated statement of financial position

 

As at

Million US dollar

   31 December
2012

(adjusted)
     31 December
2012

(reported)
     1 st  January
2012

(adjusted)
     1 January
2011

(adjusted)
 

Equity

     45 453         45 441         41 056         38 811   

Non-current liabilities

     56 760         56 772         51 727         59 811   

Employee benefits

     3 687         3 699         3 428         2 734   

A number of other new standards, amendment to standards and new interpretations became mandatory for the first time for the financial year beginning 1 January 2013, and have not been listed in these consolidated financial statements because of either their non-applicability to or their immateriality to AB InBev’s consolidated financial statements.

 

(F) FOREIGN CURRENCIES

FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

Foreign currency transactions are accounted for at exchange rates prevailing at the date of the transactions. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the balance sheet date rate. Gains and losses resulting from the settlement of foreign currency transactions and from the translation of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are recognized in the income statement. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the foreign exchange rate prevailing at the date of the transaction. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies that are stated at fair value are translated to US dollar at foreign exchange rates ruling at the dates the fair value was determined.

TRANSLATION OF THE RESULTS AND FINANCIAL POSITION OF FOREIGN OPERATIONS

Assets and liabilities of foreign operations are translated to US dollar at foreign exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet date. Income statements of foreign operations, excluding foreign entities in hyperinflationary economies, are translated to US dollar at exchange rates for the year approximating the foreign exchange rates prevailing at the dates of the transactions. The components of shareholders’ equity are translated at historical rates. Exchange differences arising from the translation of shareholders’ equity to US dollar at period-end exchange rates are taken to other comprehensive income (translation reserves).

In hyperinflationary economies, re-measurement of the local currency denominated non-monetary assets, liabilities, income statement accounts as well as equity accounts is made by applying a general price index. These re-measured accounts are used for conversion into US dollar at the closing exchange rate. AB InBev did not operate in hyperinflationary economies in 2012 and 2013.

 

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EXCHANGE RATES

The most important exchange rates that have been used in preparing the financial statements are:

 

     Closing rate      Average rate  

1 US dollar equals:

   2013      2012      2011      2013      2012      2011  

Argentinean peso

     6.518027         4.917311         4.303188         5.446585         4.544242         4.124808   

Brazilian real

     2.342604         2.043500         1.875798         2.157419         1.947644         1.660243   

Canadian dollar

     1.063810         0.995679         1.021330         1.030040         1.000770         0.981580   

Chinese yuan

     6.054043         6.230640         6.305587         6.155014         6.312949         6.467171   

Euro

     0.725111         0.757920         0.772857         0.755485         0.775893         0.709397   

Mexican Peso

     13.084394         13.024470         13.950991         12.836159         13.234397         12.349796   

Pound sterling

     0.604525         0.618538         0.645567         0.640409         0.629801         0.621823   

Russian ruble

     32.729000         30.372685         32.195667         31.859528         31.116623         28.953797   

Ukrainian hryvnia

     7.993022         7.992997         7.989837         7.993027         7.991152         7.955556   

 

(G) INTANGIBLE ASSETS

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Expenditure on research activities, undertaken with the prospect of gaining new scientific or technical knowledge and understanding, is recognized in the income statement as an expense as incurred.

Expenditure on development activities, whereby research findings are applied to a plan or design for the production of new or substantially improved products and processes, is capitalized if the product or process is technically and commercially feasible, future economic benefits are probable and the company has sufficient resources to complete development. The expenditure capitalized includes the cost of materials, direct labor and an appropriate proportion of overheads. Other development expenditure is recognized in the income statement as an expense as incurred. Capitalized development expenditure is stated at cost less accumulated amortization (see below) and impairment losses (refer accounting policy P).

Amortization related to research and development intangible assets is included within the cost of sales if production related and in sales and marketing if related to commercial activities.

Borrowing costs directly attributable to the acquisition, construction or production of qualifying assets are capitalized as part of the cost of such assets.

SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS

A supply right is the right for AB InBev to supply a customer and the commitment by the customer to purchase from AB InBev. A distribution right is the right to sell specified products in a certain territory.

Acquired customer relationships in a business combination are initially recognized at fair value as supply rights to the extent that they arise from contractual rights. If the IFRS recognition criteria are not met, these relationships are subsumed under goodwill.

Acquired distribution rights are measured initially at cost or fair value when obtained through a business combination.

Amortization related to supply and distribution rights is included within sales and marketing expenses.

BRANDS

If part of the consideration paid in a business combination relates to trademarks, trade names, formulas, recipes or technological expertise these intangible assets are considered as a group of complementary assets that is referred to as a brand for which one fair value is determined. Expenditure on internally generated brands is expensed as incurred.

SOFTWARE

Purchased software is measured at cost less accumulated amortization. Expenditure on internally developed software is capitalized when the expenditure qualifies as development activities; otherwise, it is recognized in the income statement when incurred.

Amortization related to software is included in cost of sales, distribution expenses, sales and marketing expenses or administrative expenses based on the activity the software supports.

OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Other intangible assets, acquired by the company, are recognized at cost less accumulated amortization and impairment losses.

Other intangible assets also include multi-year sponsorship rights acquired by the company. These are initially recognized at the present value of the future payments and subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortization and impairment losses.

SUBSEQUENT EXPENDITURE

Subsequent expenditure on capitalized intangible assets is capitalized only when it increases the future economic benefits embodied in the specific asset to which it relates. All other expenditures are expensed as incurred.

AMORTIZATION

Intangible assets with a finite life are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives. Licenses, brewing, supply and distribution rights are amortized over the period in which the rights exist. Brands are considered to have an indefinite life unless plans exist to discontinue the brand. Discontinuance of a brand can be either through sale or termination of marketing support. When AB InBev purchases distribution rights for its own products the life of these rights is considered indefinite, unless the company has a plan to discontinue the related brand or distribution. Software and capitalized development cost related to technology are amortized over 3 to 5 years.

 

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Brands are deemed intangible assets with indefinite useful lives and, therefore, are not amortized but tested for impairment on an annual basis (refer accounting policy P).

GAINS AND LOSSES ON SALE

Net gains on sale of intangible assets are presented in the income statement as other operating income. Net losses on sale are included as other operating expenses. Net gains and losses are recognized in the income statement when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred to the buyer, recovery of the consideration is probable, the associated costs can be estimated reliably, and there is no continuing managerial involvement with the intangible assets.

 

(H) BUSINESS COMBINATIONS

The company applies the purchase method of accounting to account for acquisitions of businesses. The cost of an acquisition is measured as the aggregate of the fair values at the date of exchange of the assets given, liabilities incurred and equity instruments issued. Identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities acquired or assumed are measured separately at their fair value as of the acquisition date. The excess of the cost of the acquisition over the company’s interest in the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill.

The allocation of fair values to the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed is based on various assumptions requiring management judgment.

Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred.

If the business combination is achieved in stages, the acquisition date carrying value of AB InBev’s previously held interest in the acquiree is re-measured to fair value at the acquisition date; any gains or losses arising from such re-measurement are recognized in profit or loss.

 

(I) GOODWILL

Goodwill is determined as the excess of the consideration paid over AB InBev’s interest in the net fair value of the identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities of the acquired subsidiary, jointly controlled entity or associate recognized at the date of acquisition. All business combinations are accounted for by applying the purchase method. Business combinations entered into before 31 March 2004, were accounted for in accordance with IAS 22 Business Combinations. This means that acquired intangibles such as brands were subsumed under goodwill for those transactions. Effective 1 January 2010, when AB InBev acquires non-controlling interests any difference between the cost of acquisition and the non-controlling interest’s share of net assets acquired is accounted for as an equity transaction in accordance with IAS 27 Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements.

In conformity with IFRS 3 Business Combinations , goodwill is stated at cost and not amortized but tested for impairment on an annual basis and whenever there is an indicator that the cash generating unit to which goodwill has been allocated, may be impaired (refer accounting policy P).

Goodwill is expressed in the currency of the subsidiary or jointly controlled entity to which it relates and is translated to US dollar using the year-end exchange rate.

In respect of associates and joint ventures, the carrying amount of goodwill is included in the carrying amount of the investment in the associate.

If AB InBev’s interest in the net fair value of the identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities recognized exceeds the cost of the business combination such excess is recognized immediately in the income statement as required by IFRS 3 Business Combinations .

Expenditure on internally generated goodwill is expensed as incurred.

 

(J) PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Property, plant and equipment is measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses (refer accounting policy P). Cost includes the purchase price and any costs directly attributable to bringing the asset to the location and condition necessary for it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management (e.g. nonrefundable tax and transport cost). The cost of a self-constructed asset is determined using the same principles as for an acquired asset. The depreciation methods, residual value, as well as the useful lives are reassessed and adjusted if appropriate, annually.

Borrowing costs directly attributable to the acquisition, construction or production of qualifying assets are capitalized as part of the cost of such assets.

SUBSEQUENT EXPENDITURE

The company recognizes in the carrying amount of an item of property, plant and equipment the cost of replacing part of such an item when that cost is incurred if it is probable that the future economic benefits embodied with the item will flow to the company and the cost of the item can be measured reliably. All other costs are expensed as incurred.

DEPRECIATION

The depreciable amount is the cost of an asset less its residual value. Residual values, if not insignificant, are reassessed annually. Depreciation is calculated from the date the asset is available for use, using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.

 

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The estimated useful lives are defined in terms of the asset’s expected utility to the company and can vary from one geographical area to another. On average the estimated useful lives are as follows:

 

Industrial buildings - other real estate properties

     20 - 33 years   

Production plant and equipment:

  

Production equipment

     10 - 15 years   

Storage, packaging and handling equipment

     5 - 7 years   

Returnable packaging:

  

Kegs

     2 - 10 years   

Crates

     2 - 10 years   

Bottles

     2 - 5 years   

Point of sale furniture and equipment

     5 years   

Vehicles

     5 years   

Information processing equipment

     3 - 5 years   

Where parts of an item of property, plant and equipment have different useful lives, they are accounted for as separate items of property, plant and equipment.

Land is not depreciated as it is deemed to have an indefinite life.

GAINS AND LOSSES ON SALE

Net gains on sale of items of property, plant and equipment are presented in the income statement as other operating income. Net losses on sale are presented as other operating expenses. Net gains and losses are recognized in the income statement when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred to the buyer, recovery of the consideration is probable, the associated costs can be estimated reliably, and there is no continuing managerial involvement with the property, plant and equipment.

 

(K) ACCOUNTING FOR LEASES

Leases of property, plant and equipment where the company assumes substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership are classified as finance leases. Finance leases are recognized as assets and liabilities (interest-bearing loans and borrowings) at amounts equal to the lower of the fair value of the leased property and the present value of the minimum lease payments at inception of the lease. Amortization and impairment testing for depreciable leased assets is the same as for depreciable assets that are owned (refer accounting policies J and P).

Lease payments are apportioned between the outstanding liability and finance charges so as to achieve a constant periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.

Leases of assets under which all the risks and rewards of ownership are substantially retained by the lessor are classified as operating leases. Payments made under operating leases are charged to the income statement on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

When an operating lease is terminated before the lease period has expired, any payment required to be made to the lessor by way of penalty is recognized as an expense in the period in which termination takes place.

 

(L) INVESTMENTS

All investments are accounted for at trade date.

INVESTMENTS IN EQUITY SECURITIES

Investments in equity securities are undertakings in which AB InBev does not have significant influence or control. This is generally evidenced by ownership of less than 20% of the voting rights. Such investments are designated as available-for-sale financial assets which are at initial recognition measured at fair value unless the fair value cannot be reliably determined in which case they are measured at cost. Subsequent changes in fair value, except those related to impairment losses which are recognized in the income statement, are recognized directly in other comprehensive income.

On disposal of an investment, the cumulative gain or loss previously recognized directly in other comprehensive income is recognized in profit or loss.

INVESTMENTS IN DEBT SECURITIES

Investments in debt securities classified as trading or as being available-for-sale are carried at fair value, with any resulting gain or loss respectively recognized in the income statement or directly in other comprehensive income. Fair value of these investments is determined as the quoted bid price at the balance sheet date. Impairment charges and foreign exchange gains and losses are recognized in the income statement.

Investments in debt securities classified as held to maturity are measured at amortized cost.

In general, investments in debt securities with maturities of more than three months when acquired and remaining maturities of less than one year are classified as short-term investments. Investments with maturities beyond one year may be classified as short-term based on their highly liquid nature and because such marketable securities represent the investment of cash that is available for current operations.

 

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OTHER INVESTMENTS

Other investments held by the company are classified as available-for-sale and are carried at fair value, with any resulting gain or loss recognized directly in other comprehensive income. Impairment charges are recognized in the income statement.

 

(M) INVENTORIES

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Cost includes expenditure incurred in acquiring the inventories and bringing them to their existing location and condition. The weighted average method is used in assigning the cost of inventories.

The cost of finished products and work in progress comprises raw materials, other production materials, direct labor, other direct cost and an allocation of fixed and variable overhead based on normal operating capacity. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less the estimated completion and selling costs.

Inventories are written down on a case-by-case basis if the anticipated net realizable value declines below the carrying amount of the inventories. The calculation of the net realizable value takes into consideration specific characteristics of each inventory category, such as expiration date, remaining shelf life, slow-moving indicators, amongst others.

 

(N) TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

Trade and other receivables are carried at amortized cost less impairment losses. An estimate is made for doubtful receivables based on a review of all outstanding amounts at the balance sheet date.

An allowance for impairment of trade and other receivables is established if the collection of a receivable becomes doubtful. Such receivable becomes doubtful when there is objective evidence that the company will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the original terms of the receivables. Significant financial difficulties of the debtor, probability that the debtor will enter into bankruptcy or financial reorganization, and default or delinquency in payments are considered indicators that the receivable is impaired. The amount of the allowance is the difference between the asset’s carrying amount and the present value of the estimated future cash flows. An impairment loss is recognized in the income statement, as are subsequent recoveries of previous impairments.

 

(O) CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Cash and cash equivalents include all cash balances and short-term highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition that are readily convertible into cash. They are stated at face value, which approximates their fair value. For the purpose of the cash flow statement, cash and cash equivalents are presented net of bank overdrafts.

 

(P) IMPAIRMENT

The carrying amounts of financial assets, property, plant and equipment, goodwill and intangible assets are reviewed at each balance sheet date to determine whether there is any indication of impairment. If any such indication exists, the asset’s recoverable amount is estimated. In addition, goodwill, intangible assets that are not yet available for use and intangibles with an indefinite useful life are tested for impairment annually at the business unit level (that is one level below a reporting segment). An impairment loss is recognized whenever the carrying amount of an asset or the related cash-generating unit exceeds its recoverable amount. Impairment losses are recognized in the income statement.

CALCULATION OF RECOVERABLE AMOUNT

The recoverable amount of the company’s investments in unquoted debt securities is calculated as the present value of expected future cash flows, discounted at the debt securities’ original effective interest rate. For equity investments classified as available for sale and quoted debt securities the recoverable amount is their fair value.

The recoverable amount of other assets is determined as the higher of their fair value less costs to sell and value in use. For an asset that does not generate largely independent cash inflows, the recoverable amount is determined for the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs. The recoverable amount of the cash generating units to which the goodwill and the intangible assets with indefinite useful life belong is based on discounted future cash flows using a discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset. These calculations are corroborated by valuation multiples, quoted share prices for publicly traded subsidiaries or other available fair value indicators.

Impairment losses recognized in respect of cash-generating units are allocated first to reduce the carrying amount of any goodwill allocated to the units and then to reduce the carrying amount of the other assets in the unit on a pro rata basis.

REVERSAL OF IMPAIRMENT LOSSES

Non-financial assets other than goodwill and equity investments classified as held for sale that suffered an impairment are reviewed for possible reversal of the impairment at each reporting date. An impairment loss is reversed only to the extent that the asset’s carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined, net of depreciation or amortization, if no impairment loss had been recognized.

 

(Q) SHARE CAPITAL

REPURCHASE OF SHARE CAPITAL

When AB InBev buys back its own shares, the amount of the consideration paid, including directly attributable costs, is recognized as a deduction from equity under treasury shares.

 

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DIVIDENDS

Dividends are recognized in the consolidated financial statements on the date that the dividends are declared unless minimum statutory dividends are required by local legislation or the bylaws of the company’s subsidiaries. In such instances, statutory minimum dividends are recognized as a liability.

SHARE ISSUANCE COSTS

Incremental costs directly attributable to the issue of new shares or options are shown in equity as a deduction, net of tax, from the proceeds.

 

(R) PROVISIONS

Provisions are recognized when (i) the company has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of past events, (ii) it is probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation, and (iii) a reliable estimate of the amount of the obligation can be made. Provisions are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and, where appropriate, the risks specific to the liability.

RESTRUCTURING

A provision for restructuring is recognized when the company has approved a detailed and formal restructuring plan, and the restructuring has either commenced or has been announced publicly. Costs relating to the ongoing activities of the company are not provided for. The provision includes the benefit commitments in connection with early retirement and redundancy schemes.

ONEROUS CONTRACTS

A provision for onerous contracts is recognized when the expected benefits to be derived by the company from a contract are lower than the unavoidable cost of meeting its obligations under the contract. Such provision is measured at the present value of the lower of the expected cost of terminating the contract and the expected net cost of continuing with the contract.

DISPUTES AND LITIGATIONS

A provision for disputes and litigation is recognized when it is more likely than not that the company will be required to make future payments as a result of past events, such items may include but are not limited to, several claims, suits and actions both initiated by third parties and initiated by AB InBev relating to antitrust laws, violations of distribution and license agreements, environmental matters, employment related disputes, claims from tax authorities, and alcohol industry litigation matters.

 

(S) EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

Post-employment benefits include pensions, post-employment life insurance and post-employment medical benefits. The company operates a number of defined benefit and defined contribution plans throughout the world, the assets of which are generally held in separate trustee-managed funds. The pension plans are generally funded by payments from employees and the company, and, for defined benefit plans taking account of the recommendations of independent actuaries. AB InBev maintains funded and unfunded pension plans.

 

a) Defined contribution plans

Contributions to defined contribution plans are recognized as an expense in the income statement when incurred. A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which AB InBev pays fixed contributions into a fund. AB InBev has no legal or constructive obligations to pay further contributions if the fund does not hold sufficient assets to pay all employees the benefits relating to employee service in the current and prior periods.

 

b) Defined benefit plans

A defined benefit plan is a pension plan that is not a defined contribution plan. Typically defined benefit plans define an amount of pension benefit that an employee will receive on retirement, usually dependent on one or more factors such as age, years of service and compensation. For defined benefit plans, the pension expenses are assessed separately for each plan using the projected unit credit method. The projected unit credit method considers each period of service as giving rise to an additional unit of benefit entitlement. Under this method, the cost of providing pensions is charged to the income statement so as to spread the regular cost over the service lives of employees in accordance with the advice of qualified actuaries who carry out a full valuation of the plans at least every three years. The amounts charged to the income statement include current service cost, net interest cost (income), past service costs and the effect of any curtailments or settlements. Past service costs are recognized at the earlier of when the amendment / curtailment occurs or when the company recognizes related restructuring or termination costs. The pension obligations recognized in the balance sheet are measured at the present value of the estimated future cash outflows using interest rates based on high quality corporate bond yields, which have terms to maturity approximating the terms of the related liability, less the fair value of any plan assets. Re-measurements, comprising of actuarial gains and losses, the effect of the asset ceiling (excluding net interest) and the return on plan assets (excluding net interest) are recognized in full in the period in which they occur in the statement of comprehensive income. Re-measurements are not reclassified to profit or loss in subsequent periods.

Where the calculated amount of a defined benefit liability is negative (an asset), AB InBev recognizes such pension asset to the extent that economic benefits are available to AB InBev either from refunds or reductions in future contributions.

 

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OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT OBLIGATIONS

Some AB InBev companies provide post-employment medical benefits to their retirees. The entitlement to these benefits is usually based on the employee remaining in service up to retirement age. The expected costs of these benefits are accrued over the period of employment, using an accounting methodology similar to that for defined benefit pension plans.

TERMINATION BENEFITS

Termination benefits are recognized as an expense at the earlier when the company is demonstrably committed, without realistic possibility of withdrawal, to a formal detailed plan to terminate employment before the normal retirement date and when the company recognizes costs for a restructuring. Termination benefits for voluntary redundancies are recognized if the company has made an offer encouraging voluntary redundancy, it is probable that the offer will be accepted, and the number of acceptances can be estimated reliably.

BONUSES

Bonuses received by company employees and management are based on pre-defined company and individual target achievement. The estimated amount of the bonus is recognized as an expense in the period the bonus is earned. To the extent that bonuses are settled in shares of the company, they are accounted for as share-based payments.

 

(T) SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS

Different share and share option programs allow company senior management and members of the board to acquire shares of the company and some of its affiliates. AB InBev adopted IFRS 2 Share-based Payment on 1 January 2005 to all awards granted after 7 November 2002 that had not yet vested at 1 January 2005. The fair value of the share options is estimated at grant date, using an option pricing model that is most appropriate for the respective option. Based on the expected number of options that will vest, the fair value of the options granted is expensed over the vesting period. When the options are exercised, equity is increased by the amount of the proceeds received.

 

(U) INTEREST-BEARING LOANS AND BORROWINGS

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings are recognized initially at fair value, less attributable transaction costs. Subsequent to initial recognition, interest-bearing loans and borrowings are stated at amortized cost with any difference between the initial amount and the maturity amount being recognized in the income statement (in accretion expense) over the expected life of the instrument on an effective interest rate basis.

 

(V) TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

Trade and other payables are recognized initially at fair value and subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method.

 

(W) INCOME TAX

Income tax on the profit for the year comprises current and deferred tax. Income tax is recognized in the income statement except to the extent that it relates to items recognized directly in equity, in which case the tax effect is also recognized directly in equity.

Current tax is the expected tax payable on the taxable income for the year, using tax rates enacted, or substantively enacted, at the balance sheet date, and any adjustment to tax payable in respect of previous years.

In accordance with IAS 12 Income Taxes deferred taxes are provided using the so-called balance sheet liability method. This means that, for all taxable and deductible differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their carrying amounts in the balance sheet a deferred tax liability or asset is recognized. Under this method a provision for deferred taxes is also made for differences between the fair values of assets and liabilities acquired in a business combination and their tax base. IAS 12 prescribes that no deferred taxes are recognized i) on initial recognition of goodwill, ii) at the initial recognition of assets or liabilities in a transaction that is not a business combination and affects neither accounting nor taxable profit and iii) on differences relating to investments in subsidiaries to the extent that they will probably not reverse in the foreseeable future. The amount of deferred tax provided is based on the expected manner of realization or settlement of the carrying amount of assets and liabilities, using currently or substantively enacted tax rates.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset if there is a legally enforceable right to offset current tax liabilities and assets, and they relate to income taxes levied by the same tax authority on the same taxable entity, or on different taxable entities which intend either to settle current tax liabilities and assets on a net basis, or to realize the assets and settle the liabilities simultaneously.

The company recognizes deferred tax assets, including assets arising from losses carried forward, to the extent that future probable taxable profit will be available against which the deferred tax asset can be utilized. A deferred tax asset is reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that the related tax benefit will be realized.

Tax claims are recorded within provisions on the balance sheet (refer accounting policy R).

 

(X) INCOME RECOGNITION

Income is recognized when it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the company and the income can be measured reliably.

 

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GOODS SOLD

In relation to the sale of beverages and packaging, revenue is recognized when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred to the buyer, and no significant uncertainties remain regarding recovery of the consideration due, associated costs or the possible return of goods, and there is no continuing management involvement with the goods. Revenue from the sale of goods is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable, net of returns and allowances, trade discounts, volume rebates, discounts for cash payments and excise taxes.

RENTAL AND ROYALTY INCOME

Rental income is recognized under other operating income on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Royalties arising from the use by others of the company’s resources are recognized in other operating income on an accrual basis in accordance with the substance of the relevant agreement.

GOVERNMENT GRANTS

A government grant is recognized in the balance sheet initially as deferred income when there is reasonable assurance that it will be received and that the company will comply with the conditions attached to it. Grants that compensate the company for expenses incurred are recognized as other operating income on a systematic basis in the same periods in which the expenses are incurred. Grants that compensate the company for the acquisition of an asset are presented by deducting them from the acquisition cost of the related asset in accordance with IAS 20 Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance .

FINANCE INCOME

Finance income comprises interest received or receivable on funds invested, dividend income, foreign exchange gains, losses on currency hedging instruments offsetting currency gains, gains on hedging instruments that are not part of a hedge accounting relationship, gains on financial assets classified as trading as well as any gains from hedge ineffectiveness (refer accounting policy Z).

Interest income is recognized as it accrues (taking into account the effective yield on the asset) unless collectability is in doubt.

DIVIDEND INCOME

Dividend income is recognized in the income statement on the date that the dividend is declared.

 

(Y) EXPENSES

FINANCE COSTS

Finance costs comprise interest payable on borrowings, calculated using the effective interest rate method, foreign exchange losses, gains on currency hedging instruments offsetting currency losses, results on interest rate hedging instruments, losses on hedging instruments that are not part of a hedge accounting relationship, losses on financial assets classified as trading, impairment losses on available-for-sale financial assets as well as any losses from hedge ineffectiveness (refer accounting policy Z).

All interest costs incurred in connection with borrowings or financial transactions are expensed as incurred as part of finance costs. Any difference between the initial amount and the maturity amount of interest bearing loans and borrowings, such as transaction costs and fair value adjustments, are recognized in the income statement (in accretion expense) over the expected life of the instrument on an effective interest rate basis (refer accounting policy U). The interest expense component of finance lease payments is also recognized in the income statement using the effective interest rate method.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL COSTS AND SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT COSTS

Research, advertising and promotional costs are expensed in the year in which these costs are incurred. Development costs and systems development costs are expensed in the year in which these costs are incurred if they do not meet the criteria for capitalization (refer accounting policy G).

PURCHASING, RECEIVING AND WAREHOUSING COSTS

Purchasing and receiving costs are included in the cost of sales, as well as the costs of storing and moving raw materials and packaging materials. The costs of storing finished products at the brewery as well as costs incurred for subsequent storage in distribution centers are included within distribution expenses.

 

(Z) DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

AB InBev uses derivative financial instruments to mitigate the transactional impact of foreign currencies, interest rates, equity prices and commodity prices on the company’s performance. AB InBev’s financial risk management policy prohibits the use of derivative financial instruments for trading purposes and the company does therefore not hold or issue any such instruments for such purposes. Derivative financial instruments that are economic hedges but that do not meet the strict IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement hedge accounting rules, however, are accounted for as financial assets or liabilities at fair value through profit or loss.

Derivative financial instruments are recognized initially at fair value. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value of derivative financial instruments is either the quoted market price or is calculated using pricing models taking into account current market rates. These pricing models also take into account the current creditworthiness of the counterparties.

Subsequent to initial recognition, derivative financial instruments are re-measured to their fair value at balance sheet date. Depending on whether cash flow or net investment hedge accounting is applied or not, any gain or loss is either recognized directly in other comprehensive income or in the income statement.

 

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Cash flow, fair value or net investment hedge accounting is applied to all hedges that qualify for hedge accounting when the required hedge documentation is in place and when the hedge relation is determined to be effective.

CASH FLOW HEDGE ACCOUNTING

When a derivative financial instrument hedges the variability in cash flows of a recognized asset or liability, the foreign currency risk of a firm commitment or a highly probable forecasted transaction, the effective part of any resulting gain or loss on the derivative financial instrument is recognized directly in other comprehensive income (hedging reserves). When the firm commitment in foreign currency or the forecasted transaction results in the recognition of a non-financial asset or a non-financial liability, the cumulative gain or loss is removed from other comprehensive income and included in the initial measurement of the asset or liability. When the hedge relates to financial assets or liabilities, the cumulative gain or loss on the hedging instrument is reclassified from other comprehensive income into the income statement in the same period during which the hedged risk affects the income statement (e.g. when the variable interest expense is recognized). The ineffective part of any gain or loss is recognized immediately in the income statement.

When a hedging instrument or hedge relationship is terminated but the hedged transaction is still expected to occur, the cumulative gain or loss (at that point) remains in equity and is reclassified in accordance with the above policy when the hedged transaction occurs. If the hedged transaction is no longer probable, the cumulative gain or loss recognized in other comprehensive income is reclassified into the income statement immediately.

FAIR VALUE HEDGE ACCOUNTING

When a derivative financial instrument hedges the variability in fair value of a recognized asset or liability, any resulting gain or loss on the hedging instrument is recognized in the income statement. The hedged item is also stated at fair value in respect of the risk being hedged, with any gain or loss being recognized in the income statement.

NET INVESTMENT HEDGE ACCOUNTING

When a foreign currency liability hedges a net investment in a foreign operation, exchange differences arising on the translation of the liability to the functional currency are recognized directly in other comprehensive income (translation reserves).

When a derivative financial instrument hedges a net investment in a foreign operation, the portion of the gain or the loss on the hedging instrument that is determined to be an effective hedge is recognized directly in other comprehensive income (translation reserves), while the ineffective portion is reported in the income statement.

Investments in equity instruments or derivatives linked to and to be settled by delivery of an equity instrument are stated at cost when such equity instrument does not have a quoted market price in an active market and for which other methods of reasonably estimating fair value are clearly inappropriate or unworkable.

OFFSETTING DERIVATIVE ASSETS WITH DERIVATIVE LIABILITIES

A derivative asset and a derivative liability shall be offset and the net amount presented in the statement of financial position when, and only when, the company has a currently legally enforceable right to set off the recognized amounts; and intends either to settle on a net basis, or to realize the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

(AA) SEGMENT REPORTING

Operating segments are components of the company’s business activities about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by management.

AB InBev’s operating segment reporting format is geographical because the company’s risks and rates of return are affected predominantly by the fact that AB InBev operates in different geographical areas. The company’s management structure and internal reporting system to the Board of Directors is set up accordingly. A geographical segment is a distinguishable component of the company that is engaged in providing products or services within a particular economic environment, which is subject to risks and returns that are different from those of other segments. In accordance with IFRS 8 Operating segments AB InBev’s reportable geographical segments were determined as North America, Mexico, Latin America North, Latin America South, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific and Global Export and Holding Companies. The company’s assets are predominantly located in the same geographical areas as its customers.

Segment results, assets and liabilities include items directly attributable to a segment as well as those that can be allocated on a reasonable basis. Unallocated assets comprise interest bearing loans granted, investment securities, deferred tax assets, income taxes receivable, cash and cash equivalent and derivative assets. Unallocated liabilities comprise equity and non-controlling interest, interest bearing loans, deferred tax liabilities, bank overdrafts, income taxes payable and derivative liabilities.

Segment capital expenditure is the total cost incurred during the period to acquire property, plant and equipment, and intangible assets other than goodwill.

(BB) EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS

Exceptional items are those that in management’s judgment need to be disclosed by virtue of their size or incidence. Such items are disclosed on the face of the consolidated income statement or separately disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. Transactions which may give rise to exceptional items are principally restructuring activities, impairments, gains or losses on disposal of investments and the effect of the accelerated repayment of certain debt facilities.

 

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(CC) DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS AND NON-CURRENT ASSETS HELD FOR SALE

A discontinued operation is a component of the company that either has been disposed of or is classified as held for sale and represents a separate major line of business or geographical area of operations and is part of a single coordinated plan to dispose of or is a subsidiary acquired exclusively with a view to resale.

AB InBev classifies a non-current asset (or disposal group) as held for sale if its carrying amount will be recovered principally through a sale transaction rather than through continuing use if all of the conditions of IFRS 5 are met. A disposal group is defined as a group of assets to be disposed of, by sale or otherwise, together as a group in a single transaction, and liabilities directly associated with those assets that will be transferred. Immediately before classification as held for sale, the company measures the carrying amount of the asset (or all the assets and liabilities in the disposal group) in accordance with applicable IFRS. Then, on initial classification as held for sale, non-current assets and disposal groups are recognized at the lower of carrying amount and fair value less costs to sell. Impairment losses on initial classification as held for sale are included in profit or loss. The same applies to gains and losses on subsequent re-measurement. Non-current assets classified as held for sale are no longer depreciated or amortized.

(DD) RECENTLY ISSUED IFRS

To the extent that new IFRS requirements are expected to be applicable in the future, they have been summarized hereafter. For the year ended 31 December 2013, they have not been applied in preparing these consolidated financial statements.

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments:

IFRS 9 is the standard issued as part of a wider project to replace IAS 39. IFRS 9 retains but simplifies the mixed measurement model and established two primary measurement categories for financial assets: amortized cost and fair value. The basis of classification depends on the entity’s business model and the contractual cash flow characteristics of the financial asset. IFRS 9 also introduces a new hedge accounting model, together with corresponding disclosures about risk management for those companies applying hedge accounting. Because the impairment phase of the IFRS 9 project has not yet been completed, the IASB decided that the mandatory effective date should be decided upon when the entire IFRS 9 project is closer to completion.

OTHER STANDARDS, INTERPRETATIONS AND AMENDMENTS TO STANDARDS

A number of other amendments to standards are effective for annual periods beginning after 1 January 2013, and have not been listed above because of either their non-applicability to or their immateriality to AB InBev’s consolidated financial statements.

 

4. USE OF ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, income and expenses. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making the judgments about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

Although each of its significant accounting policies reflects judgments, assessments or estimates, AB InBev believes that the following accounting policies reflect the most critical judgments, estimates and assumptions that are important to its business operations and the understanding of its results: business combinations, intangible assets, goodwill, impairment, provisions, share-based payments, employee benefits and accounting for current and deferred tax.

The fair values of acquired identifiable intangibles are based on an assessment of future cash flows. Impairment analyses of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are performed annually and whenever a triggering event has occurred, in order to determine whether the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount. These calculations are based on estimates of future cash flows.

The company uses its judgment to select a variety of methods including the discounted cash flow method and option valuation models and makes assumptions about the fair value of financial instruments that are mainly based on market conditions existing at each balance sheet date.

Actuarial assumptions are established to anticipate future events and are used in calculating pension and other long-term employee benefit expense and liability. These factors include assumptions with respect to interest rates, rates of increase in health care costs, rates of future compensation increases, turnover rates, and life expectancy.

The company is subject to income tax in numerous jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining the worldwide provision for income tax. There are some transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Some subsidiaries within the group are involved in tax audits and local enquiries usually in relation to prior years. Investigations and negotiations with local tax authorities are ongoing in various jurisdictions at the balance sheet date and, by their nature, these can take considerable time to conclude. In assessing the amount of any income tax provisions to be recognized in the financial statements, estimation is made of the expected successful settlement of these matters. Estimates of interest and penalties on tax liabilities are also recorded. Where the final outcome of these matters is different from the amounts that were initially recorded, such differences will impact the current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities in the period such determination is made.

Judgments made by management in the application of IFRS that have a significant effect on the financial statements and estimates with a significant risk of material adjustment in the next year are further discussed in the relevant notes hereafter.

 

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In preparing these consolidated financial statements, the significant judgments made by management in applying the company’s accounting policies and the key sources of estimating uncertainty mainly related to the valuation of the individual assets acquired and liabilities assumed as part of the allocation of the Grupo Modelo purchase price. The company is in the process of finalizing the allocation of the purchase price to the individual assets acquired and liabilities assumed in compliance with IFRS 3. Following the AB InBev and Grupo Modelo combination, AB InBev is fully consolidating Grupo Modelo in the AB InBev consolidated financial statements as of 4 June 2013. Detail is provided in Note 6 – Acquisitions and disposals of Subsidiaries of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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5. SEGMENT REPORTING

Segment information is presented by geographical segments, consistent with the information that is available and evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker. AB InBev operates its business through eight zones. Regional and operating company management is responsible for managing performance, underlying risks, and effectiveness of operations. Internally, AB InBev’s management uses performance indicators such as normalized profit from operations (normalized EBIT) and normalized EBITDA as measures of segment performance and to make decisions regarding allocation of resources. These measures are reconciled to segment profit in the tables presented (figures may not add up due to rounding).

AB InBev has updated its 2012 segment reporting for purposes of internal review by senior management. This presentation (further referred to as the “2012 Reference base”) includes Grupo Modelo’s results as from 4 June 2012, for comparative purposes. The 2012 Reference base also reflects the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 - Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ) and the transfer of management responsibility for Ecuador and Peru to the Zone Latin America South. These countries were previously reported within the Zone Latin America North, thus with no impact at the consolidated level. The tables below provide the segment information per zone for the twelve-month period ended 31 December 2012 and 2013 in the format that is used by management to monitor performance. The differences between the 2012 Reference base and the 2012 audited income statement as Reported represent the effect of the combination with Grupo Modelo.

All figures in the table below are stated in million US dollar, except volume (million hls) and full time equivalents (FTE in units).

SEGMENT REPORTING (2012 REFERENCE BASE) – NON-AUDITED

 

    North America     Mexico     Latin America North     Latin America South     Western Europe  
    2013     2012
Reference
base
    2013     2012
Reference
base
    2013     2012
Reference
base
    2013     2012
Reference
base
    2013     2012
Reference
base
 

Volume

    122        125        22        23        119        122        37        38        28        30   

Revenue

    16 023        16 028        2 769        2 616        10 877        11 268        3 269        3 209        3 620        3 650   

Cost of sales

    (6 519     (6 615     (869     (1 014     (3 494     (3 519     (1 185     (1 244     (1 544     (1 555

Distribution expenses

    (1 235     (1 319     (232     (270     (1 338     (1 277     (309     (296     (364     (369

Sales and marketing expenses

    (1 908     (1 794     (484     (515     (1 145     (1 204     (346     (336     (673     (663

Administrative expenses

    (497     (452     (234     (338     (589     (612     (112     (108     (264     (259

Other operating income/(expenses)

    67        64        104        102        807        426        (5     4        27        24   

Normalized profit from operations (EBIT)

    5 932        5 911        1 054        582        5 118        5 081        1 311        1 228        801        827   

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

    (796     (824     (227     (196     (701     (706     (180     (191     (324     (336

Normalized EBITDA

    6 728        6 735        1 281        777        5 819        5 787        1 491        1 419        1 125        1 163   

Normalized EBITDA margin in %

    42.0     42.0     46.3     29.7     53.5     51.4     45.6     44.2     31.1     31.9

 

    Central and Eastern
Europe
    Asia Pacific     Global Export and
Holding  Companies
    Effect of acquisition     Consolidated  
    2013     2012
Reference
base
    2013     2012
Reference
base
    2013     2012
Reference
base
    2013   2012
Bridge to
Reported
    2013     2012
Reported 1
 

Volume

    19        23        66        58        12        12          (28     426        403   

Revenue

    1 445        1 668        3 354        2 690        1 839        1 798          (3 169     43 195        39 758   

Cost of sales

    (776     (914     (1 885     (1 565     (1 323     (1 328       1 332        (17 594     (16 422

Distribution expenses

    (146     (184     (302     (235     (135     (132       295        (4 061     (3 787

Sales and marketing expenses

    (378     (400     (833     (670     (191     (220       549        (5 958     (5 254

Administrative expenses

    (98     (113     (317     (274     (429     (386       345        (2 539     (2 200

Other operating income/(expenses)

    3        5        109        121        48        47          (109     1 160        684   

Normalized profit from operations (EBIT)

    51        62        127        67        (191     (221       (758     14 203        12 779   

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

    (174     (195     (419     (329     (165     (166       197        (2 985     (2 746

Normalized EBITDA

    225        257        546        396        (25     (54       (955     17 188        15 525   

Normalized EBITDA margin in %

    15.6     15.4     16.3     14.7         39.8     39.0

 

1   2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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SEGMENT REPORTING (2012 AND 2011 AS REPORTED)

 

     North America     Mexico      Latin America North     Latin America South     Western Europe  
     2013     2012 1     2011 1     2013     2012 1      2011 1      2013     2012 1     2011 1     2013     2012 1     2011 1     2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Volume

     122        125        125        22        —           —           119        122        120        37        38        35        28        30        31   

Revenue

     16 023        16 028        15 304        2 769        —           —           10 877        11 268        11 350        3 269        3 209        2 878        3 620        3 625        3 945   

Cost of sales

     (6 519     (6 615     (6 706     (869     —           —           (3 494     (3 519     (3 625     (1 185     (1 244     (1 151     (1 544     (1 550     (1 654

Distribution expenses

     (1 235     (1 319     (808     (232     —           —           (1 338     (1 277     (1 301     (309     (296     (259     (364     (364     (409

Sales and marketing expenses

     (1 908     (1 794     (1 631     (484     —           —           (1 145     (1 204     (1 229     (346     (336     (305     (673     (650     (761

Administrative expenses

     (497     (452     (467     (234     —           —           (589     (612     (554     (112     (108     (99     (264     (257     (298

Other operating income/(expenses)

     67        64        54        104        —           —           807        426        462        (5     4        2        27        24        36   

Normalized profit from operations (EBIT)

     5 932        5 911        5 747        1 054        —           —           5 118        5 081        5 103        1 311        1 228        1 065        801        828        861   

Exceptional items (refer Note 8)

     (5     47        (188     (54     —           —           (6     (26     21        (5     —          (5     (32     (2     (123

Profit from operations (EBIT)

     5 927        5 958        5 559        1 000        —           —           5 112        5 055        5 124        1 306        1 228        1 059        770        825        737   

Net finance (cost)/income

     (494     (565     (708     (1 059     —           —           (418     (371     (181     (317     (60     (58     (589     (378     (379

Share of result of associates

     278        624        622        11        —           —           5        —          —            —          —          —          1        1   

Profit/(loss) before tax

     5 710        6 017        5 474        (47     —           —           4 698        4 684        4 943        989        1 169        1 001        181        448        359   

Income tax expense

     (1 216     (1 386     (1 637     (112     —           —           (386     (490     (764     (457     (340     (290     14        (138     (84

Profit/(loss)

     4 495        4 631        3 835        (159     —           —           4 312        4 194        4 179        532        828        711        195        310        275   

Normalized EBITDA

     6 728        6 735        6 610        1 281        —           —           5 819        5 787        5 780        1 491        1 419        1 256        1 125        1 163        1 229   

Exceptional items (including impairment)

     (5     47        (188     (54     —           —           (6     (26     21        (5     —          (5     (32     (2     (123

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     (796     (824     (864     (226     —           —           (702     (706     (677     (180     (191     (192     (323     (336     (369

Net finance (cost)/income

     (494     (565     (708     (1 059     —           —           (418     (371     (181     (317     (60     (58     (589     (378     (379

Share of results of associates

     278        624        622        11        —           —           5        —          —          —          —          —          —          1        1   

Income tax expense

     (1 216     (1 386     (1 637     (112     —           —           (386     (490     (764     (457     (340     (290     14        (138     (84

Profit/(loss)

     4 495        4 631        3 835        (159     —           —           4 312        4 194        4 179        532        828        711        195        310        275   

Normalized EBITDA margin %

     42.0     42.0     43.2     46.3     —           —           53.5     51.4     50.9     45.6     44.2     43.7     31.1     32.1     31.2

Segment assets

     64 639        72 845        71 233        30 259        —           —           17 436        18 268        17 133        3 483        4 335        3 969        6 557        5 939        5 854   

Intersegment elimination

                                

Non-segmented assets

                                

Total assets

                                

Segment liabilities

     6 690        8 292        6 762        3 653        —           —           5 675        7 228        6 004        1 228        1 782        1 232        4 402        3 751        3 009   

Intersegment elimination

                                

Non-segmented items

                                

Total equity and liabilities

                                

Gross capex

     588        449        384        202        —           —           1 411        1 225        1 703        299        287        239        307        295        300   

Addition to/(reversal of) provisions

     8        13        81        (1     —           —           188        134        82        1        3        1        33        3        116   

FTE

     16 852        17 136        17 924        34 203        —           —           37 722        35 653        31 467        10 482        10 924        10 251        7 764        8 066        7 831   

 

1   As Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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       Central and Eastern Europe     Asia Pacific     Global Export and Holding
Companies
    Consolidated  
       2013     2012 1     2011 1     2013     2012 1     2011 1     2013     2012 1     2011 1     2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Volume

     19        23        26        66        58        56        12        7        7        426        403        399   

Revenue

     1 445        1 668        1 755        3 354        2 690        2 317        1 839        1 270        1 496        43 195        39 758        39 046   

Cost of sales

     (776     (914     (985     (1 885     (1 565     (1 318     (1 323     (1 015     (1 171     (17 594     (16 422     (16 610

Distribution expenses

     (146     (184     (224     (302     (235     (193     (135     (111     (120     (4 061     (3 787     (3 315

Sales and marketing expenses

     (378     (400     (420     (833     (670     (588     (191     (200     (199     (5 958     (5 254     (5 133

Administrative expenses

     (98     (113     (108     (317     (274     (221     (429     (382     (310     (2 539     (2 200     (2 057

Other operating income/(expenses)

     3        5        2        109        121        90        48        40        47        1 160        684        694   

Normalized profit from operations (EBIT)

     51        62        21        127        67        86        (191     (398     (257     14 203        12 779        12 625   

Exceptional items (refer Note 8)

     (5     (5     1        (26     2        (10     6 372        (47     27        6 240        (32     (279

Profit from operations (EBIT)

     46        57        22        101        69        77        6 181        (445     (231     20 443        12 747        12 346   

Net finance (cost)/income

     (82     (117     (88     8        —          12        749        (877     (1 883     (2 203     (2 366     (3 284

Share of result of associates

     —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          294        624        623   

Profit/(loss) before tax

     (37     (60     (66     109        69        88        6 930        (1 322     (2 114     18 534        11 005        9 685   

Income tax expense

     13        (13     13        (53     (53     (42     181        740        978        (2 016     (1 680     (1 826

Profit/(loss)

     (24     (73     (53     56        16        46        7 112        (582     (1 136     16 518        9 325        7 859   

Normalized EBITDA

     225        257        225        546        396        356        (25     (231     (83     17 188        15 525        15 375   

Exceptional items (including impairment)

     (5     (5     1        (26     2        (10     6 372        (47     27        6 240        (32     (279

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     (175     (195     (204     (419     (329     (270     (165     (167     (175     (2 985     (2 746     (2 750

Net finance (cost)/income

     (82     (117     (88     8        —          12        749        (877     (1 883     (2 203     (2 366     (3 284

Share of results of associates

     —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          —          294        624        623   

Income tax expense

     13        (13     13        (53     (53     (42     181        740        978        (2 016     (1 680     (1 826

Profit/(loss)

     (24     (73     (53     56        16        46        7 112        (582     (1 136     16 518        9 325        7 859   

Normalized EBITDA margin %

     15.5     15.4     12.8     16.3     14.7     15.4     —          —          —          39.8     39.0     39.4

Segment assets

     1 908        2 153        2 179        6 246        5 028        4 577        4 242        3 865        4 296        134 769        112 432        109 242   

Intersegment elimination

                       (5 171     (5 557     (3 978

Non-segmented assets

                       12 068        15 746        7 163   

Total assets

                       141 666        122 621        112 427   

Segment liabilities

     517        578        525        2 996        2 467        1 921        3 133          3 923        28 293        26 341        23 377   

Intersegment elimination

                       (5 171     (5 557     (3 978

Non-segmented items

                       118 544        101 837        93 028   

Total equity and liabilities

                       141 666        122 621        112 427   

Gross capex

     131        127        161        817        786        607        84          279        3 839        3 312        3 673   

Addition to/(reversal of) provisions

     (2     1        —          11        (2     11        (19       (8     219        (57     283   

FTE

     7 948        9 510        10 551        37 680        34 455        36 046        1 936          2 208        154 587        117 632        116 278   

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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Net revenue from the beer business amounted to 39 080m US dollar (2012: 35 914m US dollar; 2011: 34 747m US dollar) while the net revenue from the non-beer business (soft drinks and other business) accounted for 4 115m US dollar (2012: 3 844m US dollar; 2011: 4 299m US dollar).

Net revenue from external customers attributable to AB InBev’s country of domicile (Belgium) and non-current assets located in the country of domicile represented 880m US dollar (2012: 873m US dollar; 2011: 966m US dollar) and 1 304m US dollar (2012: 1 160m US dollar; 2011: 1 188m US dollar), respectively.

 

6. ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSALS OF SUBSIDIARIES

The table below summarizes the impact of acquisitions on the Statement of financial position of AB InBev for 31 December 2013 and 2012:

 

Million US dollar

   2013
Acquisitions
    2012
Acquisitions
    2013
Disposals
    2012
Disposals
 

Non-current assets

        

Property, plant and equipment

     4 818        382        —          (11

Intangible assets

     5 068        540        —          —     

Investment in subsidiaries

     44        —          —          —     

Investment in associates

     75        —          —          —     

Investment securities

     19        —          —          —     

Deferred tax assets

     14        —          —          —     

Trade and other receivables

     65        312        —          —     

Current assets

        

Inventories

     605        39        —          (4

Income tax receivable

     1        5        —          —     

Trade and other receivables

     676        48        —          —     

Cash and cash equivalents

     2 674        29        —          (6

Assets held for sale

     5 385        2        —          —     

Non-controlling interests

     (11     —          —          —     

Non-current liabilities

        

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     —          (229     —          —     

Trade and other payables

     (566     (10     —          —     

Employee benefits

     (256     (11     —          —     

Provisions

     (21     (21     —          —     

Deferred tax liabilities

     (1 157     (145     —          —     

Current liabilities

        

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     (68     (45     —          —     

Income tax payable

     (1 502     —            —     

Trade and other payables

     (1 258     (59     —          4   

Provision

     (17     —            —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net identifiable assets and liabilities

     14 588        837        —          (17

Goodwill on acquisitions

     19 988        1 113        —          —     

Loss/(gain) on disposal

     —          —          (42     (22

Acquisition-date fair value of the previously held equity interest

     (12 946     —          —          —     

Shareholdings increases

     (11     —          —          —     

Decrease/(increase) on non-controlling interests on shareholdings increases

     —          (334     —          —     

Consideration to be paid

     (1 509     (2     —          —     

Net cash paid on prior years acquisitions

     3        14        —          —     

Non-cash consideration

     —          (154     —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Consideration paid/(received), satisfied in cash

     20 113        1 474        (42     (39

Cash (acquired)/ disposed of

     (2 674     (29     —          6   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash outflow/(inflow)

     17 439        1 445        (42     (33

2013 ACQUISITIONS

The following transactions took place in 2013:

COMBINATION WITH GRUPO MODELO

On 4 June 2013, AB InBev completed the combination with Grupo Modelo pursuant to the Transaction agreement between AB InBev and Grupo Modelo S.A.B de CV announced on 29 June 2012. This agreement was a natural next step, given AB InBev’s economic stake of more than 50 % in Grupo Modelo, prior to the transaction and the successful long-term partnership between the two companies. The combined company will lead the beer industry with roughly 400m hectoliters of beer volume annually.

 

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The combination was completed through a series of steps that simplified Grupo Modelo’s corporate structure, followed by an all-cash tender offer by AB InBev for all outstanding Grupo Modelo shares that it did not own at that time for 9.15 US dollar per share, in a transaction value at 20.1 billion US dollar. By 4 June 2013 and following the settlement of the tender offer AB InBev owned approximately 95% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares. On 4 June 2013, AB InBev established and funded a Trust that will accept further tender of shares by Grupo Modelo shareholders at a price of 9.15 US dollar per share over a period of up to 25 months, during which time Grupo Modelo will continue to be quoted on the Mexican stock exchange. As of 31 December 2013, AB InBev owned approximately 96% of Grupo Modelo’s outstanding shares and 1.5 billion US dollar is deposited with the Trust and are reported in these audited financial statements as restricted cash. AB InBev recognized a liability for the Grupo Modelo shares it did not acquire by 31 December 2013 (see also Note 21 Cash and cash equivalents and Note 28 Trade and other payables ).

AB InBev financed the transactions with funds drawn under the 2012 Facilities Agreement and cash, cash equivalents and short term investment in debt securities the company had accumulated pending the closing of the Grupo Modelo transaction. In June 2013, AB InBev fully repaid the portion of the 2012 Facilities Agreement that was drawn for the combination and terminated the 2012 Facilities Agreement (see also Note 17 Investment securities , Note 21 Cash and cash equivalents and Note 24 Interest bearing loans and borrowings ).

Transaction costs for the combination approximated 0.1 billion US dollar and were reported as incurred in the exceptional expenses in 2012 and 2013.

On 23 April 2013, as part of a Grupo Modelo pre-closing corporate structure reorganization, AB InBev performed a capital increase in Grupo Modelo. The 959m US dollar capital contribution increased the cash at closing held by Grupo Modelo without impact on the net purchase consideration.

For business combinations achieved in stages, IFRS requires that any previously held interest of an acquirer in an acquiree is adjusted to its fair value as of the acquisition date with any resulting gain (or loss) reported in the consolidated income statement. IFRS also requires that any amounts previously recognized in the consolidated statement of other comprehensive income (“OCI”) related to such investment be recycled to the consolidated income statement, as if such investment was sold. AB InBev has estimated the fair value of the initial 50.34% economic interest it held directly and indirectly in Grupo Modelo at 12.9 billion US dollar and has recycled 199m US dollar from OCI to the consolidated income statement, resulting in a net exceptional, non-cash gain of 6.4 billion US dollar (see also Note 8 Exceptional items ).

The company is in the process of finalizing the allocation of the purchase price to the individual assets acquired and liabilities assumed in compliance with IFRS 3. The provisional allocation of the purchase price included in the balance sheet and detailed in the table below is based on the current best estimates of AB InBev’s management with input from independent third parties. The completion of the purchase price allocation may result in further adjustment to the carrying value of Grupo Modelo’s recorded assets and liabilities and the determination of any residual amount that will be allocated to goodwill.

 

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The following table presents the provisional allocation of purchase price to the Grupo Modelo business:

 

Million US dollar

   Before Purchase
Price  Allocation
    Purchase Price
Allocation
    After Purchase
Price  Allocation
 

Non-current assets

      

Property, plant and equipment

     4 609        99        4 708   

Goodwill

     796        (796     —     

Intangible assets

     458        4 454        4 912   

Investment in associates

     79        (4     75   

Investment securities

     19        —          19   

Trade and other receivables

     65        —          65   

Current assets

      

Inventories

     630        (41     589   

Trade and other receivables

     617        (11     606   

Income tax receivable

     91        (91     —     

Assets held for sale

     909        4 476        5 385   

Cash and cash equivalent

     2 610        —          2 610   

Non-current liabilities

      

Employee benefits

     (256     —          (256

Provisions

     (1     (20     (21

Trade and other payables

     (77     (489     (566

Deferred tax liabilities

     (418     (714     (1 132

Current liabilities

      

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     (67     —          (67

Income tax payable

     —          (1 468     (1 468

Trade and other payables

     (845     (182     (1 027

Provisions

     (16     —          (16
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net identified assets and liabilities

     9 203        5 214        14 417   

Goodwill on acquisition

         19 592   
      

 

 

 

Net assets acquired

         34 008   

Cash consideration (including Trust)

         20 103   

Acquisition-date fair value of the previously held equity interest

         12 946   

Equity increase 23 April 2013

         959   
      

 

 

 

Total gross purchase consideration

         34 008   

Cash and cash equivalent acquired

         (2 610
      

 

 

 

Total net purchase consideration

         31 398   

The transaction resulted in 19.6 billion US dollar of goodwill provisionally allocated primarily to the Mexico business. The factors that contributed to the recognition of goodwill include the acquisition of an assembled workforce and the premiums paid for cost synergies expected to be achieved in Grupo Modelo. Management’s assessment of the future economic benefits supporting recognition of this goodwill is in part based on expected savings through the implementation of AB InBev best practices such as, among others, a zero based budgeting program and initiatives that are expected to bring greater efficiency and standardization, generate cost savings and maximize purchasing power. Goodwill also arises due to the recognition of deferred tax liabilities in relation to the preliminary fair value adjustments on acquired intangible assets for which the amortization does not qualify as a tax deductible expense. None of the goodwill recognized is deductible for tax purposes.

The valuation of the property, plant and equipment, intangible assets, investment in associates, interest bearing loans and borrowings and employee benefits and other assets and liabilities are based on the current best estimates of AB InBev’s management, with input from independent third parties.

The majority of the intangible asset valuation relates to brands with indefinite life. The valuation of the brands with indefinite life is based on a series of factors, including the brand history, the operating plan and the countries in which the brands are sold. The intangibles with an indefinite life mainly include the Corona brand family, the Modelo brand family and the Victoria brand family and have been fair valued for a total amount of 4.5 billion US dollar.

A deferred tax liability has been accrued on most fair value adjustments considering a tax rate of 30%.

On 7 June 2013, in a transaction related to the combination of AB InBev and Grupo Modelo, Grupo Modelo completed the sale of its US business to Constellation Brands, Inc. (“Constellation”). The transaction included the sale of Grupo Modelo’s 50% stake in Crown Imports for a total consideration of 1.845 billion US dollar and the sale of the Grupo Modelo’s Piedras Negras brewery and perpetual rights to Grupo Modelo’s brands distributed by Crown in the US for 2.9 billion US dollar, subject to a post-closing adjustment estimated at 558m US dollar and collectable in 2014. These assets were recognized as assets held for sale at their after tax net realizable value in the opening balance sheet. AB InBev recognized a receivable for the post-closing adjustment by 31 December 2013 (see also Note 20 Trade and other receivables ).

AB InBev and Constellation have established a three-year transition services agreement to ensure the smooth transition of the operations of the Piedras Negras brewery. A temporary supply agreement has also been negotiated as part of the acquisition agreements whereby Constellation can purchase inventory from AB InBev under a specified pricing until the Piedras Negras

 

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brewery business acquires the necessary capacity to fulfill 100 percent of the US demand. As part of the opening balance sheet AB InBev recognized a liability of 289m US dollar for prepaid discounts related to the temporary supply agreement. The prepaid discount will be amortized in the consolidated income statement in line with volumes sold to Constellation.

As of 4 June 2013, the completion date of the transaction, Grupo Modelo contributed 3 340m US dollar to the revenue and 600m US dollar to the profit of AB InBev. If the acquisition date had been 1 January 2013 it is estimated that AB InBev’s unaudited combined revenue, profit from operations and profit would have been higher by 2.4 billion US dollar, 0.6 billion US dollar, and 0.5 billion US dollar respectively. The unaudited combined data includes certain purchase accounting adjustments such as the estimated changes in depreciations and amortization expenses on acquired tangible and intangible assets. However, the unaudited combined results do not include any anticipated cost savings or other effects of the planned integration of Grupo Modelo. Accordingly, such amounts are not necessarily indicative of the results if the combination had occurred on 1 January 2013 or that may result in the future.

OTHER ACQUISITIONS

On 27 April 2013, AB InBev completed a transaction to acquire four breweries in China with a total capacity of approximately 9 million hectoliters. The aggregate purchase price was approximately 439m USD. The acquired business had an immaterial impact on profit in 2013. The company is in the process of finalizing the allocation of the purchase price to the individual assets acquired and liabilities assumed in compliance with IFRS 3.

During 2013, AB InBev acquired different distributors in Brazil and in the US for a total consideration of 90m US dollar. The acquired businesses had an immaterial impact on profit in 2013. The company is in the process of finalizing the allocation of the purchase price to the individual assets acquired and liabilities assumed in compliance with IFRS 3.

During 2013, Ambev acquired an additional stake in Cervecería Nacional Dominicana S.A. (“CND”) for a total consideration of 22m US dollar, as part of the 2012 transaction in which Ambev acquired a controlling interest in CND. As at 31 December 2013 Ambev owned a total indirect interest of 55.0% in CND.

During 2013, AB InBev paid 3.0m US dollar to former Anheuser-Busch shareholders (14m US dollar in 2012). By 31 December 2013, 8m US dollar consideration remains payable to former Anheuser-Busch shareholders whom did not yet claim the proceeds. This payable is recognized as a deferred consideration on acquisitions .

2012 ACQUISITIONS

On 11 May 2012, AB InBev announced that Ambev and E. León Jimenes S.A. (“ELJ”), which owned 83.5% of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana S.A. (“CND”), closed a transaction to form a strategic alliance to create the leading beverage company in the Caribbean through the combination of their businesses in the region. Ambev’s initial indirect interest in CND was acquired through a cash payment of 1 025m US dollar and the contribution of Ambev Dominicana. Separately, Ambev Brazil acquired an additional stake in CND of 9.3%, which was owned by Heineken N.V., for 237m US dollar at the closing date. During September, as part of the same transaction, Ambev acquired an additional stake from other minority holders, through a cash payment of 24m US dollar.

In the US, the company acquired Western Beverage LLC in Eugene, Oregon and K&L Distributors, Inc. in Renton, Washington, both major wholesalers in those territories. Furthermore, Ambev acquired all the shares issued by the company Lachaise Aromas e Participações Ltda., whose main corporate purpose is the production of flavorings, a necessary component in the production of concentrates.

2013 DISPOSALS

During 2013, AB InBev collected 42m US dollar proceeds from prior years’ sale of the Central European operations to CVC Capital Partners.

2012 DISPOSALS

On 1 July 2012, AB InBev sold its investment in the company Eagle Brands Wedco in Miami, Florida, US for a total gross consideration of 39m US dollar. As a result of the sale, AB InBev recorded an exceptional gain of 22m US dollar – see Note 8 Exceptional items.

 

7. OTHER OPERATING INCOME/(EXPENSES)

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012     2011  

Government grants

     614        469        418   

License income

     125        111        98   

Net (additions to)/reversals of provisions

     (31     (15     23   

Net gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and assets held for sale

     32        38        45   

Net rental and other operating income

     420        81        110   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     1 160        684        694   

Research expenses as incurred

     185        182        175   

The government grants relate primarily to fiscal incentives given by certain Brazilian states and Chinese provinces, based on the company’s operations and developments in those regions.

 

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Net rental and other operating income increased from 81m US dollar in 2012 to 420m US dollar in 2013. This increase results from the combination with Grupo Modelo, the positive outcome of a series of claims and the recognition of receivables related to indirect taxes and 143m US dollar one time gain related to recovery of restricted funds.

In 2013, the company expensed 185m US dollar in research, compared to 182m US dollar in 2012 and 175m US dollar in 2011. Part of this was expensed in the area of market research, but the majority is related to innovation in the areas of process optimization especially as it pertains to capacity, new product developments and packaging initiatives.

 

8. EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS

IAS 1 Presentation of financial statements requires material items of income and expense to be disclosed separately. Exceptional items are items, which in management’s judgment, need to be disclosed by virtue of their size or incidence in order for the user to obtain a proper understanding of the financial information. The company considers these items to be of significance in nature, and accordingly, management has excluded these from their segment measure of performance as noted in Note 5 Segment Reporting .

The exceptional items included in the income statement are as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012     2011  

Restructuring (including impairment losses)

     (118     (36     (351

Fair value adjustments

     6 410        —          —     

Acquisition costs business combinations

     (82     (54     (5

Business and asset disposal (including impairment losses)

     30        58        78   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Impact on profit from operations

     6 240        (32     (278

The exceptional restructuring charges for 2013 total (118)m US dollar. These charges primarily relate to the integration of Grupo Modelo, the integration of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana S.A. and to organizational alignments in China, Europe, North America, and Latin America. These changes aim to eliminate overlap or duplicated processes, taking into account the right match of employee profiles with the new organizational requirements. The 2012 exceptional restructuring charges total (36)m US dollar. These charges primarily relate to organizational alignments in North America and Europe and to the integration of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana S.A. The 2011 exceptional restructuring charges of (351)m US dollar primarily relate to organizational alignments and outsourcing activities in Western Europe, North America, China and Latin America South. These one-time expenses, as a result of the series of decisions, provide the company with a lower cost base in addition to a stronger focus on AB InBev’s core activities, quicker decision-making and improvements to efficiency, service and quality.

Fair value adjustments recognized in 2013 for a total of 6 410m US dollar, mainly relate to 6 415m US dollar exceptional, non-cash impact of revaluing the initial investment held in Grupo Modelo and the recycling to the consolidated income statement of amounts related to the investment, previously recognized in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income in line with IFRS 3 – see also Note 6 Acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries .

Acquisition costs of business combinations amount to (82)m US dollar for the year ended 31 December 2013 relate to cost incurred for the combination with Grupo Modelo and the acquisition of four breweries in China on 27 April 2013. The 2012 acquisition costs of business combinations amount to (54)m US dollar for 2012 relate to the cost incurred for the combination with Grupo Modelo and the acquisition of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana - see also Note 6 Acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries .

The business and asset disposals (including impairment losses) resulted in a net gain of 30m US dollar in 2013 mainly attributable to the additional proceeds from the sale of the Central European operations to CVC Capital Partners; a net gain of 58m US dollar in 2012 mainly attributable to the sale of non-core assets in the United States and a net gain of 78m US dollar in 2011 related to proceeds from the sale of the Central European operations to CVC Capital Partners (45m US dollar), the sale of non-core assets in Brazil (21m US dollar), as well as the reversal of en exceptional impairment loss on current assets (11m US dollar).

The company also incurred exceptional net finance income of 283m US dollar for the year ended 31 December 2013 versus (18)m US dollar for the year ended 31 December 2012 and (540)m US dollar for the year ended 31 December 2011 – see also Note 11 Finance cost and income.

All the above amounts are before income taxes. The 2013, 2012 and 2011 exceptional items as at 31 December increased income taxes by (70)m US dollar and (1)m US dollar and decreased income tax by 214m US dollar respectively.

Non-controlling interest on the exceptional items amounts to 5m US dollar in 2013 versus 11m US dollar in 2012 and 10m US dollar in 2011.

 

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9. PAYROLL AND RELATED BENEFITS

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012     2011  

Wages and salaries

     (4 137     (3 199     (3 147

Social security contributions

     (722     (607     (574

Other personnel cost

     (807     (680     (623

Pension expense for defined benefit plans

     (141     (86     (231

Share-based payment expense

     (243     (201     (204

Contributions to defined contribution plans

     (117     (41     (39
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (6 167     (4 814     (4 818

Number of full time equivalents (FTE)

     154 587        117 632        116 278   

The number of full time equivalents can be split as follows:

 

       2013      2012      2011  

AB InBev NV (parent company)

     184         319         316   

Other subsidiaries

     152 441         115 343         113 970   

Proportionally consolidated entities

     1 962         1 970         1 992   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     154 587         117 632         116 278   

Note 5 Segment reporting contains the split of the FTE by geographical segment.

 

10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON OPERATING EXPENSES BY NATURE

Depreciation, amortization and impairment charges are included in the following line items of the 2013 income statement:

 

Million US dollar

   Depreciation and
impairment of property,
plant and equipment
     Amortization and
impairment of intangible
assets
     Impairment of goodwill  

Cost of sales

     2 123         10         —     

Distribution expenses

     117         1         —     

Sales and marketing expenses

     253         194         —     

Administrative expenses

     146         132         —     

Other operating expenses

     2         7         —     

Exceptional items

     —           —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     2 641         344         —     

Depreciation, amortization and impairment charges were included in the following line items of the 2012 income statement:

 

Million US dollar

   Depreciation and
impairment of property,
plant and equipment
     Amortization and
impairment of intangible
assets
     Impairment of goodwill  

Cost of sales

     2 005         5         —     

Distribution expenses

     105         1         —     

Sales and marketing expenses

     220         173         —     

Administrative expenses

     133         105         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     2 463         284         —     

Depreciation, amortization and impairment charges were included in the following line items of the 2011 income statement:

 

Million US dollar

   Depreciation and
impairment of property,
plant and equipment
     Amortization and
impairment of intangible
assets
     Impairment of goodwill  

Cost of sales

     1 982         5         —     

Distribution expenses

     111         1         —     

Sales and marketing expenses

     244         156         —     

Administrative expenses

     119         127         —     

Other operating expenses

     5         —           —     

Exceptional items

     33         —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     2 494         289         —     

 

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The depreciation, amortization and impairment of property, plant and equipment included a full-cost reallocation of 4m US dollar in 2013 from the aggregate depreciation, amortization and impairment expense to cost of goods sold. In 2012 this reallocation was immaterial. In 2011 the full-cost reallocation was 3m US dollar.

 

11. FINANCE COST AND INCOME

RECOGNIZED IN PROFIT OR LOSS

FINANCE COSTS

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Interest expense

     (2 043     (2 065     (2 767

Capitalization of borrowing costs

     38        57        110   

Net interest on net defined benefit liabilities

     (156     (160     (147

Accretion expense

     (360     (270     (209

Net foreign exchange losses (net of the effect of foreign exchange derivative instruments)

     (295     (103     (26

Tax on financial transactions

     (47     (59     (35

Other financial costs, including bank fees

     (184     (92     (108
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (3 047     (2 692     (3 182

Exceptional finance costs

     (101     (18     (540
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (3 148     (2 710     (3 722

2013 finance costs, excluding exceptional items, increased by 355m US dollar from prior year mainly as a result of higher accretion expenses, net foreign exchange losses and other financial costs. 2012 finance costs, excluding exceptional items, decreased by 490m US dollar from prior year mainly driven by lower interest charges. This decrease was partially offset by higher accretion expenses, net foreign exchange losses and taxes on financial transactions.

2012 interest expense decreased by 702m US dollar compared to 2011, as a result of lower debt positions and lower coupon resulting from the debt refinancing and repayments which occurred in 2011.

Borrowing costs capitalized relate to the capitalization of interest expenses directly attributable to the acquisition and construction of qualifying assets mainly in Brazil. Interests are capitalized at a borrowing rate ranging between 6% and 12%.

Following the acquisition of the remaining stake in Grupo Modelo, AB InBev recognized an exceptional expense of 101m US dollar in 2013 mainly composed of utilization fees and accelerated accretion expenses related to the 2012 Facilities Agreement. The accelerated accretion follows the repayment and termination of the 2012 Facilities Agreement in June 2013. See also Note 24 Interest-bearing loans and borrowings .

In 2011 AB InBev incurred 540m US dollar exceptional finance costs as a result of the repayments and refinancing of the senior facilities, generating negative mark-to-market adjustments resulting in hedging losses of 235m US dollar on interest rate swaps that became ineffective and incremental accretion expenses of 12m US dollar. Additionally, AB InBev incurred finance costs of 245m US dollar as a result of the early redemption of a 1.25 billion US dollar note maturing in January 2014 and bearing interest at a rate of 7.20%; and of 500m US dollar securities by Ambev, maturing in September 2013 and bearing interest at a rate of 8.75% (“Bond 13”). AB InBev also incurred incremental accretion expenses of 48m US dollar related to the early redemption of certain Anheuser-Busch notes.

Interest expense is presented net of the effect of interest rate derivative instruments hedging AB InBev’s interest rate risk – see also Note 29 Risks arising from financial instruments .

FINANCE INCOME

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012 1      2011 1  

Interest income

     286         206         324   

Net gains on hedging instruments that are not part of a hedge accounting relationship

     186         108         58   

Net gains from hedge ineffectiveness

     —           13         16   

Other financial income

     89         17         40   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     561         344         438   

Exception finance income

     384         —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     945         344         438   

In 2013, AB InBev incurred 186m US dollar (108m and 58m US dollar in 2012 and 2011, respectively) of net gains on hedging instruments that are not part of a hedge accounting relationship arising mainly from positive results on derivative contracts entered into to hedge risks associated with different share based payment programs, partially offset by costs of currency hedges.

Exceptional net finance income was 384m US dollar resulting from mark-to market adjustments on derivative instruments entered into to hedge the deferred share instrument issued in a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo. By 31 December 2013, 100% of the deferred share instrument had been hedged at an average price of approximately 68 euro per share. See also Note 23 Changes in equity and earnings per share.

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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No interest income was recognized on impaired financial assets.

The interest income stems from the following financial assets:

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012      2011  

Cash and cash equivalents

     209         132         167   

Investment debt securities held for trading

     21         41         95   

Loans to customers

     2         3         7   

Other loans and receivables

     54         30         55   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     286         206         324   

The interest income on other loans and receivables includes the interest accrued on cash deposits given as guarantees for certain legal proceedings pending resolution.

For further information on instruments hedging AB InBev’s foreign exchange risk see Note 29 Risks arising from financial instruments.

 

12. INCOME TAXES

Income taxes recognized in the income statement can be detailed as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Current tax expense

      

Current year

     (2 130     (2 125     (2 188

(Underprovided)/overprovided in prior years

     132        242        115   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (1 998     (1 883     (2 073

Deferred tax (expense)/income

      

Origination and reversal of temporary differences

     (174     267        196   

(Utilization)/recognition of deferred tax assets on tax losses

     153        (64     10   

Recognition of previously unrecognized tax losses

     3        —          41   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (18     203        247   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total income tax expense in the income statement

     (2 016     (1 680     (1 826

The reconciliation of the effective tax rate with the aggregated weighted nominal tax rate can be summarized as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Profit before tax

     18 534        11 005        9 685   

Deduct share of result of associates

     294        624        623   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Profit before tax and before share of result of associates

     18 240        10 381        9 062   

Adjustments on taxable basis

      

Expenses not deductible for tax purposes

     801        241        342   

Taxable intercompany dividends

     135        394        303   

Non-taxable financial and other income

     (8 543     (717     (611
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     10 633        10 299        9 096   

Aggregated weighted nominal tax rate

     33.3     32.8     33.7

Tax at aggregated weighted nominal tax rate

     (3 545     (3 379     (3 065

Adjustments on tax expense

      

Utilization of tax losses not previously recognized

     16        131        69   

Recognition of deferred taxes assets on previous years’ tax losses

     3        —          41   

Write-down of deferred tax assets on tax losses and current year losses for which no deferred tax asset is recognized

     (74     (129     (101

(Underprovided)/overprovided in prior years

     132        242        115   

Tax savings from tax credits and special tax status

     1 620        1 274        1 241   

Change in tax rate

     116        (18     75   

Withholding taxes

     (425     (143     (152

Other tax adjustments

     141        342        (49
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (2 016     (1 680     (1 826

Effective tax rate

     11.1     16.2     20.1

The total income tax expense amounts to 2 016m US dollar in 2013 compared to 1 680m US dollar in 2012 and 1 826m US dollar in 2011. The effective tax rate decreased from 16.2% to 11.1% from 2012 to 2013. The decrease of the effective tax rate mainly results from the non-taxable nature of the exceptional gain related to the fair value adjustment on the initial investment held in Grupo Modelo (see also Note 6 Acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries and Note 8 Exceptional items ), gains from certain

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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derivatives related to the hedging of share-based payment programs, changes of profit mix to countries with lower marginal tax rates, as well as incremental income tax benefits. This decrease was partially offset by the combination with Grupo Modelo, which has a nominal tax rate of 30%. The decrease in the effective tax rate in 2012 compared to 2011 mainly results from a shift in profit mix to countries with lower marginal tax rates, incremental tax benefits in Brazil, as well as favorable outcomes on tax claims.

Income taxes were directly recognized in other comprehensive income as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012     2011  

Income tax (losses)/gains

      

Re-measurements of post-employment benefits

     (289     140        253   

Cash flow hedges

     (12     (37     (26

Net investment hedges

     8        68        33   

 

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13. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

 

     2013     2012  

Million US dollar

   Land and
buildings
    Plant and
equipment
    Fixtures
and fittings
    Under
construction
    Total     Total  

Acquisition cost

            

Balance at end of previous year

     8 173        19 988        3 328        1 619        33 108        31 357   

Effect of movements in foreign exchange

     (297     (801     (142     (119     (1 359     (450

Acquisitions

     21        476        164        2 862        3 523        3 032   

Acquisitions through business combinations

     1 771        2 078        483        486        4 818        384   

Disposals

     (142     (1 150     (409     4        (1 697     (1 043

Disposals through the sale of subsidiaries

     —          —          —          —          —          (17

Transfer (to)/from other asset categories and other movements

     442        1 823        236       
 
(2
787
  
    (286     (155
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at end of the period

     9 968        22 414        3 660        2 065        38 107        33 108   

Depreciation and impairment losses

            

Balance at end of previous year

     (2 616     (11 510     (2 518     (3     (16 647     (15 335

Effect of movements in foreign exchange

     64        402        84        (1     549        156   

Disposals

     74        1 056        340        —          1 470        906   

Disposals through the sale of subsidiaries

     —          —          —          —          —          4   

Depreciation

     (358     (1 866     (343     —          (2 567     (2 401

Impairment losses

     (4     (61     (4     (1     (70     (62

Transfer to/(from) other asset categories and other movements

     16        32        (3     2        47        85   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at end of the period

     (2 824     (11 947     (2 444     (3     (17 218     (16 647

Carrying amount

            

at 31 December 2012

     5 557        8 478        810        1 616        16 461        16 461   

at 31 December 2013

     7 144        10 467        1 216        2 062        20 889        —     

The transfer (to)/from other asset categories and other movements mainly relates to transfers from assets under construction to their respective asset categories, to contributions of assets to pension plans and to the separate presentation in the balance sheet of property, plant and equipment held for sale in accordance with IFRS 5 Non-current assets held for sale and discontinued operations.

The carrying amount of property, plant and equipment subject to restrictions on title amounts to 84m US dollar as at 31 December 2013 (2012: 104m US dollar).

Contractual commitments to purchase property, plant and equipment amounted to 591m US dollar as at 31 December 2013 compared to 415m US dollar as at 31 December 2012. The increase results from projects mainly in Brazil and China.

 

14. GOODWILL

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012  

Acquisition cost

    

Balance at end of previous year

     51 773        51 309   

Effect of movements in foreign exchange

     (1 799     (643

Purchases of non-controlling interest

     (29     (6

Acquisitions through business combinations

     19 988        1 113   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at end of year

     69 933        51 773   

Impairment losses

    

Balance at end of previous year

     (7     (7

Impairment losses

     —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at end of year

     (7     (7

Carrying amount

    

at 31 December 2012

     51 766        51 766   

at 31 December 2013

     69 927        —     

Current year acquisitions through business combinations primarily reflect the Modelo combination. This transaction resulted in the recognition of goodwill of 19 592m US dollar. The other business combinations that took place in 2013 resulted in goodwill recognition of 380m US dollar following the acquisition of four breweries in China, different distributors in Brazil and a wholesaler in the United States. The contingent consideration from the purchase of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana S.A. also led to the recognition of an additional goodwill of 16m US dollar.

The business combination that resulted in the recognition of goodwill in 2012 were the acquisition of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana S.A. in Dominican Republic in May 2012, the acquisition of 2 distributors in the United States and the acquisition of 2 companies by Ambev in Brazil - see also Note 6 Acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries .

 

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The carrying amount of goodwill was allocated to the different business unit levels as follows:

 

Million US dollar

Business unit

   2013      2012  

USA

     32 654         32 654   

Mexico

     19 171         —     

Brazil

     7 669         8 743   

China

     2 317         1 925   

Canada

     1 945         2 078   

Germany/Italy/Switzerland/Austria

     1 535         1 469   

Argentina and other Hispanic Latin America countries

     1 181         1 345   

Dominican Republic

     1 037         1 089   

Russia/Ukraine

     960         1 057   

Global Export/Spain

     731         698   

UK/Ireland

     624         609   

Belgium/Netherlands/France/Luxemburg

     103         99   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     69 927         51 766   

AB InBev completed its annual impairment test for goodwill and concluded, based on the assumptions described below, that no impairment charge was warranted. The company cannot predict whether an event that triggers impairment will occur, when it will occur or how it will affect the asset values reported. AB InBev believes that all of its estimates are reasonable: they are consistent with the internal reporting and reflect management’s best estimates. However, inherent uncertainties exist that management may not be able to control. During its valuation, the company ran sensitivity analysis for key assumptions including the weighted average cost of capital and the terminal growth rate, in particular for the valuations of the US, Brazil and Mexico, countries that show the highest goodwill. While a change in the estimates used could have a material impact on the calculation of the fair values and trigger an impairment charge, the company, based on sensitivity analysis performed around the base case assumptions is not aware of any reasonably possible change in a key assumption used that would cause a business unit’s carrying amount to exceed its recoverable amount.

Goodwill impairment testing relies on a number of critical judgments, estimates and assumptions. Goodwill, which accounted for approximately 49% of AB InBev’s total assets as at 31 December 2013, is tested for impairment at the business unit level (that is one level below the reporting segments). The business unit level is the lowest level at which goodwill is monitored for internal management purposes. Whenever a business combination occurs, goodwill is allocated as from the acquisition date, to each of AB InBev’s business units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination.

AB InBev impairment testing methodology is in accordance with IAS 36, in which a fair-value-less-cost-to-sell and value in use approaches are taken into consideration. This consists in applying a discounted free cash flow approach based on acquisition valuation models for its major business units and the business units showing a high invested capital to EBITDA multiple, and valuation multiples for its other business units.

The key judgments, estimates and assumptions used in the discounted free cash flow calculations are as follows:

 

   

The first year of the model is based on management’s best estimate of the free cash flow outlook for the current year;

 

   

In the second to fourth years of the model, free cash flows are based on AB InBev’s strategic plan as approved by key management. AB InBev’s strategic plan is prepared per country and is based on external sources in respect of macro-economic assumptions, industry, inflation and foreign exchange rates, past experience and identified initiatives in terms of market share, revenue, variable and fixed cost, capital expenditure and working capital assumptions;

 

   

For the subsequent six years of the model, data from the strategic plan is extrapolated generally using simplified assumptions such as constant volumes and variable cost per hectoliter and fixed cost linked to inflation, as obtained from external sources;

 

   

Cash flows after the first ten-year period are extrapolated generally using expected annual long-term consumer price indices (CPI), based on external sources, in order to calculate the terminal value, considering sensitivities on this metric. For the three main cash generating units, the terminal growth rate applied ranged between 0.0% and 2.3% for the US; 0.0% and 3.3% for Brazil and 0.0% and 2.6% for Mexico;

 

   

Projections are made in the functional currency of the business unit and discounted at the unit’s weighted average cost of capital (WACC), considering sensitivities on this metric. The WACC ranged primarily between 7% and 30% in US dollar nominal terms for goodwill impairment testing conducted for 2013. For the three main cash generating units, the WACC applied in US dollar nominal terms ranged between 7% and 9% for the US, 9% and 11% for Brazil, and 8% and 10% for Mexico.

 

   

Cost to sell is assumed to reach 2% of the entity value based on historical precedents.

The above calculations are corroborated by valuation multiples, quoted share prices for publicly-traded subsidiaries or other available fair value indicators.

Although AB InBev believes that its judgments, assumptions and estimates are appropriate, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

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15. INTANGIBLE ASSETS

 

     2013     2012  

Million US dollar

   Brands     Commercial
intangibles
    Software     Other     Total     Total  

Acquisition cost

            

Balance at end of previous year

     22 124        2 421        979        344        25 868        25 073   

Effect of movements in foreign exchange

     (220     (6     (20     6        (240     (33

Acquisitions through business combinations

     4 564        303        170        31        5 068        540   

Acquisitions and expenditures

     2        128        300        113        543        281   

Disposals

     —          (39     (242     (5     (286     (30

Transfer (to)/from other asset categories and other movements

     21        (25     153        29        178        37   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at end of period

     26 491        2 782        1 340        518        31 131        25 868   

Amortization and impairment losses

            

Balance at end of previous year

     —          (682     (768     (47     (1 497     (1 255

Effect of movements in foreign exchange

     —          7        10        (1     16        8   

Amortization

     —          (190     (125     (19     (334     (284

Impairment losses

     —          (3     (7     —          (10     —     

Disposals

     —          36        12        4        52        29   

Transfer to/(from) other asset categories and other movements

     —          2        (24     2        (20     5   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at end of period

     —          (830     (902     (61     (1 793     (1 497

Carrying value

            

at 31 December 2012

     22 124        1 739        211        297        24 371        24 371   

at 31 December 2013

     26 491        1 952        438        457        29 338        —     

Current year acquisitions through business combinations primarily reflect the Modelo combination which resulted in the recognition of brands and commercial intangibles with an indefinite life of 4 698m US dollar and intangible assets with a finite life of 214m US dollar, which primarily consists of software and distribution agreements. These are being amortized over the term of the associated contracts ranging from 5 to 20 years.

AB InBev is the owner of some of the world’s most valuable brands in the beer industry. As a result, brands and certain distribution rights are expected to generate positive cash flows for as long as the company owns the brands and distribution rights. Given AB InBev’s more than 600-year history, brands and certain distribution rights have been assigned indefinite lives.

Acquisitions and expenditures of commercial intangibles mainly represent supply and distribution rights, exclusive multi-year sponsorship rights and other commercial intangibles.

Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are comprised primarily of brands and certain distribution rights that AB InBev purchases for its own products, and are tested for impairment during the fourth quarter of the year or whenever a triggering event has occurred. As of 31 December 2013, the carrying amount of the intangible assets amounted to 29 338m US dollar (31 December 2012: 24 371m US dollar; 2011: 23 818m US dollar) of which 27 593m US dollar was assigned an indefinite useful life (2012: 22 984m US dollar; 2011: 22 462m US dollar) and 1 745m US dollar a finite life (2012: 1 387m US dollar; 2011: 1 356m US dollar).

The carrying amount of intangible assets with indefinite useful lives was allocated to the different countries as follows:

 

Million US dollar

Country

   2013      2012  

USA

     21 414         21 340   

Mexico

     4 608         —     

Dominican Republic

     399         425   

Argentina

     220         292   

China

     330         280   

Paraguay

     187         201   

Bolivia

     171         171   

UK

     111         108   

Uruguay

     47         52   

Canada

     38         40   

Russia

     25         27   

Chile

     24         26   

Germany

     19         19   

Brazil

     —           3   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     27 593         22 984   

Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives have been tested for impairment using the same methodology and assumptions as disclosed in Note 14 Goodwill. Based on the assumptions described in that note, AB InBev concluded that no impairment charge is warranted. While a change in the estimates used could have a material impact on the calculation of the fair values and trigger an impairment charge, the company is not aware of any reasonable possible change in a key assumption used that would cause a business unit’s carrying amount to exceed its recoverable amount.

 

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16. INVESTMENT IN ASSOCIATES

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012  

Balance at end of previous year

     7 090        6 696   

Effect of movements in foreign exchange

     123        485   

Acquisition through business combination

     75        —     

Share of results of associates

     294        624   

Dividends

     (604     (719

Transfer to other categories

     (6 793     —     

Other movements

     2        4   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at end of the period

     187        7 090   

Following the AB InBev and Grupo Modelo combination, AB InBev is fully consolidating Grupo Modelo in the AB InBev consolidated financial statements as of 4 June 2013, which resulted in the derecognition of the investment in associates previously held in Grupo Modelo at the same date. In line with IFRS 3, the initial stake in Grupo Modelo was re-valued at its deemed fair value at the acquisition date, resulting in an exceptional, non-cash gain reported in the consolidated income statement – see also Note 6 Acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries and Note 8 Exceptional items.

 

17. INVESTMENT SECURITIES

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012  

Non-current investments

     

Investments in unquoted companies – available for sale

     170         231   

Debt securities held to maturity

     23         25   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     193         256   

Current investments

     

Debt securities available for sale

     —           91   

Debt securities held for trading

     123         6 736   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     123         6 827   

AB InBev raised a series of bonds in 2012 and in the first quarter of 2013 to support the Modelo combination. The excess liquidity resulting from these bonds was mainly invested in short-term; highly liquid, debt securities and US Treasury Bills pending the closing of the Modelo combination which occurred on 4 June 2013.

As of 31 December 2013, current debt securities of 123m US dollar mainly represented investments in Brazilian real denominated government debt securities. The company’s investments in such short-term debt securities are primarily to facilitate liquidity and for capital preservation.

AB InBev’s exposure to equity price risk is disclosed in Note 29 Risks arising from financial instruments . The equity securities available for sale consist mainly of investments in unquoted companies and are measured at cost as their fair value cannot be reliably determined.

 

18. DEFERRED TAX ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

The amount of deferred tax assets and liabilities by type of temporary difference can be detailed as follows:

 

     2013  

Million US dollar

   Assets     Liabilities     Net  

Property, plant and equipment

     490        (2 879     (2 389

Intangible assets

     234        (9 812     (9 578

Goodwill

     37        (18     19   

Inventories

     101        (91     10   

Investment in associates

     —          (1 280     (1 280

Trade and other receivables

     81        (47     34   

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     90        (517     (427

Employee benefits

     885        (35     850   

Provisions

     286        (24     262   

Derivatives

     57        (10     47   

Other items

     1 060        (663     397   

Loss carry forwards

     394        —          394   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross deferred tax assets/(liabilities)

     3 715        (15 376     (11 661

Netting by taxable entity

     (2 535     2 535     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net deferred tax assets/(liabilities)

     1 180        (12 841     (11 661

 

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     2012  

Million US dollar

   Assets     Liabilities     Net  

Property, plant and equipment

     452        (2 538     (2 086

Intangible assets

     179        (8 547     (8 368

Goodwill

     51        (14     37   

Inventories

     81        (87     (6

Investment in associates

     4        (1 319     (1 315

Trade and other receivables

     51        (3     48   

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     150        (491     (341

Employee benefits

     1 320        (14     1 306   

Provisions

     291        (21     270   

Derivatives

     214        (40     174   

Other items

     100        (422     (322

Loss carry forwards

     242        —          242   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross deferred tax assets/(liabilities)

     3 135        (13 496     (10 361

Netting by taxable entity

     (2 328     2 328        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net deferred tax assets/(liabilities)

     807        (11 168     (10 361

The change in net deferred taxes recorded in the consolidated statement of financial position can be detailed as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Balance at 1 January

     (10 361     (10 606     (11 165

Recognized in profit or loss

     (18     203        217   

Recognized in other comprehensive income

     (293     171        289   

Acquisitions through business combinations

     (1 143     (145     (15

Other movements

     154        16        68   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at 31 December

     (11 661     (10 361     (10 606

Net deferred tax assets and liabilities increased from prior year mainly due to deferred tax liabilities associated with the Modelo combination.

Most of the temporary differences are related to the fair value adjustment on intangible assets with indefinite useful lives and property, plant and equipment acquired in a business combination. The realization of such temporary differences is unlikely to revert within 12 months.

On 31 December 2013, a deferred tax liability of 41m US dollar (2012: 31m US dollar) relating to investment in subsidiaries has not been recognized because management believes that this liability will not be incurred in the foreseeable future.

Tax losses carried forward and deductible temporary differences on which no deferred tax asset is recognized amount to 2 282m US dollar (2012: 2 366m US dollar). 718m US dollar of these tax losses and deductible temporary differences do not have an expiration date, 111m US dollar, 117m US dollar and 116m US dollar expire within respectively 1, 2 and 3 years, while 1 220m US dollar have an expiration date of more than 3 years. Deferred tax assets have not been recognized on these items because it is not probable that future taxable profits will be available against which these tax losses and deductible temporary differences can be utilized and the company has no tax planning strategy currently in place to utilize these tax losses and deductible temporary differences.

 

19. INVENTORIES

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012  

Prepayments

     78         39   

Raw materials and consumables

     1 717         1 508   

Work in progress

     326         267   

Finished goods

     761         656   

Goods purchased for resale

     68         30   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     2 950         2 500   

Inventories other than work in progress

     

Inventories stated at net realizable value

     29         —     

Carrying amount of inventories subject to collateral

     —           —     

The cost of inventories recognized as an expense in 2013 amounts to 17 594m US dollar, included in cost of sales. In 2012 this expense amounted to 16 422m US dollar and in 2011 to 16 634m US dollar.

Impairment losses on inventories recognized in 2013 amount to 59m US dollar (2012: 66m US dollar; 2011: 21m US dollar).

 

1   2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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20. TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

NON-CURRENT TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012  

Cash deposits for guarantees

     240         272   

Loans to customers

     65         21   

Deferred collection on disposals

     37         38   

Tax receivable, other than income tax

     198         177   

Derivatives

     120         241   

Trade and other receivables

     592         479   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     1 252         1 228   

For the nature of cash deposits for guarantees see Note 31 Collateral and contractual commitments for the acquisition of property, plant and equipment, loans to customers and other .

CURRENT TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012  

Trade receivables and accrued income

     2 935         2 736   

Interest receivable

     38         67   

Tax receivable, other than income tax

     429         283   

Derivatives

     607         398   

Loans to customers

     50         9   

Prepaid expenses

     616         453   

Other receivables

     687         77   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     5 362         4 023   

As of 31 December 2013, AB InBev recognized a receivable of 558m US dollar, collectable in 2014, related to the post-closing adjustment of the sale of the US business to Constellation (see also Note 6 Acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries ).

The fair value of trade and other receivables, excluding derivatives, equals their carrying amounts as the impact of discounting is not significant.

The ageing of the current trade receivables and accrued income, interest receivable, other receivables and current and non-current loans to customers can be detailed as follows for 2013 and 2012 respectively:

 

       Net carrying
amount as of

December 31,
2013
     Of which:
neither
impaired nor
past due on
the reporting
date
     Of which not impaired as of the reporting date and  past
due
 
             Less than
30 days
     Between 30
and 59 days
     Between 60
and 89 days
     More than
90 days
 

Trade receivables and accrued income

     2 935         2 738         139         24         11         23   

Loans to customers

     115         105         —           1         1         8   

Interest receivable

     38         38         —           —           —           —     

Other receivables

     687         687         —           —           —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     3 775         3 568         139         25         12         31   

 

     Net carrying
amount as of
December 31,
2012
     Of which:
neither
impaired nor
past due on
the reporting
date
     Of which not impaired as of the reporting date and  past
due
 
             Less than
30 days
     Between 30
and 59 days
     Between 60
and 89 days
     More than
90 days
 

Trade receivables and accrued income

     2 736         2 588         107         23         14         4   

Loans to customers

     30         29         —           —           —           1   

Interest receivable

     67         67         —           —           —           —     

Other receivables

     77         77         —           —           —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     2 910         2 761         107         23         14         5   

In accordance with IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures the above analysis of the age of financial assets that are past due as at the reporting date but not impaired, also includes the non-current part of loans to customers. Past due amounts were not impaired when collection is still considered likely, for instance because the amounts can be recovered from the tax authorities or AB InBev has sufficient collateral. Impairment losses on trade and other receivables recognized in 2013 amount to 85m US dollar (2012: 40m US dollar).

AB InBev’s exposure to credit, currency and interest rate risks is disclosed in Note 29 Risks arising from financial instruments .

 

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21. CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012  

Short-term bank deposits

     7 109        2 741   

US Treasury Bills

     —          1 000   

Cash and bank accounts

     2 730        3 310   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

     9 839        7 051   

Bank overdrafts

     (6     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
     9 833        7 051   

AB InBev raised a series of bonds in 2012 and in the first quarter of 2013 to support the Modelo combination. The excess liquidity resulting from these bonds was mainly invested in short-term debt, highly liquid, securities and US Treasury Bills pending the closing of the Modelo combination which occurred on 4 June 2013. See also note 17 Investment securities and note 24 Interest-bearing loans and borrowings .

The cash outstanding per 31 December 2013 includes restricted cash for an amount of 1 512m US dollar. This restricted cash includes 1 504m US dollar deposited with a Trust established and funded on 4 June 2013, following the closing of the AB InBev and Grupo Modelo combination. The Trust will accept further tender of shares by Grupo Modelo shareholders at a price of 9.15 US dollar per share over a period of up to 25 months. AB InBev set up a liability for the Grupo Modelo shares it did not acquire by 31 December 2013 – see also Note 28 Trade and other payables.

The restricted cash also includes 8m US dollar for the outstanding consideration payable to former Anheuser-Busch shareholders who did not yet claim the proceeds from the 2008 Anheuser-Busch combination (the related payable is recognized as a deferred consideration on acquisition).

 

22. ASSETS AND LIABILITIES HELD FOR SALE

 

     Assets     Liabilities  

Million US dollar

   2013     2012     2013      2012  

Balance at the end of previous year

     34        1        —           —     

Effect of movements in foreign exchange

     (4     1        —           —     

Addition through business combination

     5 385        2        —           —     

Disposals

     (4 844     (6     —           1   

Impairment loss

     —          —          —           —     

Transfers from other asset categories

     (487     36        —           (1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at end of year

     84        34        —           —     

The 2013 additions and disposals of assets held for sale are explained by the combination with Grupo Modelo and the sale by Grupo Modelo of its US business to Constellation Brands. See also Note 6 Acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries.

 

23. CHANGES IN EQUITY AND EARNINGS PER SHARE

STATEMENT OF CAPITAL

2013:

The tables below summarize the changes in issued capital and treasury shares during the year:

 

       Issued capital  

ISSUED CAPITAL

   Million shares      Million US dollar  

At the end of the previous year

     1 607         1 734   

Changes during the year

     1         1   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     1 608         1 735   

 

TREASURY SHARES

   Treasury shares     Result on the use of
treasury shares
 
   Million shares     Million US dollar     Million US dollar  

At the end of the previous year

     4.7        (241     (759

Changes during the year

     (3.1     144        (18
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     1.6        (97     (777

 

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2012:

             

ISSUED CAPITAL

   Issued capital  
   Million shares      Million US dollar  

At the end of the previous year

     1 606         1 734   

Changes during the year

     1         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     1 607         1 734   

 

TREASURY SHARES

   Treasury shares     Result on the use of
treasury shares
 
   Million shares     Million US dollar     Million US dollar  

At the end of the previous year

     8.1        (394     (743

Changes during the year

     (3.4     153        (16
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     4.7        (241     (759

As at 31 December 2013, the total issued capital of 1 735m US dollar is represented by 1 607 844 590 shares without face value, of which 386 932 946 registered shares, 16 574 bearer shares and 1 220 895 070 dematerialized shares. For a total amount of capital of 1.6m US dollar (1.2m euro), there are still 1 499 587 of subscription rights outstanding corresponding with a maximum of 1 499 587 shares to be issued. The total of authorized, un-issued capital amounts to 51m US dollar (37m euro).

The holders of ordinary shares are entitled to receive dividends as declared from time to time and are entitled to one vote per share at meetings of the company. In respect of the company’s shares that are held by AB InBev, rights are suspended.

The shareholders’ structure based on the notifications made to the company pursuant to the Belgian Law of 02 May 2007 on the disclosure of significant shareholdings in listed companies is included in the Corporate Governance section of AB InBev’s annual report.

Capital contributions in subsidiaries, mainly in the zone Latin America North, subscribed by non-controlling interest amounted to 38.4m US dollar in 2013.

CHANGES IN OWNERSHIP INTERESTS

In compliance with IAS 27, the acquisition of additional shares in a subsidiary is accounted for as an equity transaction with owners.

During 2013, AB InBev purchased non-controlling interests in subsidiaries for a total consideration of 72m US dollar. As the related subsidiaries were already fully consolidated, the purchases did not impact AB InBev’s profit, but reduced the non-controlling interests and thus impacted the profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev.

REPORT ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 624 OF THE BELGIAN COMPANIES CODE - PURCHASE OF OWN SHARES

During the year 2013, AB InBev did not purchase any of its shares.

During 2013, the company proceeded with the following sale transactions:

 

   

132 311 shares were sold to members of the Ambev senior management who were transferred to AB InBev. The sale occurred according to a share exchange program at a price reduced with 16.66 % compared to the market price, in order to encourage management mobility;

 

   

222 630 shares were granted to executives of the group according to the company’s executive remuneration policy;

 

   

528 037 shares were granted to executives of the company in exchange for unvested options, in order to maintain consistency of granted benefits and encourage management mobility, in particular for the benefit of executives moving to the United States. The shares are subject to a lock-up period until 31 December 2018;

 

   

Finally, 2 214 368 shares were sold, as a result of the exercise of options granted to employees of the group.

At the end of the period, the group owned 1 618 802 own shares of which 1 093 369 were held directly by AB InBev.

The par value of the shares is 0.77 euro. As a consequence, the shares that were sold during the year 2013 represent 3 289 090 US dollar (2 384 956 euro) of the subscribed capital and the shares that the company still owned at the end of 2013 represent 1 719 017 US dollar (1 246 478 euro) of the subscribed capital.

 

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DIVIDENDS

On 30 October 2013, an interim dividend of 0.60 euro per share or approximately 963m euro was approved by the Board of Directors. This dividend was paid out on 18 November 2013. On 25 February 2014, in addition to the interim dividend paid on 18 November 2013, a dividend of 1.45 euro per share or approximately 2 322m euro was proposed by the Board of Directors, reflecting a total dividend payment for 2013 fiscal year of 2.05 euro per share or approximately 3 285m euro.

In accordance with the IAS 10 Events after the balance sheet date, the February 2014 dividend has not been recorded in the 2013 financial statements.

On 24 April 2013, a dividend of 1.70 euro per share or approximately 2 725m euro was approved at the shareholders meeting. This dividend was paid out on 2 May 2013.

On 25 April 2012, a dividend of 1.20 euro per share or approximately 1 920m euro was approved at the shareholders meeting. This dividend was paid out on 3 May 2012.

TRANSLATION RESERVES

The translation reserves comprise all foreign currency exchange differences arising from the translation of the financial statements of foreign operations. The translation reserves also comprise the portion of the gain or loss on the foreign currency liabilities and on the derivative financial instruments determined to be effective net investment hedges in conformity with IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement hedge accounting rules.

HEDGING RESERVES

The hedging reserves comprise the effective portion of the cumulative net change in the fair value of cash flow hedges to the extent the hedged risk has not yet impacted profit or loss – see also Note 29 Risks arising from financial instruments .

TRANSFERS FROM SUBSIDIARIES

The amount of dividends payable to AB InBev by its operating subsidiaries is subject to, among other restrictions, general limitations imposed by the corporate laws, capital transfer restrictions and exchange control restrictions of the respective jurisdictions where those subsidiaries are organized and operate. Capital transfer restrictions are also common in certain emerging market countries, and may affect AB InBev’s flexibility in implementing a capital structure it believes to be efficient. Dividends paid to AB InBev by certain of its subsidiaries are also subject to withholding taxes. Withholding tax, if applicable, generally does not exceed 10%.

DEFERRED SHARE INSTRUMENT

In a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo, select Grupo Modelo shareholders committed, upon tender of their Grupo Modelo shares, to acquire 23 076 923 AB InBev shares to be delivered within 5 years for consideration of approximately 1.5 billion US dollar. The consideration was paid on 5 June 2013. Pending the delivery of the AB InBev shares, AB InBev will pay a coupon on each undelivered AB InBev share, so that the Deferred Share Instrument holders are compensated on an after tax basis, for dividends they would have received had the AB InBev shares been delivered to them prior to the record date for such dividend.

The deferred share instrument is classified as an equity instrument, in line with the IAS 32, as the number of shares and consideration received are fixed. The coupon to compensate for the dividend equivalent is reported through equity. On 18 November 2013, the company paid a coupon of 0.60 euro per share or approximately 18m US dollar.

AB InBev included the weighted average number of shares promised via the deferred share instruments as of 5 June 2013 in the calculation of the basic and diluted earnings per shares.

 

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EARNINGS PER SHARE

The calculation of basic earnings per share is based on the profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev of 14 394m US dollar (2012: 7 160m US dollar; 2011: 5 779m US dollar) and a weighted average number of ordinary shares (including deferred share instruments) outstanding during the year, calculated as follows:

 

Million shares

   2013      2012      2011  

Issued ordinary shares at 1 January, net of treasury shares

     1 602         1 598         1 593   

Effect of shares issued and share buyback programs

     2         2         2   

Effect of undelivered shares under the deferred share instrument

     13         —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Weighted average number of ordinary shares at 31 December

     1 617         1 600         1 595   

The calculation of diluted earnings per share is based on the profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev of 14 394m US dollar (2012: 7 160m US dollar; 2011: 5 779m US dollar) and a weighted average number of ordinary shares (diluted) outstanding (including deferred share instruments) during the year, calculated as follows:

 

Million shares

   2013      2012      2011  

Weighted average number of ordinary shares at 31 December

     1 604         1 600         1 595   

Effect of undelivered shares under the deferred share instrument

     13         —           —     

Effect of share options, warrants and restricted stock units

     33         28         19   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (diluted) at 31 December

     1 650         1 628         1 614   

The calculation of earnings per share before exceptional items is based on the profit after tax and before exceptional items, attributable to equity holders of AB InBev. A reconciliation of profit before exceptional items, attributable to equity holders of AB InBev to profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev is calculated as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012 1     2011 1  

Profit before exceptional items, attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

     7 936         7 201        6 375   

Exceptional items, after taxes, attributable to equity holders of AB InBev (refer Note 8)

     6 175         (23     (174

Exceptional finance cost, after taxes, attributable to equity holders of AB InBev (refer Note 8)

     283         (18     (422
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

     14 394         7 160        5 779   

The table below sets out the EPS calculation:

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012 1      2011 1  

Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

     14 394         7 160         5 779   

Weighted average number of ordinary shares

     1 617         1 600         1 595   

Basic EPS

     8.90         4.48         3.62   

Profit before exceptional items, attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

     7 936         7 201         6 375   

Weighted average number of ordinary shares

     1 617         1 600         1 595   

EPS before exceptional items

     4.91         4.50         4.00   

Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

     14 394         7 160         5 779   

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (diluted)

     1 650         1 628         1 614   

Diluted EPS

     8.72         4.40         3.58   

Profit before exceptional items, attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

     7 936         7 201         6 375   

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (diluted)

     1 650         1 628         1 614   

Diluted EPS before exceptional items

     4.81         4.42         3.95   

The average market value of the company’s shares for purposes of calculating the dilutive effect of share options and restricted stock units was based on quoted market prices for the period that the options and restricted stock units were outstanding. 8.9m share options were anti-dilutive and not included in the calculation of the dilutive effect as at 31 December 2013.

 

24. INTEREST-BEARING LOANS AND BORROWINGS

This note provides information about the company’s interest-bearing loans and borrowings. For more information about the company’s exposure to interest rate and foreign currency risk, refer to Note 29 Risks arising from financial instruments.

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES

Million US dollar

   2013      2012  

Secured bank loans

     192         119   

Unsecured bank loans

     349         627   

Unsecured bond issues

     40 526         37 988   

Unsecured other loans

     75         79   

Finance lease liabilities

     132         138   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     41 274         38 951   

CURRENT LIABILITIES

Million US dollar

   2013      2012  

Secured bank loans

     94         32   

Commercial papers

     2 065         2 088   

Unsecured bank loans

     345         413   

Unsecured bond issues

     5 327         2 840   

Secured other loans

     —           5   

Unsecured other loans

     12         9   

Finance lease liabilities

     3         3   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     7 846         5 390   

The current and non-current interest-bearing loans and borrowings amount to 49.1 billion US dollar as of 31 December 2013, compared to 44.3 billion US dollar as of 31 December 2012.

In connection with the announcement on 29 June 2012 of the acquisition of the remaining stake in Grupo Modelo that it did not already own, AB InBev entered into a 14.0 billion US dollar long-term bank financing, dated as of 20 June 2012. The new financing consisted of a 14.0 billion US dollar facilities agreement (“2012 Facilities Agreement”) comprising of “Facility A”, a term facility with a maximum maturity of two years from the funding date for up to 6.0 billion US dollar principal amount and “Facility B” a three-year term facility for up to 8.0 billion US dollar principal amount bearing interest at a floating rate equal to LIBOR, plus margins. In November 2012, the US principal amount of “Facility A” was reduced to 5.1 billion US dollar, following a voluntary cancellation option under the 2012 Facilities Agreement and on 31 May 2013, the company opted to cancel the remaining commitments under “Facility A”. On 3 June 2013, the company drew down 8.0 billion US dollar under “Facility B” to finance the Modelo combination. In June 2013, AB InBev fully repaid the portion of the 2012 Facilities Agreement that was drawn for the combination and terminated the 2012 Facilities Agreement. As of 31 December 2013, no amount remains outstanding under the 2012 Facilities Agreement.

Furthermore, AB InBev raised the following bonds to support the Modelo combination:

 

   

On 17 January 2013, Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc., a subsidiary of AB InBev, issued 4.0 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of bonds, consisting of 1.0 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2016, 1.0 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2018, 1.25 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2023 and 0.75 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2043. The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 0.800% for the 2016 notes, 1.250% for the 2018 notes, 2.625% for the 2023 notes and 4.000% for the 2043 notes.

 

   

On 23 January 2013, AB InBev issued 500m euro aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due in 2033 and bearing interest at an annual rate of 3.250%.

 

   

On 25 January 2013, Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc., a subsidiary of AB InBev, issued a private offering of notes in an aggregated principal amount of 1.2 billion Canadian dollar, consisting of 0.6 billion Canadian dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2018 and 0.6 billion Canadian dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2023. The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 2.375% for the 2018 notes and 3.375% for the 2023 notes.

In addition to the above, on 24 September 2013, AB InBev issued 750m euro aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due in 2020 bearing interest at an annual rate of 2.250% and 500m pound sterling aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due in 2025 bearing interest at an annual rate of 4.000%. The use of the proceeds of such issuance was for general corporate purposes.

Effective 20 August 2013, AB InBev amended the terms of the 8.0 billion US dollar 5-year 2010 Senior Facilities, originally entered into in February 2010 and subsequently amended to extend the maturity until July 2016. The August 2013 amendment provides an extension of 7.2 billion US dollar of the 5-year revolving credit facility to a revised maturity of July 2018. As of 31 December 2013, there are no amounts drawn under the 8.0 billion US dollar 2010 Senior Facilities.

During 2013, AB InBev early redeemed 22m US dollar aggregate principal amount of Anheuser-Busch fixed rate notes with maturities in 2034 and 2041.

Commercial papers amount to 2.1 billion US dollar as of 31 December 2013 and include programs in US dollar and euro with a total authorized issuance up to 3.0 billion US dollar and 1.0 billion euro, respectively.

 

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AB InBev is in compliance with all its debt covenants as of 31 December 2013. The 2012 Facilities Agreement and the 2010 Senior Facilities do not include restrictive financial covenants.

 

TERMS AND DEBT REPAYMENT

SCHEDULE AT 31 DECEMBER 2013

Million US dollar

   Total      1 year or
less
     1-2 years      2-3 years      3-5 years      More than 5
years
 

Secured bank loans

     286         94         81         46         30         35   

Commercial papers

     2 065         2 065         —           —           —           —     

Unsecured bank loans

     694         345         170         142         37         —     

Unsecured bond issues

     45 853         5 327         4 587         2 465         8 677         24 797   

Unsecured other loans

     87         12         22         15         10         28   

Finance lease liabilities

     135         3         3         4         7         118   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     49 120         7 846         4 863         2 672         8 761         24 978   

TERMS AND DEBT REPAYMENT

SCHEDULE AT 31 DECEMBER 2012

Million US dollar

   Total      1 year or
less
     1-2 years      2-3 years      3-5 years      More than 5
years
 

Secured bank loans

     151         32         48         23         26         22   

Commercial papers

     2 088         2 088         —           —           —           —     

Unsecured bank loans

     1 040         413         264         207         150         6   

Unsecured bond issues

     40 828         2 840         5 318         4 679         6 879         21 112   

Secured other loans

     5         5         —           —           —           —     

Unsecured other loans

     88         9         12         12         11         44   

Finance lease liabilities

     141         3         3         4         9         122   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     44 341         5 390         5 645         4 925         7 075         21 306   

FINANCE LEASE LIABILITIES

Million US dollar

   2013
Payments
     2013
Interests
     2013
Principal
     2012
Payments
     2012
Interests
     2012
Principal
 

Less than one year

     14         11         3         14         11         3   

Between one and two years

     14         11         3         14         11         3   

Between two and three years

     13         10         3         16         11         5   

Between three and five years

     28         20         8         29         21         8   

More than 5 years

     186         68         118         201         79         122   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     255         120         135         274         133         141   

Net debt is defined as non-current and current interest-bearing loans and borrowings and bank overdrafts minus debt securities and cash. Net debt is a financial performance indicator that is used by AB InBev’s management to highlight changes in the company’s overall liquidity position. The company believes that net debt is meaningful for investors as it is one of the primary measures AB InBev’s management uses when evaluating its progress towards deleveraging.

AB InBev’s net debt increased to 38.8 billion US dollar as of 31 December 2013, from 30.1 billion US dollar as of 31 December 2012. Apart from operating results net of capital expenditures, the net debt is mainly impacted by the payment associated with the Modelo combination net of the cash acquired and the proceeds from the sales to Constellation (13.0 billion US dollar), the proceeds from the deferred share instruments (1.5 billion US dollar), dividend payments to shareholders of AB InBev and Ambev (6.3 billion US dollar), the payment of interests and taxes (4.2 billion US dollar) and the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates (606m US dollar increase of net debt). – See also note 6 – Acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries.

The following table provides a reconciliation of AB InBev’s net debt as of the dates indicated:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012  

Non-current interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     41 274        38 951   

Current interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     7 846        5 390   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
     49 120        44 341   

Bank overdrafts

     6        —     

Cash and cash equivalents

     (9 839     (7 051

Interest bearing loans granted (included within Trade and other receivables)

     (310     (324

Debt securities (included within Investment securities)

     (146     (6 852
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net debt

     38 831        30 114   

 

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25. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

AB InBev sponsors various post-employment benefit plans world-wide. These include pension plans, both defined contribution plans, and defined benefit plans, and other post-employment benefits (OPEB). In accordance with IAS 19 Employee Benefits post-employment benefit plans are classified as either defined contribution plans or defined benefit plans.

DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLANS

For defined contribution plans, AB InBev pays contributions to publicly or privately administered pension funds or insurance contracts. Once the contributions have been paid, the group has no further payment obligation. The regular contribution expenses constitute an expense for the year in which they are due. For 2013, benefits paid for defined contribution plans for the company amounted to 117m US dollar compared to 41m US dollar for 2012 and 39m US dollar for 2011.

DEFINED BENEFIT PLANS

During 2013, the company contributed to 67 defined benefit plans, of which 51 are retirement plans and 16 are medical cost plans. Most plans provide benefits related to pay and years of service. The Belgian, Dominican Republic, Canadian, Mexican, UK and US plans are partially funded. When plan assets are funded, the assets are held in legally separate funds set up in accordance with applicable legal requirements and common practice in each country. The medical cost plans in Canada, US, and Brazil provide medical benefits to employees and their families after retirement. Many of the defined benefit plans are closed to new entrants.

The present value of funded obligations includes a 201m US dollar liability related to two medical plans, for which the benefits are provided through the Fundação Antonio Helena Zerrenner (“FAHZ”). The FAHZ is a legally distinct entity which provides medical, dental, educational and social assistance to current and retired employees of Ambev. On 31 December 2013, the actuarial liabilities related to the benefits provided by the FAHZ are fully offset by an equivalent amount of assets existing in the fund. The net liability recognized in the balance sheet is nil.

The employee benefit net liability amounts to 2 852m US dollar as of 31 December 2013 compared to 3 675m US dollar as of 31 December 2012. In 2013, the fair value of the plan assets value increased by 672m US dollar and the defined benefit obligations increased by 19m US dollar. The decrease in the employee benefit net liability is mainly driven by favorable changes in discount rates (mainly in the US, Canada and Brazil) and positive asset returns (mainly in the US, Canada and UK), partially offset by unfavorable mortality assumptions changes in Canada and employee benefit liabilities associated with the Modelo combination.

The company’s net liability for post-employment and long-term employee benefit plans comprises the following at 31 December:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1  

Present value of funded obligations

     (7 939     (7 812

Fair value of plan assets

     6 376        5 704   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Present value of net obligations for funded plans

     (1 563     (2 108

Present value of unfunded obligations

     (1 134     (1 243
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Present value of net obligations

     (2 697     (3 351

Unrecognized asset

     (137     (307
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net liability

     (2 834     (3 658

Other long term employee benefits

     (18     (17
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total employee benefits

     (2 852     (3 675

Employee benefits amounts in the balance sheet:

    

Liabilities

     (2 862     (3 687

Assets

     10        12   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net liability

     (2 852     (3 675

 

1  

2012 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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The changes in the present value of the defined benefit obligations are as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011  

Defined benefit obligation at 1 January

     (9 055     (8 150     (7 396

Current service costs

     (105     (82     (112

Acquisition through business combination

     (942     (39     —     

Contribution by plan participants

     (4     (5     (5

Past service gain/(cost)

     63        5        (101

Interest cost

     (428     (429     (441

Actuarial gains/(losses) – demographic assumptions

     (110     25        (59

Actuarial gains/(losses) – financial assumptions

     729        (916     (151

Experience adjustments

     33        48        (534

(Losses)/gains on curtailments

     88        28        5   

Exchange differences

     160        (42     154   

Settlements

     —          —          6   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Benefits paid

     498        502        484   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Defined benefit obligation at 31 December

     (9 073     (9 055     (8 150 )  

As at the last valuation date, the present value of the defined benefit obligation was comprised of approximately 2.5 billion US dollar relating to active employees, 1.7 billion US dollar relating to deferred members and 4.9 billion US dollar relating to members in retirement.

The changes in the fair value of plan assets are as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Fair value of plan assets at 1 January

     5 704        5 095        5 074   

Interest income

     299        303        333   

Administration costs

     (23     (19     (24

Acquisition through business combination

     694        28        —     

Return on plan assets excluding interest income

     159        370        (131

Contributions by AB InBev

     324        416        449   

Contributions by plan participants

     4        5        5   

Exchange differences

     (141     (8     (151

Other movements

     (146     (3     —     

Benefits paid net of administration costs

     (498     (483     (460
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Fair value of plan assets at 31 December

     6 376        5 704        5 095   

Actual return on plans assets amounted to a gain of 458m US dollar in 2013 compared to a gain of 673m US dollar in 2012. The decrease is mainly driven by lower market returns particularly in Brazil. Actual return on plans assets amounted to a gain of 673m US dollar in 2012 compared to a gain of 202m US dollar in 2011. The decrease is mainly driven by lower market returns particularly in the US, Canada, UK, Brazil and Belgium.

The decrease in contributions by AB InBev (324m US dollar in 2013 versus 416m US dollar in 2012 and versus 449m US dollar in 2011) is primarily explained by lower required contributions in the US.

The acquisition through business combinations in 2013 stems from the Modelo combination.

The changes in the asset ceiling are as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Asset ceiling impact at 1 January

     (307     (346     (378

Interest expense

     (27     (34     (39

Change in asset ceiling excluding amounts included in interest expense

     197        73        71   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Asset ceiling impact at 31 December

     (136     (307     (346

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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The expense recognized in the income statement with regard to defined benefit plans can be detailed as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Current service costs

     (105     (82     (112

Administration costs

     (23     (19     (16

Past service cost

     63        —          (101

(Losses)/gains on settlements or curtailments

     88        29        `15   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Profit from operations

     23        (72     214   

Finance cost

     (156     (160     (147
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total employee benefit expense

     (132     (232     361   

As part of the Modelo integration into AB InBev, a curtailment has been recognized following the amendment of certain pension benefits. The effects of these changes are being recorded through the income statement and led to an additional income amount of 130m US dollar being recognized in 2013. This income amount has been partially offset by the increase in expense relating to the inclusion of Modelo’s benefit obligations as from 4 June 2013.

In 2011, past service cost mainly relates to early termination benefits in the US.

The employee benefit expense is included in the following line items of the income statement:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012 1     2011 1  

Cost of sales

     (56     (62     (63

Distribution expenses

     (3     (13     (18

Sales and marketing expenses

     (8     5        (6

Administrative expenses

     9        (1     (24

Other operating (expense)/income

     2        —          —     

Exceptional items

     80        (1     (103

Finance Cost

     (156     (160     (147
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (132     (232     (361

Weighted average assumptions used in computing the benefit obligations at the balance sheet date are as follows:

 

     2013  
     United
States
    Canada     Mexico     Brazil     United
Kingdom
    AB InBev  

Discount rate

     4.9     4.9     7.8     11.3     4.6     5.4

Price inflation

     —          2.0     3.5     4.5     3.4     2.7

Future salary increases

     2.0     1.3     —          7.7     3.4     3.3

Future pension increases

     —          —          3.5     —          3.1     2.7

Medical cost trend rate

     8.1%-5.0     4.2%-4.5     —          8.2     —          7.6%-5.8

Life expectation for a 65 year old male

     83        85        83        85        87        84   

Life expectation for a 65 year old female

     85        87        83        88        89        87   
     2012  
     United
States
    Canada     Mexico     Brazil     United
Kingdom
    AB InBev  

Discount rate

     4.0     4.2     —          9.2     4.7     4.5

Price inflation

     —          2.0     —          4.5     2.8     2.6

Future salary increases

     2.0     1.3     —          7.7     2.8     3.2

Future pension increases

     —          2.0     —          —          2.7     2.5

Medical cost trend rate

     7.3%-5.0     5.5%-4.5     —          8.2     —          7.4%-6.0

Life expectation for a 65 year old male

     83        84        —          85        86        84   

Life expectation for a 65 year old female

     85        87        —          88        88        87   

Through its defined benefit pension plans and post-employment medical plans, the company is exposed to a number of risks, the most significant are detailed below:

ASSET VOLATILITY

The plan liabilities are calculated using a discount rate set with reference to high quality corporate yields; if plan assets underperform this yield, the company’s net defined benefit obligation may increase. Most of the company’s funded plans hold a significant proportion of equities, which are expected to outperform corporate bonds in the long-term while providing volatility and risk in the short-term. As the plans mature, the company usually reduces the level of investment risk by investing more in assets that better match the liabilities. However, the company believes that due to the long-term nature of the plan liabilities, a level of continuing equity investment is an appropriate element of the company’s long-term strategy to manage the plans efficiently.

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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CHANGES IN BOND YIELDS

A decrease in corporate bond yields will increase plan liabilities, although this will be partially offset by an increase in the value of the plans’ bond holdings.

INFLATION RISK

Some of the company’s pension obligations (i.e. United Kingdom) are linked to inflation, and higher inflation will lead to higher liabilities. The majority of the plan’s assets are either unaffected by or loosely correlated with inflation, meaning that an increase in inflation could potentially increase the company’s net benefit obligation.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

The majority of the plans’ obligations are to provide benefits for the life of the member, so increases in life expectancy will result in an increase in the plans’ liabilities.

In case of funded plans, the company ensures that the investment positions are managed within an asset-liability matching (ALM) framework that has been developed to achieve long-term investments that are in line with the obligations under the pension schemes. Within this framework, the company’s ALM objective is to match assets to the pension obligations by investing in long-term fixed interest securities with maturities that match the benefit payments as they fall due and in the appropriate currency. The company actively monitors how the duration and the expected yield of the investments are matching the expected cash outflows arising from the pension obligation. The company has not changed the processes used to manage its risks from previous periods.

The weighted average duration of the defined benefit obligation is 13.9 years (2012: 13.5 years).

The sensitivity of the defined benefit obligation to changes in the weighted principal assumptions is:

 

Million US dollar

   2013  
     Change in
assumption
    Increase in
assumption
    Decrease in
assumption
 

Discount rate

     0.50     (577     629   

Future salary increase

     0.50     25        (22

Medical cost trend rate

     1.00     65        (61

Longevity

     One year        221        (226

The above are purely hypothetical changes in individual assumptions holding all other assumptions constant: economic conditions and changes therein will often affect multiple assumptions at the same time and the effects of changes in key assumptions are not linear. Therefore, the above information is not necessarily a reasonable representation of future results.

The fair value of plan assets at 31 December consists of the following:

 

     2013     2012  
     Quoted     Unquoted     Total     Quoted     Unquoted     Total  

Government bonds

     27     —          27     28       28

Corporate bonds

     27     —          27     24       24

Equity instruments

     40     —          40     44       44

Property

     —          3     3       3     3

Insurance contracts and others

     3     —          3     1       1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     97     3     100     97     3     100

AB InBev expects to contribute approximately 270m US dollar for its funded defined benefit plans and 84m US dollar in benefit payments to its unfunded defined benefit plans and post-retirement medical plans in 2014.

 

26.

SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS 1

Different share and share option programs allow company senior management and members of the Board of Directors to receive or acquire shares of AB InBev or Ambev. AB InBev has three primary share-based compensation plans, the long-term incentive warrant plan (“LTI Warrant Plan”), established in 1999, the share-based compensation plan (“Share-Based Compensation Plan”), established in 2006 and amended as from 2010, and the long-term incentive stock-option plan (“LTI stock-option Plan”), established in 2009. For all option plans, the fair value of share-based payment compensation is estimated at grant date, using a binomial Hull model, modified to reflect the IFRS 2 Share-based Payment requirement that assumptions about forfeiture before the end of the vesting period cannot impact the fair value of the option.

Share-based payment transactions resulted in a total expense of 243m US dollar for the year 2013 (including the variable compensation expense settled in shares), as compared to 201m US dollar for the year 2012 and 203m US dollar for the year 2011.

 

1  

Amounts have been converted to US dollar at the average rate of the period.

 

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AB INBEV SHARE-BASED PAYMENT PROGRAMS

Share-Based Compensation Plan

As from 1 January 2010, the structure of the Share-Based Compensation Plan for certain executives, including the executive board of management and other senior management in the general headquarters, has been modified. From 1 January 2011, the new plan structure applies to all other senior management. Under this plan, the executive board of management and other senior employees will receive their bonus in cash but have the choice to invest some or all of the value of their bonus in AB InBev shares with a five-year vesting period, referred to as bonus shares. The company will match such voluntary investment by granting three matching shares for each bonus share voluntarily invested in, up to a limited total percentage of each participant’s bonus. The matching shares are granted in the form of restricted stock units which have a five-year vesting period. Additionally, the holders of the restricted stock units may be entitled to receive from AB InBev additional restricted stock units equal to the dividends declared since the restricted stock units were granted.

During 2013, AB InBev issued 0.8m of matching restricted stock units according to the new Share-Based Compensation Plan, as described above, in relation to the 2012 bonus. These matching restricted stock units are valued at the share price of the day of grant, representing a fair value of approximately 78m US dollar, and cliff vest after five years. During 2012, AB InBev issued 0.7m of matching restricted stock units according to the new Share-Based Compensation Plan, with an estimated fair value of approximately 46m US dollar, in relation to the 2011 bonus.

LTI Warrant Plan

The company has issued warrants, or rights to subscribe for newly issued shares, under the LTI plan for the benefit of directors and, until 2006, members of the executive board of management and other senior employees. Since 2007, members of the executive board of management and other employees are no longer eligible to receive warrants under the LTI Warrant Plan, but instead receive a portion of their compensation in the form of shares and options granted under the Share-Based Compensation Plan and the LTI Stock-option Plan. Each LTI warrant gives its holder the right to subscribe for one newly issued share. The exercise price of LTI warrants is equal to the average price of the company’s shares on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels during the 30 days preceding their issue date. LTI warrants granted in the years prior to 2007 (except for 2003) have a duration of ten years; LTI warrants granted as from 2007 (and in 2003) have a duration of five years. LTI warrants are subject to a vesting period ranging from one to three years.

During 2013, 0.2m warrants were granted to members of the Board of Directors. These warrants vest in equal annual installments over a three-year period (one third on 1 January of 2015, one third on 1 January 2016 and one third on 1 January 2017) and represent a fair value of approximately 3m US dollar. During 2012, 0.2m warrants with a fair value of approximately 2.5m US dollar were granted under this plan.

LTI Stock-option Plan

As from 1 July 2009, senior employees are eligible for an annual long-term incentive to be paid out in LTI stock options (or, in future, similar share-based instruments), depending on management’s assessment of the employee’s performance and future potential.

In December 2013 AB InBev issued 4.1m LTI stock options with an estimated fair value of 93m US dollar, whereby 1.2m options relate to American Depositary Shares (ADSs) and 2.9m options to AB InBev shares. In November 2012 AB InBev issued 4.4m LTI stock options with an estimated fair value of 86m US dollar, whereby 1.2m options relate to American Depositary Shares (ADSs) and 3.2m options to AB InBev shares.

Other Grants

As from 2010 AB InBev has in place three specific long-term restricted stock unit programs. One program allows for the offer of restricted stock units to certain employees in certain specific circumstances, whereby grants are made at the discretion of the CEO, e.g. to compensate for assignments of expatriates in countries with difficult living conditions. The restricted stock units vest after five years and in case of termination of service before the vesting date, special forfeiture rules apply. In 2013, 0.4m restricted stock units with an estimated fair value of 36m US dollar were granted under this program to a selected number of employees. In 2012, 0.1m restricted stock units with an estimated fair value of 1m US dollar were granted under this program.

A second program allows for the exceptional offer of restricted stock units to certain employees at the discretion of the Remuneration Committee of AB InBev as a long-term retention incentive for key employees of the company. Employees eligible to receive a grant under this program receive two series of restricted stock units, the first half of the restricted stock units vesting after five years, the second half after ten years. In case of termination of service before the vesting date, special forfeiture rules apply. In December 2013 0.4m restricted stock units with an estimated fair value of 34m US dollar were granted under this program to a selected number of employees. In December 2012 0.3m restricted stock units with an estimated fair value of 23m US dollar were granted under this program.

A third program allows certain employees to purchase company shares at a discount aimed as a long-term retention incentive for (i) high-potential employees of the company, who are at a mid-manager level (“People bet share purchase program”) or (ii) for newly hired employees. The voluntary investment in company shares leads to the grant of 3 matching shares for each share invested. The discount and matching shares are granted in the form of restricted stock units which vest after 5 years. In case of termination before the vesting date, special forfeiture rules apply. In 2013, the company’s employees purchased shares under this program for the equivalent of 0.5m US dollar. In 2012, the company’s employees purchased shares under this program for the equivalent of 0.2m US dollar.

 

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In order to maintain consistency of benefits granted to executives and to encourage international mobility of executives, an options exchange program has been executed whereby unvested options are exchanged against restricted shares that remain locked-up until 31 December 2018. In 2013, 0.6m unvested options were exchanged against 0.5m restricted shares. In 2012, 0.6m unvested options were exchanged against 0.5m restricted shares. Furthermore, certain options granted have been modified whereby the dividend protected feature of these options have been cancelled and compensated by the issuance of new additional options. In 2013 0.6m new options were issued, representing the economic value of the dividend protection feature. In 2012 no new options were issued. As there was no change between the fair value of the original award immediately before the modification and the fair value of the modified award immediately after the modification, no additional expense was recorded as a result of the modification.

For further information on share-based payment grants of previous years, please refer to Note 25 Share-based payments of the 2012 consolidated financial statements.

The weighted average fair value of the options and assumptions used in applying the AB InBev option pricing model for the 2013 grants of awards described above are as follows:

 

Amounts in US dollar unless otherwise indicated 1

   2013     2012     2011  

Fair value of options and warrants granted

     21.74        19.57        14.95   

Share price

     103.06        86.87        57.04   

Exercise price

     103.05        86.83        56.88   

Expected volatility

     24     25     26

Expected dividends

     2.92     2.50     2.50

Risk-free interest rate

     2.06     1.73     2.84

Expected volatility is based on historical volatility calculated using 2 272 days of historical data. In the determination of the expected volatility, AB InBev is excluding the volatility measured during the period 15 July 2008 until 30 April 2009, in view of the extreme market conditions experienced during that period. The binomial Hull model assumes that all employees would immediately exercise their options if the AB InBev share price is 2.5 times above the exercise price. As a result, no single expected option life applies.

The total number of outstanding AB InBev options and warrants developed as follows:

 

Million options and warrants

   2013     2012     2011  

Options and warrants outstanding at 1 January

     53.3        54.4        56.1   

Options and warrants issued during the year

     4.8        4.5        4.9   

Options and warrants exercised during the year

     (4.2     (3.3     (4.1

Options and warrants forfeited during the year

     (1.4     (2.3     (2.5
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Options and warrants outstanding at the end of December

     52.5        53.3        54.4   

The range of exercise prices of the outstanding options and warrants is between 10.32 euro (14.23 US dollar) and 76.20 euro (105.09 US dollar) while the weighted average remaining contractual life is 7.56 years.

Of the 52.5m outstanding options and warrants 2.9m are vested at 31 December 2013.

The weighted average exercise price of the AB InBev options and warrants is as follows:

 

Amounts in US dollar 1

   2013      2012      2011  

Options and warrants outstanding at 1 January

     38.31         32.98         29.88   

Granted during the year

     103.05         87.94         56.52   

Exercised during the year

     41.07         31.85         23.83   

Forfeited during the year

     45.18         32.82         27.65   

Outstanding at the end of December

     45.38         38.31         32.98   

Exercisable at the end of December

     57.28         40.65         31.91   

For share options and warrants exercised during 2013 the weighted average share price at the date of exercise was 73.64 euro (101.56 US dollar).

 

1  

Amounts have been converted to US dollar at the closing rate of the respective period.

 

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The total number of outstanding AB InBev restricted stock units developed as follows:

 

Million restricted stock units

   2013     2012     2011  

Restricted stock units outstanding at 1 January

     3.3        2.3        1.2   

Restricted stock units issued during the year

     1.6        1.1        1.2   

Restricted stock units exercised during the year

     —          —          —     

Restricted stock units forfeited during the year

     (0.2     (0.1     (0.1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Restricted stock units outstanding at the end of December

     4.7        3.3        2.3   

AMBEV SHARE-BASED PAYMENT PROGRAMS

Since 2005, Ambev has had a plan which is substantially similar to the Share-Based Compensation Plan under which bonuses granted to company employees and management are partially settled in shares. Under the Share-Based Compensation Plan as modified as of 2010, Ambev issued, in March 2013, 4.3m restricted stock units with an estimated fair value of 35m US dollar. In March 2012, Ambev issued 4.8m restricted stock units with an estimated fair value of 24m US dollar.

As from 2010, senior employees are eligible for an annual long-term incentive to be paid out in Ambev LTI stock options (or, in future, similar share-based instruments), depending on management’s assessment of the employee’s performance and future potential. In 2013, Ambev granted 12.8m LTI stock options with an estimated fair value of 64m US dollar. In 2012, Ambev granted 15.2m LTI stock options with an estimated fair value of 43m US dollar.

In order to encourage the mobility of managers, the features of certain options granted in previous years have been modified whereby the dividend protection of these options was cancelled and replaced by the issuance of 0.2m options in 2013 representing the economic value of the dividend protection feature. In 2012, 0.3m options were issued representing the economic value of the dividend protection feature. Since there was no change between the fair value of the original award before the modification and the fair value of the modified award after the modification, no additional expense was recorded as a result of this modification.

The weighted fair value of the options and assumptions used in applying a binomial option pricing model for the 2013 Ambev grants are as follows:

 

Amounts in US dollar unless otherwise indicated 1

   2013     2012 2     2011 2  

Fair value of options granted

     2.61        2.73        2.40   

Share price

     7.30        8.34        5.93   

Exercise price

     7.30        8.34        4.95   

Expected volatility

     33     33     34

Expected dividends

     0.00% -5.00     0.00% -5.00     0.00% -5.00

Risk-free interest rate

     1.90% -12.60 % 3       2.10% -11.20 % 3       3.10% -11.89 % 3  

 

 

1  

Amounts have been converted to US dollar at the closing rate of the respective period.

2  

Amounts have been adjusted for the Ambev share split of 11 November 2013 .

3  

The weighted average risk-free interest rates refer to granted ADRs and stock options respectively.

 

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The total number of outstanding Ambev options developed as follows:

 

Million options

   2013     2012 2     2011 2  

Options outstanding at 1 January

     143.9        147.8        131.3   

Options issued during the year

     13.1        15.5        28.1   

Options exercised during the year

     (7.2     (12.5     (8.7

Options forfeited during the year

     (2.1     (6.9     (2.9
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Options outstanding at the end of December

     147.7        143.9        147.8   

Following the decision of the General Meeting of Shareholders of 30 July 2013 effective on 11 November 2013, each common share issued by Ambev was split into 5 shares, without any modification to the amount of the capital stock of Ambev. As a consequence of the split of the Ambev shares with a factor 5, the exercise price and the number of options were adjusted with the intention of preserving the rights of the existing option holders.

The range of exercise prices of the outstanding options is between 1.83 Brazilian real (0.78 US dollar) and 17.84 Brazilian real (7.62 US dollar) while the weighted average remaining contractual life is 8.51 years.

Of the 147.7m outstanding options 34.6m options are vested at 31 December 2013.

The weighted average exercise price of the Ambev options is as follows:

 

Amounts in US dollar 1

   2013      2012 2      2011 2  

Options outstanding at 1 January

     3.54         3.18         2.97   

Granted during the year

     7.27         8.39         5.87   

Exercised during the year

     1.15         1.38         1.45   

Forfeited during the year

     3.46         1.37         2.53   

Outstanding at the end of December

     2.69         3.54         3.18   

Exercisable at the end of December

     1.42         1.85         1.41   

For share options exercised during 2013 the weighted average share price at the date of exercise was 15.64 Brazilian real (6.67 US dollar).

The total number of outstanding Ambev restricted stock units developed as follows:

 

Million restricted stock units

   2013     2012 2     2011 2  

Restricted stock units outstanding at 1 January

     11.5        8.0        1.0   

Restricted stock units issued during the year

     4.3        5.0        7.0   

Restricted stock units exercised during the year

     —          —          —     

Restricted stock units forfeited during the year

     (0.2     (1.5     —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Restricted stock units outstanding at the end of December

     15.6        11.5        8.0   

During 2013, a limited number of Ambev shareholders who are part of the senior management of AB InBev were given the opportunity to exchange Ambev shares against a total of 0.1m AB InBev shares (0.1m AB InBev shares in 2012) at a discount of 16.7% provided that they stay in service for another five years. The fair value of this transaction amounts to approximately 2.2m US dollar (1.1m US dollar in 2012) and is expensed over the five years’ service period. The fair values of the Ambev and AB InBev shares were determined based on the market price.

 

 

1  

Amounts have been converted to US dollar at the closing rate of the respective period.

2

Amounts have been adjusted for the Ambev share split of 11 November 2013

 

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27. PROVISIONS

 

Million US dollar

   Restructuring     Disputes     Other     Total  

Balance at 1 January 2013

     177        624        20        821   

Effect of changes in foreign exchange rates

     6        (34     —          (28

Changes through business combinations

     —          38        —          38   

Provisions made

     59        317        1        377   

Provisions used

     (58     (187     (2     (247

Provisions reversed

     (8     (138     (3     (149

Other movements

     1        (85     —          (84
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at 31 December 2013

     177        535        16        728   

Million US dollar

   Restructuring     Disputes     Other     Total  

Balance at 1 January 2012

     272        803        40        1 115   

Effect of changes in foreign exchange rates

     3        (22     1        (18

Changes through business combinations

     —          21        —          21   

Provisions made

     23        225        1        249   

Provisions used

     (105     (139     (6     (250

Provisions reversed

     (17     (271     (18     (306

Other movements

     1        7        2        10   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at 31 December 2012

     177        624        20        821   

The restructuring provisions are primarily explained by the organizational alignments, as explained in Note 8 Exceptional items . Provisions for disputes mainly relate to various disputed direct and indirect taxes and to claims from former employees.

The provisions are expected to be settled within the following time windows:

 

Million US dollar

   Total      < 1 year      1-2 years      2-5 years      > 5 years  

Restructuring

              

Reorganization

     177         80         16         69         12   

Disputes

              

Income and indirect taxes

     343         58         238         34         13   

Labor

     104         34         29         38         3   

Commercial

     32         12         15         2         3   

Other disputes

     56         7         19         30         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     535         111         301         104         19   

Other contingencies

              

Onerous contracts

     2         1         1         —           —     

Guarantees given

     4         —           1         3         —     

Other contingencies

     10         4         1         2         3   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     16         5         3         5         3   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total provisions

     728         196         320         178         34   

Since 1 January 2005 AB InBev is subject to the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme in force in the European Union. Acquired emission allowances are recognized at cost as intangible assets. To the extent that it is expected that the number of allowances needed to settle the CO 2 emissions exceeds the number of emission allowances owned, a provision is recognized. Such provision is measured at the estimated amount of the expenditure required to settle the obligation. At 31 December 2013, the emission allowances owned fully covered the expected CO 2 emissions. As such no provision needed to be recognized.

 

28. TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

NON-CURRENT TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012  

Indirect taxes payable

     369         381   

Trade payables

     381         461   

Cash guarantees

     12         12   

Deferred consideration on acquisitions

     1 801         1 125   

Derivatives

     159         273   

Other payables

     500         61   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     3 222         2 313   

 

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CURRENT TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012  

Trade payables and accrued expenses

     9 834         8 476   

Payroll and social security payables

     1 173         883   

Indirect taxes payable

     1 689         1 497   

Interest payable

     888         870   

Consigned packaging

     682         639   

Cash guarantees

     71         53   

Derivatives

     630         1 008   

Dividends payable

     384         765   

Deferred income

     38         28   

Deferred consideration on acquisitions

     861         41   

Other payables

     224         35   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     16 474         14 295   

The deferred consideration on acquisitions is mainly comprised of 1.5 billion US dollar liability for the Grupo Modelo shares the company did not acquire by 31 December 2013. AB InBev established and funded a Trust to accept further tender of shares by Grupo Modelo shareholders at a price of 9.15 US dollar per share over a period of up to 25 months. Deferred consideration on acquisitions is also comprised of 1.1 billion US dollar for the put option included in the shareholders’ agreement between Ambev and E. León Jimenes S.A. (“ELJ”), which may result in Ambev acquiring additional Class B shares of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana S.A. (“CND”). The put option granted to ELJ is exercisable as of the first year following the transaction. The valuation of this option is based on the EBITDA of the consolidated operations in Dominican Republic.

Derivatives mainly reflect the mark-to-market of interest rate swaps, of forward exchange contracts and of commodity forward contracts entered into to hedge the company’s operational exposure (See also Note 29 Risks arising from financial instruments of the 31 December 2012 consolidated financial statements).

 

29. RISKS ARISING FROM FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

AB InBev’s activities expose it to a variety of financial risks: market risk (including currency risk, fair value interest rate risk, cash flow interest risk, commodity risk and equity risk), credit risk and liquidity risk. The company analyses each of these risks individually as well as on an interconnected basis, and defines strategies to manage the economic impact on the company’s performance in line with its financial risk management policy.

Some of the company’s risk management strategies include the usage of derivatives. The main derivative instruments used are foreign currency rate agreements, exchange traded foreign currency futures and options, interest rate swaps and forwards, cross currency interest rate swaps (“CCIRS”), exchange traded interest rate futures, commodity swaps, exchange traded commodity futures and equity swaps. AB InBev’s policy prohibits the use of derivatives in the context of speculative trading.

The following table provides an overview of the derivative financial instruments outstanding at year-end by maturity bucket. The amounts included in this table are the notional amounts.

 

     2013      2012  

Million US dollar

   < 1
year
     1-2
years
     2-3
years
     3-5
years
     > 5
years
     < 1
year
     1-2
years
     2-3
years
     3-5
years
     > 5
years
 

Foreign currency

                             

Forward exchange contracts

     7 530         4         —           —           —           5 900         8         —           —           —     

Foreign currency futures

     927         —           —           —           —           2 108         —           —           —           —     

Other foreign currency derivatives

     415         —           —           —           —           —           —           —           —           —     

Interest rate

                             

Interest rate swaps

     11 800         350         —           128         —           6 783         12 700         1 550         3 697         500   

Cross currency interest rate swaps

     683         1 096         —           2 841         827         1 390         656         1 115         1 632         377   

Interest rate futures

     —           137         13         —           —           —           —           83         113         —     

Other interest rate derivatives

     —           —           —           —           —           1 000         —           —           —           —     

Commodities

                             

Aluminum swaps

     1 383         327         —           —           —           1 351         54         —           —           —     

Other commodity derivatives

     992         293         —           —           —           820         201         —           —           —     

Equity

                             

Equity derivatives

     4 947         716         —           —           —           2 590         1 125         —           —           —     

To finance the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, AB InBev entered into a 45 billion US dollar senior facilities agreement, of which 44 billion US dollar was ultimately drawn (the “2008 Senior Facilities”). At the time of the Anheuser-Busch acquisition, the interest

 

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rate for an amount of up to 34.5 billion US dollar had effectively been fixed through a series of hedge arrangements at a weighted average rate of 3.875% per annum (plus applicable spreads) for the period 2009 to 2011 and a portion of the hedging arrangements had been successively extended for an additional two-year period. In 2009 the company repaid part of the 2008 Senior Facilities and in 2010, the 2008 Senior Facilities were fully refinanced and partially replaced by the 2010 Senior Facilities. Following the repayment and the refinancing activities performed throughout 2009, 2010 and 2011, the company entered into new interest rate swaps to unwind the ones that became freestanding as a result of these repayments. As of 31 December 2013, there were no remaining open positions covering the interest exposure on the 2010 Senior Facilities and interest rate swaps for a notional equivalent of 8.8 billion US dollar remain outstanding.

Furthermore, during 2013, the company had interest rate swaps for a total notional amount of 6.4 billion US dollar and Treasury lock interest rate derivatives for a total amount of 1.0 billion US dollar in order to pre-hedge future bond issuances. These interest rate swaps and Treasury lock interest rate swaps were settled in 2013. As of 31 December 2013, there were no remaining pre-hedge positions outstanding.

 

A. FOREIGN CURRENCY RISK

AB InBev incurs foreign currency risk on borrowings, investments, (forecasted) sales, (forecasted) purchases, royalties, dividends, licenses, management fees and interest expense/income whenever they are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the subsidiary. The main derivative financial instruments used to manage foreign currency risk are foreign currency rate agreement, exchange traded foreign currency futures and cross currency interest rate swaps.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RISK ON OPERATING ACTIVITIES

As far as foreign currency risk on firm commitments and forecasted transactions is concerned, AB InBev’s policy is to hedge operational transactions which are reasonably expected to occur (e.g. cost of goods sold and selling, general & administrative expenses) within the forecast period determined in the financial risk management policy. Operational transactions that are certain are hedged without any limitation in time. Non-operational transactions (such as acquisitions and disposals of subsidiaries) are hedged as soon as they are certain.

 

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The table below provides an indication of the company’s main net foreign currency positions as regards firm commitments and forecasted transactions for the most important currency pairs. The open positions are the result of the application of AB InBev’s risk management policy. Positive amounts indicate that the company is long (net future cash inflows) in the first currency of the currency pair while negative amounts indicate that the company is short (net future cash outflows) in the first currency of the currency pair. The second currency of the currency pairs listed is the functional currency of the related subsidiary.

 

     31 December 2013     31 December 2012  
     Total     Total     Open     Total     Total     Open  

Million US dollar

   exposure     derivatives     position     exposure     derivatives     position  

Canadian dollar/US dollar

     —          —          —          —          (95     (95

Euro/Brazilian real

     (38     38        —          —          —          —     

Euro/Canadian dollar

     (39     39        —          (30     30        —     

Euro/Czech koruna

     (3     (10     (13     —          (11     (11

Euro/Hungarian forint

     (4     (14     (18     —          (15     (15

Euro/Mexican peso

     138        (138     —          —          —          —     

Euro/Pound sterling

     (161     259        98        (165     237        72   

Euro/Russian ruble

     (97     97        —          (85     149        64   

Euro/Ukrainian hryvnia

     (94     68        (26     (98     80        (18

Pound sterling/Canadian dollar

     —          —          —          (11     11        —     

Pound sterling/Euro

     (53     33        (20     (53     29        (24

US dollar/Argentinean peso

     (282     282        —          (585     585        —     

US dollar/Bolivian boliviano

     (52     52        —          (70     70        —     

US dollar/Brazilian real

     (1 680     1 680        —          (1 542     1 542        —     

US dollar/Canadian dollar

     (184     184        —          (598     598        —     

US dollar/Chilean peso

     (68     68        —          (45     45        —     

US dollar/Dominican peso

     —          —          —          (15     15        —     

US dollar/Euro

     101        (147     (46     146        (44     102   

US dollar/Mexican peso

     (694     627        (67     —          —          —     

US dollar/Paraguayan guarani

     (48     48        —          (64     64        —     

US dollar/Peruvian nuevo sol

     (57     57        —          (85     85        —     

US dollar/Pound sterling

     (31     27        (4     (34     30        (4

US dollar/Russian ruble

     (75     121        46        (75     92        17   

US dollar/Ukrainian hryvnia

     (35     70        35        (37     59        22   

US dollar/Uruguayan peso

     (29     29        —          (31     31        —     

Further analysis on the impact of open currency exposures is performed in the Currency Sensitivity Analysis below.

In conformity with IAS 39 hedge accounting rules, these hedges of firm commitments and highly probable forecasted transactions denominated in foreign currency are designated as cash flow hedges.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RISK ON INTRAGROUP LOANS

In 2011, 2012 and 2013, a series of foreign exchange derivatives were contracted to hedge the foreign currency risk from intercompany loans transacted between group entities with different functional currencies. As of 31 December 2013, intercompany loans with Russia were hedged against US dollar for an amount of 5 900m Russian ruble (6 700m Russian ruble in 2012).

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RISK ON NET INVESTMENTS IN FOREIGN OPERATIONS

AB InBev enters into hedging activities to mitigate exposures related to its investments in foreign operations. These strategies are designated as net investment hedges and include both derivative and non-derivative financial instruments.

As of 31 December 2013, designated derivative and non-derivative financial instruments in a net investment hedge relationship amount to 7 866m US dollar equivalent (6 058m US dollar in 2012) in Holding companies and approximately 2 500m US dollar equivalent (3 290m US dollar in 2012) at Ambev level. Those derivatives and non-derivatives are used to hedge foreign operations with functional currencies mainly denominated in Argentinean peso, Brazilian real, Bolivian boliviano, Canadian dollar, Chilean peso, Dominican peso, euro, Mexican peso, pound sterling, Russian ruble, and US dollar.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RISK ON FOREIGN CURRENCY DENOMINATED DEBT

It is AB InBev’s policy to have the debt in the subsidiaries as much as possible in the functional currency of the subsidiary. To the extent this is not the case, hedging is put in place unless the cost to hedge outweighs the benefits. Following the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, AB InBev adopted a hybrid currency matching model pursuant to which the company may (i) match net debt currency exposure to cash flows in such currency, measured on the basis of normalized EBITDA, by swapping a significant portion of US dollar debt to other currencies, such as Brazilian real (with a higher coupon), although this would negatively impact AB InBev’s profit and earnings due to the higher Brazilian real interest coupon, and (ii) use AB InBev’s US dollar cash flows to service interest payments under AB InBev’s debt obligations.

A description of the foreign currency risk hedging related to the debt instruments issued in a currency other than the functional currency of the subsidiary is further detailed in the Interest Rate Risk section below.

 

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CURRENCY SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Currency transactional risk

Most of AB InBev’s non-derivative monetary financial instruments are either denominated in the functional currency of the subsidiary or are converted into the functional currency through the use of derivatives. However, the company can have open positions in certain Eastern European countries for which hedging can be limited as the illiquidity of the local foreign exchange market prevents the company from hedging at a reasonable cost. The transactional foreign currency risk mainly arises from open positions in Czech koruna, Hungarian forint, Mexican peso, pound sterling, Russian ruble and Ukrainian hryvnia against the US dollar and the euro. AB InBev estimated the reasonably possible change of exchange rate, on the basis of the average volatility on the open currency pairs, as follows:

 

     2013  
     Closing rate
31 December 2013
     Possible
closing rate 1
     Volatility
of rates in  %
 

Pound sterling/Euro

     1.20         1.12 - 1.28         6.96

Euro/Czech koruna

     27.43         25.67 - 29.18         6.39

Euro/Hungarian forint

     297.00         274.46 - 319.54         7.59

Euro/Ukrainian hryvnia

     11.02         10.18 - 11.87         7.64

US dollar/Euro

     0.73         0.67 - 0.78         7.09

US dollar/Mexican peso

     13.08         11.67 - 14.5         10.80

US dollar/Russian ruble

     32.73         30.29 - 35.17         7.45

US dollar/Ukrainian hryvnia

     7.99         7.78 - 8.21         2.72
     2012  
     Closing rate
31 December 2013
     Possible
closing rate 2
     Possible volatility
of rates in %
 

Pound sterling/Euro

     1.23         1.16 - 1.3         5.74

Euro/Czech koruna

     25.15         23.56 - 26.74         6.31

Euro/Hungarian forint

     292.31         263.67 - 320.96         9.80

Euro/Russian ruble

     40.07         37.12 - 43.03         7.37

Euro/Ukrainian hryvnia

     10.55         9.67 - 11.42         8.31

US dollar/Canadian dollar

     1.00         0.93 - 1.06         6.22

US dollar/Euro

     0.76         0.70 - 0.82         7.93

US dollar/Russian ruble

     30.37         27.09 - 33.66         10.82

US dollar/Ukrainian hryvnia

     7.99         7.73 - 8.26         3.34

Had the Czech koruna, the Hungarian forint, the Mexican peso, the pound sterling, the Russian ruble and the Ukrainian hryvnia weakened/strengthened during 2013 by the above estimated changes against the euro or the US dollar, with all other variables held constant, the 2013 impact on consolidated profit before taxes would have been approximately 19m US dollar (12m US dollar in 2012) higher/lower.

Additionally, the AB InBev sensitivity analysis 1 to the foreign exchange rates on its total derivatives positions as of 31 December 2013, shows a positive/negative pre-tax impact on equity reserves of 427m US dollar (261m US dollar in 2012).

 

B. INTEREST RATE RISK

The company applies a dynamic interest rate hedging approach whereby the target mix between fixed and floating rate debt is reviewed periodically. The purpose of AB InBev’s policy is to achieve an optimal balance between cost of funding and volatility of financial results, while taking into account market conditions as well as AB InBev’s overall business strategy.

FAIR VALUE HEDGE

Pound sterling hedges (foreign currency risk + interest rate risk on borrowings in pound sterling)

In June 2009, the company issued a pound sterling bond for an equivalent of 750m pound sterling. This bond bears interest at 6.50% with maturity in June 2017.

In September 2013, the company issued a pound sterling bond for an equivalent of 500m pound sterling. This bond bears interest at 4.00% per year with maturity in September 2025.

The company entered into several pound sterling fixed/euro floating cross currency interest rate swaps to manage and reduce the impact of changes in the pound sterling exchange rate and interest rate on these bonds.

These derivative instruments have been designated in a cash flow hedge accounting relationship.

Ambev bond hedges (interest rate risk on borrowings in Brazilian real)

In July 2007 Ambev issued a Brazilian real bond (“Bond 17”), which bears interest at 9.5% and is repayable semi-annually with final maturity date in July 2017.

Ambev entered into a fixed/floating interest rate swap to hedge the interest rate risk on such bond. These derivative instruments have been designated in a fair value hedge accounting relationship.

Private placement hedges (foreign currency risk + interest rate risk on borrowings in US dollar)

The company borrowed 850m US dollar through private placement of which 775m US dollar matured during 2009 and 2010, and 75m US dollar matured in 2013.

The company entered into US dollar fixed/euro floating cross currency interest rate swaps for a total amount of 730m US dollar of which 655m US dollar expired during 2009 and 2010 and the remaining matured in 2013.

As of 31 December 2013, there were no remaining balance and open positions related to private placement.

 

 

1  

Sensitivity analysis is assessed based on the yearly volatility using daily observable market data during 250 days at 31 December 2013.

2  

Sensitivity analysis is assessed based on the yearly volatility using daily observable market data during 250 days at 31 December 2012.

 

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CASH FLOW HEDGE

Floating interest rate risk on borrowings in US Dollar

Following the refinancing and the repayment of the 2008 and 2010 senior facilities the interest rate swaps that were designated for the hedge of the financing of the Anheuser-Busch acquisition became freestanding given the repayment of part of these senior facilities. In order to offset the interest rate risk, the freestanding derivatives were unwound via additional offsetting trades.

As of 31 December 2013 and 2012, there are no remaining open positions covering the interest exposure on the outstanding balance drawn under the 2010 senior facilities.

ECONOMIC HEDGE

Swiss franc bond hedges (foreign currency risk + interest rate risk on borrowings in Swiss franc)

In May 2009, the company issued a Swiss franc bond for an equivalent of 600m Swiss franc. This bond bears interest at 4.51% with maturity in June 2014.

The company entered into a Swiss franc fixed/euro floating cross currency interest rate swap to manage and reduce the impact of changes in the Swiss franc exchange rate and interest rate on this bond.

This derivative instrument was designated in a fair value hedge accounting relationship in 2009. During 2010, although this derivative continues to be considered an economic hedge, hedge accounting designation was discontinued.

INTEREST RATE SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

In respect of interest-bearing financial liabilities, the table below indicates their effective interest rates at balance sheet date as well as the split per currency in which the debt is denominated.

 

31 December 2013    Before hedging      After hedging  

Interest-bearing financial liabilities

Million US dollar

   Effective
interest rate
    Amount      Effective
interest rate
    Amount  

Floating rate

         

Brazilian real

     7.17     535         8.16     862   

Canadian dollar

     0.98     6         0.98     6   

Dominican peso

     8.07     12         8.07     12   

Euro

     4.40     69         5.70     2 406   

Russian ruble

     —          —           6.10     184   

US dollar

     0.81     1 229         0.77     899   
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
       1 851           4 369   

Fixed rate

         

Brazilian real

     7.93     611         7.55     492   

Canadian dollar

     3.14     1 682         3.22     1 263   

Chinese yuan

     7.11     7         7.11     7   

Dominican peso

     13.00     20         13.00     20   

Euro

     3.61     10 055         3.59     10 928   

Pound sterling

     5.69     3 031         9.75     890   

Swiss franc

     4.51     673         —          —     

US dollar

     4.21     31 195         4.18     31 156   
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
       47 274           44 756   
31 December 2012    Before hedging      After hedging  

Interest-bearing financial liabilities

Million US dollar

   Effective
interest rate
    Amount      Effective
interest rate
    Amount  

Floating rate

         

Brazilian real

     6.79     747         6.90     1 082   

Dominican peso

     10.61     92         10.61     92   

Euro

     4.69     66         4.83     2 533   

Russian ruble

     —          —           6.22     215   

US dollar

     1.17     1 662         1.33     1 814   
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
       2 567           5 736   

Fixed rate

         

Brazilian real

     8.25     708         8.27     554   

Canadian dollar

     3.65     601         3.65     601   

Dominican peso

     12.00     16         12.00     16   

Euro

     4.07     9 076         4.07     9 076   

Pound sterling

     7.88     2 233         9.75     881   

Swiss franc

     4.51     653         —          —     

US dollar

     4.53     28 487         4.58     27 477   
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
       41 774           38 605   

At 31 December 2013, the total carrying amount of the floating and fixed rate interest-bearing financial liabilities before hedging listed above includes bank overdrafts of 6m US dollar.

 

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As disclosed in the above table, 4 369m US dollar or 8.89% of the company’s interest bearing financial liabilities bear a variable interest rate. The company estimated that the reasonably possible change of the market interest rates applicable to its floating rate debt after hedging is as follows:

 

     2013  
     Interest rate
31 December 2013 1
    Possible
interest rate 2
     Volatility
of rates in  %
 

Brazilian real

     9.44     8.17% - 10.7%         13.41

Canadian dollar

     1.28     1.27% - 1.28%         0.60

Dominican peso

     6.25     3.61% - 8.89%         42.16

Euro

     0.29     0.24% - 0.33%         16.02

Russian ruble

     7.15     6.68% - 7.62%         6.61

US dollar

     0.25     0.23% - 0.26%         7.29
     2012  
     Interest rate
31 December 2012 1
    Possible
interest rate 2
     Volatility
of rates in %
 

Brazilian real

     6.77     5.72% - 7.81%         15.44

Dominican peso

     5.00     4.12% - 5.88%         17.51

Euro

     0.19     0.15% - 0.22%         19.03

Russian ruble

     7.47     7.01% - 7.93%         6.11

US dollar

     0.31     0.29% - 0.32%         6.19

When AB InBev applies the reasonably possible increase/decrease in the market interest rates mentioned above on its floating rate debt at 31 December 2013, with all other variables held constant, 2013 interest expense would have been 13m US dollar higher/lower (2012: 14m US dollar). This effect would be more than offset by 82m US dollar higher/lower interest income on AB InBev’s interest-bearing financial assets (2012: 47m US dollar).

 

C. COMMODITY PRICE RISK

The commodity markets have experienced and are expected to continue to experience price fluctuations. AB InBev therefore uses both fixed price purchasing contracts and commodity derivatives to minimize exposure to commodity price volatility. The company has important exposures to the following commodities: aluminum, barley, coal, corn grits, corn syrup, corrugated board, fuel oil, glass, hops, labels, malt, natural gas, orange juice, rice, steel and wheat. As of 31 December 2013, the company has the following commodity derivatives outstanding (in notional amounts): aluminum swaps for 1 710m US dollar (2012: 1 405m US dollar), natural gas and energy derivatives for 330m US dollar (2012: 246m US dollar), exchange traded sugar futures for 147m US dollar (2012: 174m US dollar), corn swaps for 332m US dollar (2012: 392m US dollar), exchange traded wheat futures for 390m US dollar (2012: 136m US dollar) and rice swaps for 70m US dollar (2012: 73m US dollar). These hedges are designated in a cash flow hedge accounting relationship.

COMMODITY PRICE SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

The impact of changes in the commodity prices for AB InBev’s derivative exposures would have caused an immaterial impact on 2013 profits as most of the company’s commodity derivatives are designated in a hedge accounting relationship.

The table below shows the estimated impact that changes in the price of the commodities, for which AB InBev held material derivative exposures at 31 December 2013, would have on the equity reserves.

 

     2013  
     Volatility of
prices in % 3
    Pre-tax impact on equity  

Million US dollar

     Prices increase      Prices decrease  

Aluminum

     16.89     244         (244

Sugar

     18.23     27         (27

Wheat

     19.73     1         (1

Energy

     13.77     46         (46

Rice

     18.19     11         (11

Corn

     37.72     93         (93
     2012  
     Volatility of
prices in % 4
    Pre-tax impact on equity  

Million US dollar

     Prices increase      Prices decrease  

Aluminum

     19.35     201         (201

Sugar

     26.76     44         (44

Wheat

     31.20     42         (42

Energy

     16.92     40         (40

Rice

     20.10     14         (14

Corn

     28.37     87         (87

 

1  

Applicable 3-month InterBank Offered Rates as of 31 December 2013 and as of 31 December 2012.

2  

Sensitivity analysis is assessed based on the yearly volatility using daily observable market data during 250 days at 31 December 2013 and at December 2012. For the Brazilian real floating rate debt, the estimated market interest rate is composed of the InterBank Deposit Certificate (‘CDI’) and the Long-Term Interest Rate (‘TJLP’). With regard to other market interest rates, the company’s analysis is based on the 3-month InterBank Offered Rates applicable for the currencies concerned (e.g. EURIBOR 3M, LIBOR 3M).

3

Sensitivity analysis is assessed based on the yearly volatility using daily observable market data during 250 days at 31 December 2013.

4

Sensitivity analysis is assessed based on the yearly volatility using daily observable market data during 250 days at 31 December 2012.

 

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D. EQUITY PRICE RISK

AB InBev entered into a series of derivative contracts to hedge the risk arising from the different share-based payment programs. The purpose of these derivatives is mainly to effectively hedge the risk that a price increase in the AB InBev shares will negatively impact future cash flows related to the share-based payments. Furthermore, AB InBev entered into a series of derivative contracts to hedge the deferred share instrument related to the Modelo combination (see also Note 11 Finance cost and income and Note 23 Changes in equity and earnings per share ). Most of these derivative instruments could not qualify for hedge accounting therefore they have not been designated in any hedging relationships.

As of 31 December 2013, an exposure for an equivalent of 50.9m of AB InBev shares was hedged, resulting in a total gain of 840m US dollar recognized in the profit or loss account for the period, of which 456m US dollar related to the company’s share-based payment programs and 384m US dollar related to the Modelo transaction (see also Note 11 Finance cost and income ).

During 2013, AB InBev reset with counterparties certain derivative contracts to market price, which resulted in a cash inflow of 515m US dollar and a decrease of counterparty risk.

EQUITY PRICE SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

The sensitivity analysis on the share-based payments hedging program, calculated based on a 23.47% (2012: 19.18%) reasonable possible volatility 1 of the AB InBev share price and with all the other variables held constant, would show 1 272m US dollar positive/negative impact on the 2013 profit before tax (2012: 629m US dollar).

 

E. CREDIT RISK

Credit risk encompasses all forms of counterparty exposure, i.e. where counterparties may default on their obligations to AB InBev in relation to lending, hedging, settlement and other financial activities. The company has a credit policy in place and the exposure to counterparty credit risk is monitored.

AB InBev mitigates its exposure to counterparty credit risk through minimum counterparty credit guidelines, diversification of counterparties, working within agreed counterparty limits and through setting limits on the maturity of financial assets. The company has furthermore master netting agreements with all of the financial institutions that are counterparties to the over the counter (OTC) derivative financial instruments. These agreements allow for the net settlement of assets and liabilities arising from different transactions with the same counterparty. Based on these factors, AB InBev considers the risk of counterparty default per 31 December 2013 to be limited.

AB InBev has established minimum counterparty credit ratings and enters into transactions only with financial institutions of investment grade. The company monitors counterparty credit exposures closely and reviews any downgrade in credit rating immediately. To mitigate pre-settlement risk, minimum counterparty credit standards become more stringent as the duration of the derivative financial instruments increases. To minimize the concentration of counterparty credit risk, the company enters into derivative transactions with different financial institutions.

EXPOSURE TO CREDIT RISK

The carrying amount of financial assets represents the maximum credit exposure of the company. The carrying amount is presented net of the impairment losses recognized. The maximum exposure to credit risk at the reporting date was:

 

     2013      2012  

Million US dollar

   Gross      Impairment     Net
carrying
amount
     Gross      Impairment     Net
carrying
amount
 

Debt securities held for trading

     123         —          123         6 736         —          6 736   

Available for sale

     183         (13     170         370         (48     322   

Held to maturity

     23         —          23         25         —          25   

Trade receivables

     3 052         (249     2 803         2 876         (246     2 630   

Cash deposits for guarantees

     240         —          240         272         —          272   

Loans to customers

     198         (84     114         130         (100     30   

Other receivables

     2 885         (162     2 723         1 802         (134     1 668   

Derivatives

     727         —          727         639         —          639   

Cash and cash equivalents

     9 839         —          9 839         7 051         —          7 051   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 
     17 270         (508     16 762         19 901         (528     19 373   

There was no significant concentration of credit risks with any single counterparty per 31 December 2013.

 

1  

Sensitivity analysis is assessed based on the yearly volatility using daily observable market data during 250 days at 31 December 2013.

 

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IMPAIRMENT LOSSES

The allowance for impairment recognized during the period per classes of financial assets was as follows:

 

     2013  

Million US dollar

   Available
for sale
    Trade
receivables
    Loans to
customers
    Other
receivables
    Cash and
cash
equivalents
    Total  

Balance at 1 January

     (48     (246     (100     (134     —          (528

Impairment losses

     (69     (53     —          (1     —          (123

Derecognition

     104        41        19        2        —          204   

Currency translation and other

     —          9        (3     (29     —          (23
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at 31 December

     (13     (249     (84     (162     —          (508
     2012  

Million US dollar

   Available
for sale
    Trade
receivables
    Loans to
customers
    Other
receivables
    Cash and cash
equivalents
    Total  

Balance at 1 January

     (55     (230     (109     (122     (4     (520

Impairment losses

     —          (29     (3     (8     —          (40

Derecognition

     6        12        15        1        —          34   

Currency translation

     1        1        (3     (5     4        (2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at 31 December

     (48     (246     (100     (134     0        (528
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     2011  

Million US dollar

   Available
for sale
    Trade
receivables
    Loans to
customers
    Other
receivables
    Cash and cash
equivalents
    Total  

Balance at 1 January

     (55     (234     (118     (125     —          (532

Impairment losses

     (9     (25     (1     (14     (5     (54

Derecognition

     7        14        7        7        —          35   

Currency translation

     2        15        3        10        1        31   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at 31 December

     (55     (230     (109     (122     (4     (520
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

F. LIQUIDITY RISK

AB InBev’s primary sources of cash flow have historically been cash flows from operating activities, the issuance of debt, bank borrowings and the issuance of equity securities. AB InBev’s material cash requirements have included the following:

 

   

Debt service;

 

   

Capital expenditures;

 

   

Investments in companies;

 

   

Increases in ownership of AB InBev’s subsidiaries or companies in which it holds equity investments;

 

   

Share buyback programs; and

 

   

Payments of dividends and interest on shareholders’ equity.

The company believes that cash flows from operating activities, available cash and cash equivalent and short term investments, along with the derivative instruments and access to borrowing facilities, will be sufficient to fund capital expenditures, financial instrument liabilities and dividend payments going forward. It is the intention of the company to continue to reduce its financial indebtedness through a combination of strong operating cash flow generation and continued refinancing.

 

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The following are the nominal contractual maturities of non-derivative financial liabilities including interest payments and derivative financial assets and liabilities:

 

     2013  

Million US dollar

   Carrying
amount 1
    Contractual
cash flows
    Less than
1 year
    1-2 years     2-3 years     3-5 years     More than
5 years
 

Non-derivative financial liabilities

              

Secured bank loans

     (286     (312     (104     (86     (50     (34     (38

Commercial papers

     (2 065     (2 066     (2 066     —          —          —          —     

Unsecured bank loans

     (694     (774     (374     (206     (156     (38     —     

Unsecured bond issues

     (45 853     (65 215     (6 590     (6 391     (4 138     (11 758     (36 338

Unsecured other loans

     (87     (160     (20     (27     (19     (16     (78

Finance lease liabilities

     (135     (256     (14     (13     (14     (28     (187

Bank overdraft

     (6     (6     (6     —          —          —          —     

Trade and other payables

     (18 891     (19 121     (15 841     (1 806     (271     (260     (943
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (68 017     (87 910     (25 015     (8 529     (4 648     (12 134     (37 584

Derivative financial assets/(liabilities)

              

Interest rate derivatives

     (36     (36     (30     1        —          (7     —     

Foreign exchange derivatives

     (64     (74     (74     —          —          —          —     

Cross currency interest rate swaps

     (61     76        15        4        3        10        44   

Commodity derivatives

     (149     (147     (154     7        —          —          —     

Equity derivatives

     248        248        210        38        —          —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (62     67        (33     50        3        3        44   

Of which: directly related to cash flow hedges

     (66     26        (61     4        7        32        44   
     2012  

Million US dollar

   Carrying
amount 1
    Contractual
cash flows
    Less than
1 year
    1-2 years     2-3 years     3-5 years     More than
5 years
 

Non-derivative financial liabilities

              

Secured bank loans

     (151     (161     (35     (50     (25     (28     (23

Commercial papers

     (2 088     (2 092     (2 092     —          —          —          —     

Unsecured bank loans

     (1 040     (1 309     (487     (366     (267     (180     (9

Unsecured bond issues

     (40 828     (60 030     (4 470     (7 117     (6 336     (9 721     (32 386

Secured other loans

     (5     (6     (6     —          —          —          —     

Unsecured other loans

     (88     (139     (9     (17     (17     (15     (81

Finance lease liabilities

     (141     (274     (14     (14     (15     (29     (202

Trade and other payables

    
 
(15
311
  
   
 
(15
441
  
   
 
(13
287
  
    (146     (144     (222     (1 642
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (59 652     (79 452     (20 400     (7 710     (6 804     (10 195     (34 343

Derivative financial assets/(liabilities)

              

Interest rate derivatives

     (271     (251     (147     (76     (51     8        15   

Foreign exchange derivatives

     (247     (274     (272     (2     —          —          —     

Cross currency interest rate swaps

     22        53        (64     30        31        56        —     

Commodity derivatives

     (121     (121     (129     8        —          —          —     

Equity derivatives

     (26     (26     (29     3        —          —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (643     (619     (641     (37     (20     64        15   

Of which: directly related to cash flow hedges

     (273     (273     (216     (39     (53     20        15   

 

G. CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

AB InBev is continuously optimizing its capital structure targeting to maximize shareholder value while keeping the desired financial flexibility to execute the strategic projects. AB InBev’s capital structure policy and framework aims to optimize shareholder value through cash flow distribution to the company from its subsidiaries, while maintaining an investment-grade rating and minimizing investments with returns below AB InBev’s weighted average cost of capital. Besides the statutory minimum equity funding requirements that apply to the company’s subsidiaries in the different countries, AB InBev is not subject to any externally imposed capital requirements. When analyzing AB InBev’s capital structure the company uses the same debt/equity classifications as applied in the company’s IFRS reporting.

 

H. FAIR VALUE

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In conformity with IAS 39 all derivatives are recognized at fair value in the balance sheet.

The fair value of derivative financial instruments is either the quoted market price or is calculated using pricing models taking into account current market rates.

 

 

1  

“Carrying amount” refers to net book value as recognized in the balance sheet at each reporting date.

 

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The fair value of these instruments generally reflects the estimated amount that AB InBev would receive on the settlement of favorable contracts or be required to pay to terminate unfavorable contracts at the balance sheet date, and thereby takes into account any unrealized gains or losses on open contracts.

The following table summarizes for each type of derivative the fair values recognized as assets or liabilities in the balance sheet:

 

     Assets      Liabilities     Net  

Million US dollar

   2013      2012      2013     2012     2013     2012  

Foreign currency

              

Forward exchange contracts

     200         93         (322     (337     (122     (244

Foreign currency futures

     36         27         (29     (30     7        (3

Other foreign currency derivatives

     51         —           —          —          51        —     

Interest rate

              

Interest rate swaps

     39         169         (75     (435     (36     (266

Cross currency interest rate swaps

     100         258         (161     (236     (61     22   

Other interest rate derivatives

     —           —           —          (5     —          (5

Commodities

              

Aluminum swaps

     11         34         (100     (143     (89     (109

Sugar futures

     1         8         (22     (22     (21     (14

Wheat futures

     14         7         (19     (10     (5     (3

Other commodity derivatives

     27         36         (61     (31     (34     5   

Equity

              

Equity derivatives

     248         7         —          (33     248        (26
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     727         639         (789     (1 282     (62     (643

During 2013, the net mark-to-market balance for interest rate swaps decreased by 230m US dollar, mainly driven by payment of interests on hedging instruments not part of a hedge relationship, as well as the settlement of interest rate swaps designated for the pre-hedge of future bond issuances.

As of 31 December 2013, the net mark-to-market liability of 36m US dollar for interest rate swaps mostly includes the un-paid portion of the hedges that were unwound as a result of the repayment and the refinancing of the 2008 and 2010 Senior Facilities and that have been recorded as exceptional costs in the income statement in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The following table summarizes the carrying amounts of the fixed rate interest-bearing financial liabilities and their fair value. The fair value was assessed using common discounted cash-flow method based on market conditions existing at the balance sheet date. Therefore, the fair value of the fixed interest-bearing liabilities is within level 2 of the fair value hierarchy as set forth by IFRS 13 – Fair value measurement . Floating rate interest-bearing financial liabilities and all trade and other receivables and payables, including derivatives financial instruments, have been excluded from the analysis as their carrying amounts are a reasonable approximation of their fair values:

 

Interest-bearing financial liabilities

Million US dollar

   2013
Carrying amount 1
    2013
Fair value
    2012
Carrying amount 1
    2012
Fair value
 

Fixed rate

        

Brazilian real

     (611     (624     (708     (748

Canadian dollar

     (1 682     (1 685     (601     (632

Chinese yuan

     (7     (7     —          —     

Dominican peso

     (20     (20     (16     (16

Euro

     (10 055     (10 577     (9 076     (9 870

Pound sterling

     (3 031     (3 615     (2 233     (2 894

Swiss franc

     (673     (687     (653     (695

US dollar

     (31 195     (35 028     (28 487     (34 440
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (47 274     (52 243     (41 774     (49 295

As required by IFRS 13 Fair value measurement , the following table provides an analysis of financial instruments that are measured subsequent to initial recognition at fair value, grouped into Levels 1 to 3 based on the degree to which the fair value is observable.

 

   

Level 1 fair value measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

   

Level 2 fair value measurements are those derived from inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices).

 

   

Level 3 fair value measurements are those derived from valuation techniques for which the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement is unobservable.

 

 

1  

“Carrying amount” refers to net book value as recognized in the balance sheet at each reporting date.

 

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Fair value hierarchy 2013

Million US dollar

   Quoted (unadjusted)
prices - level 1
     Observable market
inputs - level 2
     Unobservable market
inputs - level 3
 

Financial Assets

        

Held for trading (non-derivatives)

     123         —           —     

Derivatives at fair value through profit and loss

     27         412         —     

Derivatives in a cash flow hedge relationship

     100         119         —     

Derivatives in a fair value hedge relationship

     —           25         —     

Derivatives in a net investment hedge relationship

     —           44         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     250         600         —     

Financial Liabilities

        

Deferred consideration on acquisitions at fair value

     —           —           1 111   

Derivatives at fair value through profit and loss

     16         392         —     

Derivatives in a cash flow hedge relationship

     69         216         —     

Derivatives in a fair value hedge relationship

     —           68         —     

Derivatives in a net investment hedge relationship

     13         15         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     98         691         1 111   

Fair value hierarchy 2012

Million US dollar

   Quoted (unadjusted)
prices - level 1
     Observable market
inputs - level 2
     Unobservable market
inputs - level 3
 

Financial Assets

        

Held for trading (non-derivatives)

     6 736         —           —     

Available for sale

     —           91         —     

Derivatives at fair value through profit and loss

     17         346         —     

Derivatives in a cash flow hedge relationship

     16         124         —     

Derivatives in a fair value hedge relationship

     —           91         —     

Derivatives in a net investment hedge relationship

     15         30         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     6 784         682         —     

Financial Liabilities

        

Non-derivatives recognized at fair value

     5         —           —     

Deferred consideration on acquisitions at fair value

     —           —           1 040   

Derivatives at fair value through profit and loss

     20         753         —     

Derivatives in a cash flow hedge relationship

     43         370         —     

Derivatives in a fair value hedge relationship

     —           34         —     

Derivatives in a net investment hedge relationship

     12         50         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     80         1 207         1 040   

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS

The fair value of exchange traded derivatives (e.g. exchange traded foreign currency futures) is determined by reference to the official prices published by the respective exchanges (e.g. the New York Board of Trade). The fair value of over-the-counter derivatives is determined by commonly used valuation techniques. These are based on market inputs from reliable financial information providers.

NON-DERIVATIVE FINANCIAL LIABILITIES

As part of the shareholders agreement between Ambev and E. León Jimenes S.A., following the acquisition of Cervecería Nacional Dominicana S.A. (“CND”), a put and call option is in place which may result in Ambev acquiring additional shares in CND. As of 31 December 2013, the put option was valued 1 076m US dollar (2012: 1 040m US dollar) and recognized as a deferred consideration on acquisitions at fair value in “level 3” category above. The variance is mainly explained by accretion and foreign exchange expenses partially offset by fair value gains. No value was allocated to the call option. The fair value of such deferred consideration is calculated based on commonly-used valuation techniques (i.e. net present value of future principal and interest cash flows discounted at market rate). These are based on market inputs from reliable financial information providers. As the put option may be exercised in the short-term, the portion of the liability that would relate to such exercise is presented as a current liability.

Fair values determined by reference to prices provided by reliable financial information providers are periodically checked for consistency against other pricing sources.

 

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I. OFFSETTING FINANCIAL ASSETS & FINANCIAL LIABILITIES

The following financial assets and liabilities are subject to offsetting, enforceable master netting agreements and similar agreements:

 

     2013  
     Amounts offset     Amounts not offset      Net  

Million US dollar

   Gross
amounts
    Gross
amounts
offset
     Net
amounts
presented
    Financial
instruments
    Cash
collateral
received
        

Derivative assets

     727        —           727        (601     —           126   

Derivative liabilities

     (789     —           (789     601        21         (167

 

     2012  
     Amounts offset     Amounts not offset      Net  

Million US dollar

   Gross
amounts
    Gross
amounts

offset
     Net
amounts
presented
    Financial
instruments
    Cash
collateral
received
        

Derivative assets

     639        —           639        (589     —           50   

Derivative liabilities

     (1 281     —          
 
(1
281
  
    589        17         (675

For the financial assets and liabilities subject to enforceable master netting agreements or similar agreements above, each agreement between the company and the counterparty allows for net settlement of the relevant financial assets and liabilities when both elect to settle on a net basis. In the absence of such election, financial assets and liabilities will be settled on a gross basis, however, each party to the master net agreement will have the option to settle all such amounts on a net basis in the event of default of the other part.

 

J. SIGNIFICANCE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS FOR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

The note at hand discloses the different elements composing AB InBev’s position towards financial risk and instruments. The effect of AB InBev’s financial risk management on performance mainly materializes in the items of income, expense, gains or losses recognized in the income statement as presented below (see also Note 11 Finance cost and income ) or in the gains and losses directly recognized in other comprehensive income.

INTEREST EXPENSE

Interest expense recognized on unhedged and hedged financial liabilities and the net interest expense from the related hedging derivative instruments can be summarized per type of hedging relationship as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012     2011  

Financial liabilities measured at amortized cost – not hedged

     (2 066     (1 972     (2 153

Fair value hedges – hedged items

     (106     (97     (204

Fair value hedges – hedging instruments

     21        43        (62

Cash flow hedges – hedged items

     —          (6     (102

Cash flow hedges – hedging instruments (reclassified from equity)

     (5     (47     (182

Net investment hedges – hedging instruments (interest component)

     94        55        (82

Economic hedges - hedged items not part of a hedge accounting relationship

     (24     (27     (29

Economic hedges - hedging instruments not part of a hedge accounting relationship

     43        (14     47   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (2 043     (2 065     (2 767

The financial liabilities per type of hedging relationship are mainly comprised of the following:

 

   

Financial liabilities measured at amortized cost – not hedged, relate mainly to bonds, unsecured bank loans and commercial papers;

 

   

Fair value hedges, relate mainly to bonds hedged for the foreign currency and the interest rate fair value risk;

 

   

Cash flow hedges, relate mainly to the 2010 senior facilities floating-rate loans, issued bonds hedged for the foreign currency and the interest rate risk and future bond issuances hedged for the interest rate risk;

 

   

Net investment hedges contracted to hedge the net assets of the company’s foreign operations from the foreign currency risk. Derivatives and non-derivatives are used to hedge foreign operations with functional currencies mainly denominated in Argentinean peso, Brazilian real, Bolivian boliviano, Canadian dollar, Chilean peso, Dominican peso, euro, Mexican peso, pound sterling, Russian ruble, and US dollar.

 

   

Economic hedges, for which no hedge accounting was applied, relates mainly to the Swiss franc fixed-rate bond that was hedged for the foreign currency and the interest rate risk.

 

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NET FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESULTS

Foreign exchange results recognized on unhedged and hedged exposures and from the related hedging derivative instruments can be summarized per type of hedging relationship as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013     2012     2011  

Fair value hedges - hedged items

     —          4        (72

Fair value hedges - hedging instruments

     (2     (4     75   

Cash flow hedges - hedged items

     2        (31     (32

Cash flow hedges - hedging instruments (reclassified from equity)

     (1     40        33   

Economic hedges - hedged items not part of a hedge accounting relationship

     (122     (86     (9

Economic hedges - hedging instruments not part of a hedge accounting relationship

     125        37        39   

Other results - not hedged

     (297     (63     (60
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     (295     (103     (26

 

30. OPERATING LEASES

Non-cancelable operating leases are payable and receivable as follows:

 

     2013  
     Pub leases      Other operational leases      Net lease
obligations
 

Million US dollar

   Lessee     Sublease      Lessee     Sublease      Lessor     

Less than one year

     (121     94         (152     40         3         (136

Between one and two years

     (117     90         (116     31         3         (109

Between two and three years

     (113     85         (86     27         3         (84

Between three and five years

     (209     158         (123     38         6         (130

More than five years

     (826     210         (164     22         7         (751
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     (1 386     637         (641     158         22         (1 210

 

     2012  
     Pub leases      Other operational leases      Net lease
obligations
 

Million US dollar

   Lessee     Sublease      Lessee     Sublease      Lessor     

Less than one year

     (117     92         (124     38         3         (108

Between one and two years

     (113     88         (102     29         2         (96

Between two and three years

     (109     83         (86     23         1         (88

Between three and five years

     (203     155         (126     32         1         (141

More than five years

     (831     206         (269     11         4         (879
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     (1 373     624         (707     133         11         (1 312

Following the sale of Dutch and Belgian pub real estate to Cofinimmo in October 2007, AB InBev entered into lease agreements of 27 years. These operating leases maturing in November 2034 represent an undiscounted obligation of 1 386m US dollar. The pubs leased from Cofinimmo are subleased for an average outstanding period of 6 to 8 years and represent an undiscounted right to receive 637m US dollar. These leases are subject to renewal after their expiration date. The impact of such renewal is not reported in the table above.

Furthermore, the company leases a number of warehouses, factory facilities and other commercial buildings under operating leases. The leases typically run for an initial period of five to ten years, with an option to renew the lease after that date. This represents an undiscounted obligation of 641m US dollar. Lease payments are increased annually to reflect market rentals. None of the leases include contingent rentals. Also in this category AB InBev has sublet some of the leased properties, representing an undiscounted right of 158m US dollar.

At 31 December 2013, 255m US dollar was recognized as an expense in the income statement in respect of operating leases as lessee (2012: 260m US dollar; 2011: 269m US dollar), while 141m US dollar was recognized as income in the income statement in respect of subleases (2012: 145m US dollar; 2011: 154m US dollar).

The company also leases out part of its own property under operating leases. At 31 December 2013, 7m US dollar was recognized as income in the income statement in respect of operating leases as lessor (2012: 7m US dollar).

 

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31. COLLATERAL AND CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENTS FOR THE ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, LOANS TO CUSTOMERS AND OTHER

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012  

Collateral given for own liabilities

     559         628   

Collateral and financial guarantees received for own receivables and loans to customers

     57         36   

Contractual commitments to purchase property, plant and equipment

     591         415   

Contractual commitments to acquire loans to customers

     26         23   

Other commitments

     1 021         867   

The collateral given for own liabilities of 559m US dollar at 31 December 2013 contains 233m US dollar cash guarantees. Such cash deposits are a customary feature associated with litigations in Brazil: in accordance with Brazilian laws and regulations a company may or must (depending on the circumstances) place a deposit with a bank designated by the court or provide other security such as collateral on property, plant and equipment. With regard to judicial cases, AB InBev has made the appropriate provisions in accordance with IAS 37 Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets – see also Note 27 Provisions . In the company’s balance sheet the cash guarantees are presented as part of other receivables – see Note 20 Trade and other receivables . The remaining part of collateral given for own liabilities (326m US dollar) contains collateral on AB InBev’s property in favor of the excise tax authorities, the amount of which is determined by the level of the monthly excise taxes due, inventory levels and transportation risk, and collateral on its property, plant and equipment with regard to outstanding loans. To the extent that AB InBev would not respect its obligations under the related outstanding contracts or would lose the pending judicial cases, the collateralized assets would be used to settle AB InBev’s obligations.

To keep AB InBev’s credit risk with regard to receivables and loans to customers as low as possible collateral and other credit enhancements were obtained for a total amount of 57m US dollar at 31 December 2013. Collateral is held on both real estate and debt securities while financial guarantees are obtained from banks and other third parties.

AB InBev has entered into commitments to purchase property, plant and equipment for an amount of 591m US dollar at 31 December 2013.

In a limited number of countries AB InBev has committed itself to acquire loans to customers from banks at their notional amount if the customers do not respect their reimbursement commitments towards the banks. The total outstanding amount of such loans is 26m US dollar at 31 December 2013.

Other commitments amount to 1 021m US dollar at 31 December 2013 and mainly cover guarantees given to pension funds, rental and other guarantees.

As at 31 December 2013, the following M&A related commitments existed with respect to the combination with Grupo Modelo:

 

   

In a transaction related to the combination of AB InBev and Grupo Modelo select Grupo Modelo shareholders committed, upon tender of their Grupo Modelo shares, to acquire 23 076 923 AB InBev shares to be delivered within 5 years for consideration of approximately 1.5 billion US dollar. The consideration was paid on 5 June 2013. Pending the delivery of the AB InBev shares, AB InBev will pay a coupon on each undelivered AB InBev share, so that the Deferred Share Instrument holders are compensated on an after tax basis, for dividends they would have received had the AB InBev shares been delivered to them prior to the record date for such dividend.

 

   

On 7 June 2013, in a transaction related to the combination of AB InBev and Grupo Modelo, AB InBev and Constellation have entered into a three-year transition services agreement by virtue of which Grupo Modelo or its affiliates will provide certain transition services to Constellation to ensure a smooth operational transition of the Piedras Negras brewery. AB InBev and Constellation have also entered into a temporary supply agreement for an initial three-year term, whereby Constellation can purchase inventory from Grupo Modelo or its affiliates under a specified pricing until the Piedras Negras brewery business acquires the necessary capacity to fulfill 100 percent of the US demand.

 

32.

CONTINGENCIES 1

The company has contingencies for which, in the opinion of management and its legal counsel, the risk of loss is possible but not probable and therefore no provisions have been recorded. The most significant contingencies are discussed below.

TAX MATTERS

As of 31 December 2013, AB InBev’s material tax proceedings mainly related to Ambev and its subsidiaries with a total estimated possible risk of loss of 14.4 billion Brazilian real (6.1 billion US dollar). As of 31 December 2012, the total estimated possible risk of loss amounted to 10.8 billion Brazilian real (5.3 billion US dollar).

Approximately 10.2 billion Brazilian real (4.4 billion US dollar) of the aforementioned total estimated possible risk related to income tax and social contributions and approximately 3.8 billion Brazilian real (1.6 billion US dollar) related to value added and excise taxes, of which the most significant are discussed below. As of 31 December 2012, the amounts related to income tax and social contributions and to value added and excise taxes were 7.6 billion Brazilian real (3.7 billion US dollar) and 2.9 billion Brazilian real (1.4 billion US dollar), respectively.

 

 

1  

Amounts have been converted to US dollar at the closing rate of the respective period.

 

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During the first quarter 2005, certain subsidiaries of Ambev received a number of assessments from Brazilian federal tax authorities relating to profits of its foreign subsidiaries. In December 2008, the Administrative Court decided on one of the tax assessments relating to earnings of Ambev’s foreign subsidiaries. This decision was partially favorable to Ambev, and in connection with the remaining part, Ambev filed an appeal to the Upper House of the Administrative Court and is awaiting its decision. With respect to another of the tax assessments relating to foreign profits, the Administrative Court rendered a decision favorable to Ambev in September 2011. In December 2013, Ambev received another tax assessment related to profits of its foreign subsidiaries. As of 31 December 2013, Ambev management estimates the exposure of approximately 3.8 billion Brazilian real (1.6 billion US dollar) as a possible risk, and accordingly has not recorded a provision for such amount, and approximately 32m Brazilian real (14m US dollar) as a probable loss.

In December 2011, Ambev received a tax assessment related to the goodwill amortization resulting from the Inbev Holding Brasil S.A. merger with Ambev. Ambev filed an appeal in June 2012 and awaits the administrative level decision (‘ Conselho Administrativo de Recursos Fiscais do Ministério da Fazenda - CARF ’). Ambev management estimates the amount of possible losses in relation to this assessment to be approximately 3.9 billion Brazilian real (1.7 billion US dollar) as of 31 December 2013. Ambev has not recorded any provision in connection therewith. In the event Ambev would be required to pay these amounts, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will reimburse Ambev the amount proportional to the benefit received by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV pursuant to the merger protocol, as well as the respective costs.

Ambev and certain of its subsidiaries received a number of assessments from Brazilian federal tax authorities relating to the consumption of income tax losses in relation to company mergers. Ambev management estimates the total exposures of possible losses in relation to these assessments to be approximately of 582m Brazilian real (248m US dollar), as of 31 December 2013.

In Brazil, goods manufactured within the Manaus Free Trade Zone intended for consumption elsewhere in Brazil are exempt from IPI excise tax. Ambev’s subsidiaries have been registering IPI excise tax presumed credits upon the acquisition of exempted inputs manufactured therein. Since 2009, Ambev has been receiving a number of tax assessments from the Brazilian Federal Tax Authorities relating to the disallowance of such presumed credits, which the decision from the Upper House of the Administrative Court is still pending. Ambev management estimates the possible losses related to these assessments to be approximately 720m Brazilian real (307m US dollar) as of December 31, 2013.

In October 2013, Ambev received a tax assessment related to the goodwill amortization resulting from the merger of QUINSA S.A. into Ambev. Ambev filed a defense in November 2013 and awaits the administrative first decision. Ambev management estimates the amount of possible losses in relation to this assessment to be approximately 1,1 billion Brazilian real (0.5 billion US dollar) as of 31 December 2013. Ambev has not recorded any provision in connection therewith.

Ambev is currently party to legal proceedings with the State of Rio de Janeiro where it is challenging such State’s attempt to assess ICMS with respect to irrevocable discounts granted by Ambev in January 1996 and February 1998. These proceedings are currently before the Superior Court of Justice and the Brazilian Supreme Court. In November 2013, Ambev received a similar tax assessments issued by the State of Pará. Ambev management estimates the total exposure of possible losses in relation to the matter to be approximately 760m Brazilian real (324m US dollar), as of December 31, 2013.

WARRANTS

Certain holders of warrants issued by Ambev in 1996 for exercise in 2003 proposed lawsuits to subscribe correspondent shares for an amount lower than Ambev considers as established upon the warrant issuance. In case Ambev loses the totality of these lawsuits, the issuance of 172 831 575 shares would be necessary. Ambev would receive in consideration funds that are materially lower than the current market value. This could result in a dilution of about 1% to all Ambev shareholders. Furthermore, the holders of these warrants are claiming that they should receive the dividends relative to these shares since 2003, approximately 413m Brazilian real (176m US dollar) in addition to legal fees. Ambev disputes these claims and intends to continue to vigorously defend its case.

ANTITRUST MATTERS

On 22 July 2009, CADE, the Brazilian antitrust authority issued its ruling in Administrative Proceeding No. 08012.003805/2004-1. This proceeding was initiated in 2004 as a result of a complaint filed by Schincariol (a South American brewery and beverage maker based in Brazil) and had, as its main purpose, the investigation of Ambev’s conduct in the market, in particular its customer loyalty program known as “Tô Contigo,” which is similar to airline frequent flyer and other mileage programs. During its investigation, the Secretariat of Economic Law of the Ministry of Justice (“SDE”) concluded that the program should be considered anticompetitive unless certain adjustments were made. These adjustments had already been substantially incorporated into the then-current version of the Program. The SDE opinion did not threaten any fines and recommended that the other accusations be dismissed. After the SDE opinion was issued, the proceeding was sent to CADE, which issued a ruling that, among other things, imposed a fine in the amount of 353m Brazilian real (151m US dollar). Ambev believes that CADE’s decision was without merit and thus has challenged it before the federal courts, which have ordered the suspension of the fine and other parts of the decision upon its posting of a guarantee. Ambev has already rendered a court bond (letter of credit) for this purpose. According to the opinion of Ambev’s management, a loss is possible (but not probable), and therefore Ambev has not established a provision in its financial statements. This possible loss is expected to be limited to the aforementioned fine (which was 490m Brazilian Real (209m US dollar) as of 31 December 2013, reflecting accrued interests) and additional legal fees in connection with this matter. Ambev is also involved in other administrative proceedings before CADE and SDE, relating to the investigation of certain conduct, none of which the company believes contravenes applicable competition rules and regulations

In August 2011, the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) launched an investigation against several breweries and retailers in Germany in connection with an allegation of anticompetitive vertical price maintenance by breweries vis-à-vis their trading partners in Germany. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the company may face fines. The company is taking the appropriate steps in the pending proceedings but has not recorded any provisions for any potential fines at this point in time, as AB InBev management does not know whether the company will eventually face any such fines and, in any event, cannot at this stage reliably estimate the appropriate amount. In addition, the company cannot at this stage estimate the likely timing of the resolution of this matter.

 

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2009 DISPOSITIONS PENSION LITIGATION

On 1 December 2009, AB InBev and several of its related companies were sued in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Missouri in a lawsuit styled Richard F. Angevine v. AB InBev, et al. The plaintiff sought to represent a class of certain employees of Busch Entertainment Corporation, which was divested on 1 December 2009, and the four Metal Container Corporation plants which were divested on 1 October 2009. He also sought to represent certain employees of any other subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. (ABC) which were divested on 1 October 2009. The lawsuit contained claims that the class was entitled to enhanced retirement benefits under sections 4.3 and 19.11(f) of the Anheuser-Busch Companies’ Salaried Employees’ Pension Plan (the “Plan”). Specifically, plaintiff alleged that the divestitures resulted in his “involuntarily termination” from “ABC and its operating division and subsidiaries” within three years after the 18 November 2008 ABC/InBev merger, which allegedly triggered the enhanced benefits under the Plan. The lawsuit claimed that by failing to provide the class members with these enhanced benefits, AB InBev, et al. breached their fiduciary duties under ERISA. The complaint sought punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. On 16 July 2010, the Court ruled that the claims for breach of fiduciary duty and punitive damages were not proper. The Court also found that Angevine did not exhaust his administrative remedies, which he must first do before filing a lawsuit. Angevine filed an appeal of this ruling with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. On 22 July 2011, the Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the lower court. No further appeals were filed.

On 15 September 2010, AB InBev and several of its related companies were sued in Federal Court for the Southern District of Ohio in a lawsuit entitled Rusby Adams et al. v. AB InBev et al. This lawsuit was filed by four employees of Metal Container Corporation’s facilities in Columbus, Ohio, Gainesville, Florida, and Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin that were divested on 1 October 2009. Similar to the Angevine lawsuit, these plaintiffs seek to represent a class of participants of the Anheuser-Busch Companies’ Inc. Salaried Employees’ Pension Plan (the “Plan”) who had been employed by subsidiaries of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. that had been divested during the period of 18 November 2008 and 17 November 2011. The plaintiffs also allege claims similar to the Angevine lawsuit: (1) that they are entitled to benefits under section 19.11(f) of the Plan; and (2) that the denial of benefits was a breach of fiduciary duty. AB InBev believed that it had defenses to these claims, and filed a motion to dismiss. On 25 April 2011, the Court dismissed the breach of fiduciary duty claims, and the only remaining claim is for benefits under section 19.11(f). On 28 March 2012, the Court certified that the case could proceed as a class action comprised of former employees of the divested MCC operations. On 9 January 2013, the Court granted AB InBev’s motion for Judgment on the Administrative Record. The plaintiffs appealed this decision on 5 February 2013. That appeal has been fully briefed and argued, and is pending before the Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

On 10 January 2012, a class action complaint asserting claims very similar to those asserted in the Angevine lawsuit was filed in Federal Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, styled Nancy Anderson et al. v. Anheuser-Busch Companies Pension Plan et al. Unlike the Angevine case, however, the plaintiff in this matter alleges complete exhaustion of all administrative remedies. The company filed a motion to dismiss on 9 October 2012. This was still pending when the Court allowed the complaint to be amended on 19 November 2012 to name four new plaintiffs. AB InBev filed a motion to dismiss on 17 December 2012. While this motion was pending, on 11 March 2013 the Court consolidated the case with the Knowlton case (see below) which had been transferred from California to Missouri.

On 10 October 2012, another class action complaint was filed against Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC, Anheuser-Busch Companies Pension Plan, Anheuser-Busch Companies Pension Plan Appeals Committee and the Anheuser-Busch Companies Pension Plans Administrative Committee by Brian Knowlton, an employee of the divested Busch Entertainment Corporation. This complaint, filed in Federal Court in the Southern District of California, was amended on 12 October 2012. Like the other lawsuits, it claims that the employees of any divested assets were entitled to enhanced retirement benefits under section 19.11(f) of the Plan. However, it specifically excludes the divested Metal Container Corporation facilities that have been included in the Adams class action. On 6 November 2012, the plaintiffs filed a motion asking the court to move the Anderson case to California to join it with the Knowlton case for discovery. The company filed a motion to dismiss/motion to transfer the case to Missouri on 12 November 2012, which was granted on 30 January 2013. As outlined above, on 11 March 2013, the Knowlton case was then consolidated in Missouri with the Anderson case. On 19 April 2013 a consolidated complaint was filed, and a Motion to Dismiss was filed by the company on 10 May 2013. On 30 October 2013, the court dismissed the breach of fiduciary claims, and an answer was filed on 13 November 2013. On 19 November 2013, plaintiffs amended one count of the consolidated complaint. A Motion to Dismiss the amended count was filed on 6 December 2013 and has not yet been ruled upon. Class certification briefing is scheduled to occur during the first quarter of 2014.

 

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33. RELATED PARTIES

TRANSACTIONS WITH DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD MANAGEMENT MEMBERS (KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL)

In addition to short-term employee benefits (primarily salaries) AB InBev’s executive board management members are entitled to post-employment benefits. More particular, members of the executive board management participate in the pension plan of their respective country – see also Note 25 Employee Benefits . Finally, key management personnel are eligible for the company’s share option; restricted stock and/or share swap program (refer Note 26 Share-based Payments ). Total directors and executive board management compensation included in the income statement can be detailed as follows

 

     2013      2012      2011  

Million US dollar

   Directors      Executive board
management
     Directors      Executive board
management
     Directors      Executive
board
management
 

Short-term employee benefits

     2         22         3         25         3         21   

Post-employment benefits

     —           2         —           2         —           3   

Share-based payments

     3         66         3         51         4         51   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     5         90         6         78         7         75   

Directors’ compensation consists mainly of directors’ fees. Key management personnel was not engaged in any transactions with AB InBev and did not have any outstanding balances with the company.

JOINTLY CONTROLLED ENTITIES

Significant interests in joint ventures include two distribution entities in Canada, two entities in Brazil, two in China, one in Mexico and one in UK. None of these joint ventures are material to the company. Aggregate amounts of AB InBev’s interest are as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012      2011  

Non-current assets

     101         129         129   

Current assets

     57         72         72   

Non-current liabilities

     67         154         162   

Current liabilities

     115         120         124   

Result from operations

     24         18         17   

Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

     11         9         4   

TRANSACTIONS WITH ASSOCIATES

AB InBev’s transactions with associates were as follows:

 

Million US dollar

   2013      2012      2011  

Gross profit

     31         232         259   

Current assets

     6         14         6   

Current liabilities

     32         9         9   

TRANSACTIONS WITH PENSION PLANS

AB InBev’s transactions with pension plans mainly comprise 12m US dollar other income from pension plans in US and 5m US dollar other income from pension plans in Brazil.

TRANSACTIONS WITH GOVERNMENT-RELATED ENTITIES

AB InBev has no material transactions with government-related entities.

 

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34. SUPPLEMENTAL GUARANTOR FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The following guarantor financial information is presented to comply with U.S. SEC disclosure requirements of Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X.

The issuances or exchanges of securities described below are related to securities issued by Anheuser-Busch Worldwide Inc. (prior to 2013) and Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc. (from 2013 onwards), and in each case fully and unconditionally guaranteed by AB InBev SA/NV (the “Parent Guarantor”). Each such security is also jointly and severally guaranteed by Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC, BrandBrew S.A., Brandbev S.à r.l. and Cobrew NV/SA (the “Other Subsidiary Guarantors”), and in respect of debt issued from 2013 onwards, by Anheuser-Busch Worldwide Inc. In December 2012 the guarantee structure of securities listed previously issued by Anheuser-Busch Worldwide Inc. was amended to accede Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc. as a subsidiary guarantor of such securities.

 

   

On 13 October 2009, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. issued (i) 1.5 billion US dollar principal amount of 3.0% unsecured notes due 2012, (ii) 1.25 billion US dollar principal amount of 4.125% unsecured notes due 2015, (iii) 2.25 billion US dollar principal amount of 5.375% unsecured notes due 2020 and (iv) 0.5 billion US dollar principal amount of 6.375% unsecured notes due 2040 (collectively the “October Notes”). The October Notes were exchanged for publicly registered notes on 8 February 2010.

 

   

On 24 March 2010, Anheuser-Busch Worldwide Inc. issued (i) 1.0 billion US dollar principal amount of 2.5% unsecured notes due 2013, (ii) 0.75 billion US dollar principal amount 3.625% unsecured notes due 2015, (iii) 1.0 billion US dollar principal amount of 5.0% due 2020 and (iv) 0.5 billion US dollar bearing interest at a floating rate of 3 month US dollar LIBOR plus 0.73% due 2013 (collectively the “March Notes”). These Notes were exchanged for publicly registered notes on 5 August 2010.

 

   

On 10 November 2010, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. issued 0.75 billion Brazilian real principal amount of 9.75% notes due 2015.

 

   

On 24 January 2011, AB InBev Worldwide Inc. issued a series of notes in an aggregate principal amount of 1.65 billion, consisting of 0.65 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2014, 0.5 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2016 and 0.5 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2021. The notes bear interest at an annual rate of 55 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the floating rate notes, 2.875% for the 2016 notes, and 4.375% for the 2021 notes. The notes will mature on 27 January 2014 in the case of the floating rate notes, 15 February 2016 in the case of the 2016 notes and 15 February 2021 in the case of the 2021 notes. The issuance closed on 27 January 2011.

 

   

On 11 February 2011, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. announced that it had filed a Registration Statement on Form F-4 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) seeking to undertake an exchange offer of (i) 1.25 billion US dollar principal amount of 7.2 % notes due 2014, (ii) 2.5 billion US dollar principal amount of 7.75 % notes due 2019, (iii) 1.25 billion US dollar principal amount of 8.2 % notes due 2039 (collectively the “January Notes”) and (iv) 1.55 billion US dollar principal amount of 5.375 % notes due 2014, (v) 1.0 billion US dollar principal amount of 6.875 % notes due 2019, and (vi) 0.45 billion US dollar principal amount of 8.0 % notes due 2039 (collectively the “May Notes”). Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide would offer to exchange unregistered notes which have been privately issued under Rule 144A for freely tradable notes registered under the Securities Act of 1933 with otherwise substantially the same terms and conditions. The exchange offer closed on 14 March 2011.

 

   

On 19 May 2011, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. announced that it has provided the holders of the 7.20% notes due 2014 (“Notes”) notice of its intention to redeem the outstanding 1.25 billion US dollar principal amount of the Notes, effective 20 June 2011. The Notes were originally issued on 12 January 2009 under the Base Indenture dated 12 January 2009 and the First Supplemental Indenture of the same date between Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee. Such notes were exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”) and were voluntarily exchanged by Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. for freely tradable notes registered under the Securities Act with otherwise substantially identical terms and conditions in a tender offer that closed on 14 March 2011. The redemption closed on 20 June 2011.

 

   

On 14 July 2011, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc. issued 1.05 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of bonds, consisting of 300 million US dollar aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2014 and 750 million US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2014. The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 36 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the floating rate notes and 1.50% for the fixed rate notes.

 

   

On 16 July 2012, Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide Inc., issued 7.5 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of bonds, consisting of 1.5 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2015, 2.0 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2017, 3.0 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2022 and 1.0 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2042. The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 0.800% for the 2015 notes, 1.375% for the 2017 notes, 2.500% for the 2022 notes and 3.750% for the 2042 notes.

 

   

On 17 January 2013, Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc. issued 4.0 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of bonds, consisting of 1.0 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2016, 1.0 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2018, 1.25 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2023 and 0.75 billion US dollar aggregated principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2043. The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 0.800% for the 2016 notes, 1.250% for the 2018 notes, 2.625% for the 2023 notes and 4.000% for the 2043 notes.

 

   

On 27 January 2014, Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc., issued 5.25 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of bonds, consisting of 1.2 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2017; 300m US dollar aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2017; 1.25 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2019; 250m US dollar aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2019; 1.4 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2024; and 850m US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2044. The fixed rate notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 1.125% for the 2017 notes; 2.150% for the 2019 notes; 3.700% for the 2024 notes; and 4.625% for the 2044 notes. The floating rate notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 19.00 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the 2017 floating rate notes and 40.00 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the 2019 floating rate notes.

 

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The following condensed consolidating financial information presents the Condensed Consolidating Statement of Financial Position as of 31 December 2013 and 31 December 2012, the Condensed Consolidating Income Statements and Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended 31 December 2013, 2012 and 2011 of (a) AB InBev SA/NV, (b) Anheuser-Busch Worldwide Inc. (the Issuer prior to 2013, and guarantor of notes issued by Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc.), (c) Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc. (the Issuer from 2013 onwards, and guarantor of notes issued by Anheuser-Busch Worldwide Inc.), (d) the Other Subsidiary Guarantors, (e) the non-guarantor subsidiaries, (f) elimination entries necessary to consolidate the Parent with the issuer, the guarantor subsidiaries and the non-guarantor subsidiaries; and (g) the Company on a consolidated basis. Investments in consolidated subsidiaries are presented under the equity method of accounting. Separate financial statements and other disclosures with respect to the guarantor subsidiaries have not been provided as management believes the following information is sufficient, as the guarantor subsidiaries are 100% owned by the Parent and all guarantees are full and unconditional. Except as disclosed in Note 23 Changes in Equity and Earnings per Share , there are no restrictions on the Company’s ability to obtain funds from any of its direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries through dividends, loans or advances. Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc. is not included in the financial information presented as of 31 December 2012 because it was incorporated on 17 December 2012 and its financial position and results prior to 1 January 2013 were immaterial.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING INCOME STATEMENT

 

For the year ended 31 December 2013

Million US dollar

   AB InBev
NV/SA
    AB InBev
Worldwide
Inc
    AB InBev
Finance

Inc
    Subsidiary
Guarantors
    Non-
Guarantors
    Eliminations     Total  

Revenue

     —          —          —          14 309        30 106        (1 220     43 195   

Cost of sales

     (4     —          —          (6 383     (12 427     1 220        (17 594
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     (4     —          —          7 926        17 679        —          25 601   

Distribution expenses

     —          —          —          (915     (3 146     —          (4 061

Sales and marketing expenses

     (110     —          —          (1 681     (4 167     —          (5 958

Administrative expenses

     (340     —          —          (263     (1 936     —          (2 539

Other operating income/(expenses)

     800        835        —          (1 466     821        —          990   

Fair value adjustments

     —          —          —          6 415        (5     —          6 410   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Profit from operations

     346        835        —          10 016        9 246        —          20 443   

Net finance cost

     (508     (2 152     (63     2 454        (1 934     —          (2 203
     —          —          —          —          —          —          —     

Share of result of associates

     —          —          —          277        17        —          294   

Profit before tax

     (162     (1 317     (63     12 747        7 329        —          18 534   

Income tax expense

     19        594        30        (1 259     (1 400     —          (2 016

Profit

     (143     (723     (33     11 488        5 929        —          16 518   

Income from subsidiaries

     14 537        8 164        —          781        637        (24 119     —     

Profit

     14 394        7 441        (33     12 269        6 566        (24 119     16 518   

Attributable to:

              

Equity holders of AB InBev

     14 394        7 441        (33     12 269        4 442        (24 119     14 394   

Non-controlling interest

     —          —          —          —          2 124        —          2 124   

 

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For the year ended 31 December 2012 1

Million US dollar

   AB InBev
NV/SA
    AB InBev
Worldwide
Inc
    Subsidiary
Guarantors
    Non-
Guarantors
    Eliminations     Total  

Revenue

     —          —          14 197        26 658        (1 097     39 758   

Cost of sales

     (3     —          (6 461     (11 055     1 097        (16 422
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     (3     —          7 736        15 603        —          23 336   

Distribution expenses

     —          —          (943     (2 844     —          (3 787

Sales and marketing expenses

     (89     —          (1 587     (3 578     —          (5 254

Administrative expenses

     (352     —          (267     (1 581     —          (2 200

Other operating income/(expenses)

     781        790        (1 316     397        —          652   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Profit from operations

     337        790        3 623        7 997        —          12 747   

Net finance cost

     (66     (2 370     427        (357     —          (2 366
     —          —          —          —          —          —     

Share of result of associates

     —          —          5        619        —          624   

Profit before tax

     271        (1 580     4 055        8 259        —          11 005   

Income tax expense

     200        722        (1 321     (1 281     —          (1 680

Profit

     471        (858     2 734        6 978        —          9 325   

Income from subsidiaries

     6 689        2 176        711        130        (9 706     —     

Profit

     7 160        1 318        3 445        7 108        (9 706     9 325   

Attributable to:

            

Equity holders of AB InBev

     7 160        1 318        3 445        4 943        (9 706     7 160   

Non-controlling interest

     —          —          —          2 165        —          2 165   

For the year ended 31 December 2011 1

Million US dollar

   AB InBev
NV/SA
    AB InBev
Worldwide
Inc
    Subsidiary
Guarantors
    Non-
Guarantors
    Eliminations     Total  

Revenue

     —          —          13 412        26 688        (1 054     39 046   

Cost of sales

     (2     —          (6 488     (11 175     1 055        (16 610
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     (2     —          6 924        15 513        1        22 436   

Distribution expenses

     3        —          (427     (2 891     —          (3 315

Sales and marketing expenses

     (88     —          (1 417     (3 628     —          (5 133

Administrative expenses

     (265     —          (319     (1 473     —          (2 057

Other operating income/(expenses)

     671        (261     (275     281        (1     415   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Profit from operations

     319        (261     4 486        7 802        —          12 346   

Net finance cost

     (753     (2 313     393        (611     —          (3 284

Share of result of associates

     —          —          7        616        —          623   

Profit before tax

     (434     (2 574     4 886        7 807        —          9 685   

Income tax expense

     (6     1 116        (1 504     (1 432     —          (1 826

Profit

     (440     (1 458     3 382        6 375        —          7 859   

Income from subsidiaries

     6 220        3 123        992        2 646        (12 981     —     

Profit

     5 780        1 665        4 374        9 021        (12 981     7 859   

Attributable to:

            

Equity holders of AB InBev

     5 780        1 665        4 374        6 941        (12 981     5 779   

Non-controlling interest

     —          —          —          2 080        —          2 080   

 

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as Reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

 

As at 31 December 2013

Million US dollar

   AB InBev
NV/SA
     AB InBev
Worldwide
Inc
     AB InBev
Finance
Inc
     Subsidiary
Guarantors
     Non-
Guarantors
     Eliminations     Total  

ASSETS

                   

Non-current assets

                   

Property, plant and equipment

     62         —           —           5 171         15 656         —          20 889   

Goodwill

     —           —           —           32 654         37 273         —          69 927   

Intangible assets

     391         —           —           21 630         7 317         —          29 338   

Investments in subsidiaries

     61 148         60 641         —           17 251         15 824         (154 864     —     

Investments in associates

     —           —           —           58         129         —          187   

Deferred tax assets

     —           —           14         —           1 166         —          1 180   

Other non-current assets

     9 367         377         5 128         70 418         21 232         (105 067     1 455   
     70 968         61 018         5 142         147 182         98 597         (259 931     122 976   

Current assets

                   

Inventories

     —           —           —           632         2 318         —          2 950   

Trade and other receivables

     2 776         325         11         4 305         7 680         (9 735     5 362   

Cash and cash equivalents

     2 142         8         216         11 258         16 547         (20 332     9 839   

Investment securities

     —           —           —           —           123         —          123   

Other current assets

     —           548         3         —           416         (551     416   
     4 918         881         230         16 195         27 084         (30 618     18 690   

Total assets

     75 886         61 899         5 372         163 377         125 681         (290 549     141 666   

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

                   

Equity

                   

Equity attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

     50 365         21 628         232         94 611         38 388         (154 859     50 365   

Minority interest

     —           —           —           10         4 933         —          4 943   
     50 365         21 628         232         94 621         43 321         (154 859     55 308   

Non-current liabilities

                   

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     16 199         35 019         5 084         32 566         57 096         (104 690     41 274   

Employee benefits

     7         —           —           1 516         1 339         —          2 862   

Deferred tax liabilities

     —           —           —           10 799         2 419         (377     12 841   

Other non-current liabilities

     185         —           —           533         3 036         —          3 754   
     16 391         35 019         5 084         45 414         63 890         (105 067     60 731   

Current liabilities

                   

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     2 852         4 758         —           4 662         3 321         (7 747     7 846   

Income tax payable

     —           —           —           431         1 225         (551     1 105   

Trade and other payables

     1 026         455         56         3 536         13 394         (1 993     16 474   

Other current liabilities

     5 252         39         —           14 713         530         (20 332     202   
     9 130         5 252         56         23 342         18 470         (30 623     25 627   

Total equity and liabilities

     75 886         61 899         5 372         163 377         125 681         (290 549     141 666   

 

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As at 31 December 2012

Million US dollar

   AB InBev
NV/SA
     AB InBev
Worldwide
Inc
     AB InBev
Finance
Inc
     Subsidiary
Guarantors
    Non-
Guarantors
    Eliminations     Total 1  

ASSETS

                 

Non-current assets

                 

Property, plant and equipment

     29         —           —           5 475        10 957        —          16 461   

Goodwill

     —           —           —           32 654        19 112        —          51 766   

Intangible assets

     405         —           —           21 663        2 303        —          24 371   

Investments in subsidiaries

     52 017         52 897         —           3 602        (1 459     (107 057     —     

Investments in associates

     —           —           —           56        7 034        —          7 090   

Deferred tax assets

     —           —              —          807        —          807   

Other non-current assets

     817         365            33 479        4 882        (38 047     1 496   
     53 268         53 262         —           96 929        43 636        (145 104     101 991   

Current assets

                 

Inventories

     —           —           —           636        1 864        —          2 500   

Trade and other receivables

     925         1 257         —           2 470        5 318        (5 947     4 023   

Cash and cash equivalents

     1 004         362         —           9 793        5 846        (9 954     7 051   

Investment securities

     3 730         2 864         —           —          233        —          6 827   

Other current assets

     —           667         —           (528     90        —          229   
     5 659         5 150         —           12 371        13 351        (15 901     20 630   

Total assets

     58 927         58 412         —           109 300        56 987        (161 005     122 621   

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

                 

Equity

                 

Equity attributable to equity holders of AB InBev

     41 154         15 555         —           74 837        16 665        (107 057     41 154   

Minority interest

     —           —           —           10        4 289        —          4 299   
     41 154         15 555         —           74 847        20 954        (107 057     45 453   

Non-current liabilities

                 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     9 912         39 309         —           8 690        18 721        (37 681     38 951   

Employee benefits

     7         —           —           2 281        1 399        —          3 687   

Deferred tax liabilities

     —           —           —           10 677        857        (366     11 168   

Other non-current liabilities

     230         —           —           717        2 006        1        2 954   
     10 149         39 309         —           22 365        22 983        (38 046     56 760   

Current liabilities

                 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

     2 157         3 081         —           2 761        1 004        (3 613     5 390   

Income tax payable

     —           —           —           —          543        —          543   

Trade and other payables

     877         467         —           4 286        11 000        (2 335     14 295   

Other current liabilities

     4 590         —           —           5 041        502        (9 953     180   
     7 624         3 548         —           12 088        13 049        (15 901     20 408   

Total equity and liabilities

     58 927         58 412         —           109 300        56 986        (161 004     122 621   

 

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

 

For the year ended 31 December 2013

Million US dollar

   AB InBev
NV/SA
    AB InBev
Worldwide
Inc
    AB InBev
Finance

Inc
    Subsidiary
Guarantors
    Non-
Guarantors
    Eliminations     Total  

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

              

Profit

     14 394        7 441        (33     12 269        6 566        (24 119     16 518   

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     87        —          —          717        2 181        —          2 985   

Net finance cost

     508        2 152        63        (2 454     1 934        —          2 203   

Income tax expense

     (19     (594     (30     1 258        1 401        —          2 016   

Investment income

     (14 537     (8 164     —          (781     (637     24 119        —     

Revaluation of initial investment in Grupo Modelo

     —          —          —          (6 415     —          —          (6 415

Other items

     82        —          —          (63     (88     —          (69

Cash flow from operating activities before changes in working capital and use of provisions

     515        835        —          4 531        11 357        —          17 238   

Working capital and provisions

     103        1 598        4        (1 779     229        58        213   

Cash generated from operations

     618        2 433        4        2 752        11 586        58        17 451   

Interest paid, net

     (550     (2 143     13        1 855        (1 129     37        (1 917

Dividends received

     2 503        2 000        —          610        1 507        (6 014     606   

Income tax paid

     (2     —          (1     (827     (1 446     —          (2 276

CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

     2 569        2 290        16        4 390        10 518        (5 919     13 864   

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

              

Acquisition and sale of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired/disposed of

     —          (3     —          (1 008     (16 386     —          (17 397

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment and of intangible assets

     (112     —          —          (410     (3 347     —          (3 869

Proceeds from the sale of assets held for sale

     —          —          —          —          4 002        —          4 002   

Net proceeds from sale/(acquisition) of investment in short-term securities

     3 774        2 864        —          —          69        —          6 707   

Net proceeds/(acquisition) of other assets

     —          —          —          19        126        —          145   

Net repayments/(payments) of loans granted

     (8 722     —          (5 160     (53 749     (40 500     108 262        131   

CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

     (5 060     2 861        (5 160     (55 148     (56 036     108 262        (10 281

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

              

Intra-group capital reimbursements

     3 504        (1 500     250        423        (2 677     —          —     

Proceeds from borrowings

     21 887        2 546        5 197        48 730        65 960        (121 856     22 464   

Payments on borrowings

     (17 430     (5 090     (53     (4 219     (4 653     13 439        (18 006

Cash received for deferred shares instrument

     —          —          —          —          1 500        —          1 500   

Other financing activities

     270        —          (34     1 145        (745     —          636   

Dividends paid

     (4 918     (1 500     —          (4 130     (1 719     6 014        (6 253

CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

     3 313        (5 544     5 360        41 949        57 666        (102 403     341   

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     822        (393     216        (8 809     12 148        (60     3 924   

Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at beginning of year

     (3 579     362        —          4 760        5 508        —          7 051   

Effect of exchange rate fluctuations

     (344     —          —          600        (1 458     60        (1 142

Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at end of year

     (3 101     (31     216        (3 449     16 198        —          9 833   

 

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For the year ended 31 December 2012 1

Million US dollar

   AB InBev
NV/SA
    AB InBev
Worldwide
Inc
    Subsidiary
Guarantors
    Non-
Guarantors
    Eliminations     Total  

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

            

Profit

     7 160        1 318        3 445        7 108        (9 706     9 325   

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     76        —          752        1 919        —          2 747   

Net finance cost

     66        2 370        (426     356        —          2 366   

Income tax expense

     (200     (722     1 321        1 281        —          1 680   

Investment income

     (6 689     (2 176     (711     (130     9 706        —     

Other items

     77        —          114        (581     —          (390

Cash flow from operating activities before changes in working capital and use of provisions

     490        790        4 495        9 953        —          15 728   

Working capital and provisions

     623        (283     (653     788        3        478   

Cash generated from operations

     1 113        507        3 842        10 741        3        16 206   

Interest paid, net

     (490     (2 301     1 253        (328     —          (1 866

Dividends received

     4 743        500        843        78        (5 444     720   

Income tax paid

     (3     —          (786     (1 003     —          (1 792

CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

     5 363        (1 294     5 152        9 488        (5 441     13 268   

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

            

Acquisition and sale of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired/disposed of

     —          (14     (86     (1 312     —          (1 412

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment and of intangible assets

     (111     —          (356     (2 797     —          (3 264

Net proceeds from sale/(acquisition) of investment in short-term securities

     (3 717     (2 863     —          (122     —          (6 702

Net proceeds/(acquisition) of other assets

     —          —          26        (3     —          23   

Net repayments/(payments) of loans granted

     49        —          (1 424     480        909        14   

CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

     (3 779     (2 877     (1 840     (3 754     909        (11 341

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

            

Intra-group capital reimbursements

     984        90        2 089        (3 163     —          —     

Proceeds from borrowings

     10 129        7 501        3 418        5 151        (7 736     18 463   

Payments on borrowings

     (9 069     (3 736     (4 336     (4 464     6 791        (14 814

Other financing activities

     607        (67     (623     228        —          145   

Dividends paid

     (2 499     —          (3 799     (2 778     5 444        (3 632

CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

     152        3 788        (3 251     (5 026     4 499        162   

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     1 736        (383     61        708        (33     2 089   

Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at beginning of year

     (5 159     745        4 767        4 959        —          5 312   

Effect of exchange rate fluctuations

     (156     —          (68     (159     33        (350

Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at end of year

     (3 579     362        4 760        5 508        0        7 051   

 

 

1  

2012 and 2011 as reported, adjusted to reflect the effects of retrospective application on the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits (see Note 3 Summary of significant accounting policies ).

 

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For the year ended 31 December 2011 1

Million US dollar

   AB InBev
NV/SA
    AB InBev
Worldwide
Inc
    Subsidiary
Guarantors
    Non-Guarantors     Eliminations     Total  

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

            

Profit

     5 780        1 665        4 374        9 021        (12 981     7 859   

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     77        —          801        1 905        —          2 783   

Net finance cost

     753        2 313        (393     611        —          3 284   

Income tax expense

     6        (1 116     1 504        1 432        —          1 826   

Investment income

     (6 220     (3 123     (992     (2 646     12 981        —     

Other items

     46        —          81        (500     —          (373

Cash flow from operating activities before changes in working capital and use of provisions

     442        (261     5 375        9 823        —          15 379   

Working capital and provisions

     (573     693        (34     588        25        699   

Cash generated from operations

     (131     432        5 341        10 411        25        16 078   

Interest paid, net

     (418     (2 093     797        (591     1        (2 304

Dividends received

     4 887        1 000        512        250        (6 243     406   

Income tax paid

     (5     —          (680     (1 009     —          (1 694

CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

     4 333        (661     5 970        9 061        (6 217     12 486   

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

            

Acquisition and sale of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired/disposed of

     454        (7     (234     (238     —          (25

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment and of intangible assets

     (88     —          (302     (2 986     —          (3 376

Net proceeds/(acquisition) of other assets

     4        —          29        627        —          660   

Net repayments/(payments) of loans granted

     (8 903     —          (9 899     (2 804     21 616        10   

CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

     (8 533     (7     (10 406     (5 401     21 616        (2 731

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

            

Intra-group capital reimbursements

     4 343        (6 000     (1 428     3 085        —          —     

Proceeds from borrowings

     11 686        9 986        17 794        9 237        (31 412     17 291   

Payments on borrowings

     (13 508     (2 962     (6 274     (8 880     9 775        (21 849

Other financing activities

     (56     (181     (968     (145     —          (1 350

Dividends paid

     (1 771     —          (1 362     (6 199     6 244        (3 088

CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

     694        843        7 762        (2 902     (15 393     (8 996

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     (3 506     175        3 326        758        6        759   

Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at beginning of year

     (2 127     570        1 562        4 492        —          4 497   

Effect of exchange rate fluctuations

     474        —          (121     (291     (6     56   

Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts at end of year

     (5 159     745        4 767        4 959        —          5 312   

 

35. EVENTS AFTER THE BALANCE SHEET DATE

ORIENTAL BREWERY ACQUISITION

On 20 January, AB InBev, KKR and Affinity Equity Partners announced that an agreement has been entered into whereby AB InBev will reacquire Oriental Brewery (“OB”), the leading brewer in South Korea, from KKR and Affinity for 5.8 billion US dollar.

This agreement returns OB to the AB InBev portfolio, after AB InBev sold the company in July 2009, following the combination of InBev and Anheuser-Busch, in support of the company’s deleveraging commitment. AB InBev will reacquire OB earlier than July 2014, as it was originally entitled to under the 2009 transaction.

Since KKR and Affinity entered into partnership with OB in 2009, OB has grown to become the largest brewer in South Korea, driven by strong growth of the Cass brand. OB and AB InBev also remained long-term partners through OB’s exclusive license to distribute select AB InBev brands in South Korea such as Budweiser, Corona and Hoegaarden.

The enterprise value for the transaction is 5.8 billion USD, and as a result of an agreement entered into with KKR and Affinity in 2009, AB InBev will also receive approximately 320m US dollar in cash at closing from this transaction, subject to closing adjustments according to the terms of the transaction. OB estimates its EBITDA in 2013 was approximately KRW 529 billion or approximately 500m US dollar at exchange rates at the date of the announcement.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in South Korea as well as other customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the first half of 2014.

 

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BOND ISSUANCE

On 27 January 2014, Anheuser-Busch InBev Finance Inc., a subsidiary of AB InBev, issued 5.25 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of bonds, consisting of 1.2 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2017; 300m US dollar aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2017; 1.25 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2019; 250m US dollar aggregate principal amount of floating rate notes due 2019; 1.4 billion US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2024; and 850m US dollar aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes due 2044. The fixed rate notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 1.125% for the 2017 notes; 2.150% for the 2019 notes; 3.700% for the 2024 notes; and 4.625% for the 2044 notes. The floating rate notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 19.00 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the 2017 floating rate notes and 40.00 basis points above three-month LIBOR for the 2019 floating rate notes.

ARGENTINEAN PESO DEVALUATION

In January 2014, the Argentinean peso underwent a severe devaluation. In 2013, the Argentinean operations represented 4.6% of the company’s consolidated revenue and 5.1% of the company’s consolidated normalized EBITDA. The 2013 Argentinean full year results were translated at an average rate of 5.4466 Argentinean pesos per US dollar. The 2014 devaluation, and further devaluations in the future, if any, is expected to decrease the company’s net assets in Argentina, with a balancing entry in the equity of the company. The translation of results and cash flows of the company’s Argentinean operations are also expected to be impacted.

 

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36. AB INBEV COMPANIES

Listed below are the most important AB InBev companies. A complete list of the company’s investments is available at AB InBev NV, Brouwerijplein 1, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. The total number of companies consolidated (fully, proportional and equity method) is 452.

LIST OF MOST IMPORTANT FULLY CONSOLIDATED COMPANIES

 

NAME AND REGISTERED OFFICE OF FULLY CONSOLIDATED COMPANIES

   % OF ECONOMIC
INTEREST AS AT

31 DECEMBER 2013
 

ARGENTINA

  

CERVECERIA Y MALTERIA QUILMES SAICA y G - Charcas 5160 - Buenos Aires

     61.89   

BELGIUM

  

AB INBEV NV – Grote Markt 1 - 1000 - Brussel

     Consolidating Company   

BRASSERIE DE L’ABBAYE DE LEFFE S.A. - Place de l’Abbaye 1 - 5500 - Dinant

     98.54   

BROUWERIJ VAN HOEGAARDEN N.V. - Stoopkensstraat 46 - 3320 - Hoegaarden

     100.00   

COBREW N.V. - Brouwerijplein 1 - 3000 - Leuven

     100.00   

INBEV BELGIUM N.V. - Industrielaan 21 - 1070 - Brussel

     100.00   

BOLIVIA

  

CERVECERIA BOLIVIANA NACIONAL S.A. - Av. Montes 400 and Chuquisaca Street - La Paz

     61.89   

BRAZIL

  

CIA DE BEBIDAS DAS AMERICAS - AMBEV BRASIL - Rua Dr. Renato Paes de Barros, 1017, 4° Andar (parte), cj. 44 e 42 - Itaim Bibi, Sao Paulo

     61.89   

CANADA

  

LABATT BREWING COMPANY LIMITED - 207 Queen’s Quay West, Suite 299 - M5J 1A7 - Toronto

     61.89   

CHILE

  

CERVECERIA CHILE S.A. - Av. Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva 9600 - Quilicura

     61.89   

CHINA

  

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV (WUHAN) BREWING COMPANY LIMITED - Shangshou, Qin Duan Kou, Hanyang Area, Wuhan, Hubei Province

     97.06   

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV HARBIN BREWERY COMPANY LIMITED - 20 Youfang Street - Xiangfang District - Harbin, Heilongjiang Province

     100.00   

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV (ZHOUSHAN) BREWERY Co., Ltd. - No.1 Linggang Yi Road, Linggang industrial area, Dinghai District - Zhou Shan

     100.00   

INBEV BAISHA (HUNAN) BREWERY CO LTD - No. 304 Shao Shan Zhong Lu - Changsha

     100.00   

INBEV DOUBLE DEER GROUP CO LTD - 419 Wu Tian Street - Wenzhou

     55.00   

INBEV JINLONGQUAN (HUBEI) BREWERY CO LTD - 89 Chang Ning Street - Jingmen

     60.00   

INBEV JINLONGQUAN (XIAOGAN) BREWERY CO LTD - No. 198 Chengzhan Street - Xiaogan

     60.00   

INBEV KK (NINGBO) BREWERY CO LTD - Jinjiang Zhen, 315000 - Ningbo

     100.00   

INBEV SEDRIN BREWERY Co, Ltd - No.2 factory Xialin Cun, Chen Xiang district, PuTian City, Fujian Province

     100.00   

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV (TAIZHOU) BREWERY CO., LTD. - 159, Qi Xia Dong Road - Cheng Guan, Tiantai County

     100.00   

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV (NINGBO) BREWERY CO., LTD. - JinJiang Zhen,- 315000 - Ningbo, Zhejiang Province

     100.00   

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV (NANJING) BREWERY CO., LTD.- Qi Li Qiao, Jiang Pu district, -211800- Nanjing

     100.00   

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

  

CERVECERIA NACIONAL DOMINICANA, esquina formada por la Autopista 30 de Mayo – Km. 6-1/2 y calle San Juan Bautista, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional

     34.04   

ECUADOR

  

COMPAÑIA CERVECERA AMBEV ECUADOR S.A. - Km 14.5 Via a Daule S/N y Av. Las Iguanas, Guayaquil

     61.89   

FRANCE

  

AB - INBEV FRANCE S.A.S. 38 Allée Vauban 59110 La Madeleine

     100.00   

 

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GERMANY

  

BRAUEREI BECK GmbH & CO. KG - Am Deich 18/19 - 28199 - Bremen

     100.00   

BRAUEREI DIEBELS GmbH & CO.KG - Brauerei-Diebels-Strasse 1 - 47661 - Issum

     100.00   

BRAUERGILDE HANNOVER AG - Hildesheimer Strasse 132 - 30173 - Hannover

     100.00   

HAAKE-BECK BRAUEREI GmbH & Co. KG - Am Deich 18/19 - 28199 - Bremen

     99.96   

HASSERÖDER BRAUEREI GmbH - Auerhahnring 1 - 38855 - Wernigerode

     100.00   

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV GERMANY HOLDING GmbH - Am Deich 18/19 - 28199 - Bremen

     100.00   

SPATEN - FRANZISKANER - BRÄU GmbH - Marsstrasse 46 + 48 - 80335 - München

     100.00   

GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBURG

  

BRASSERIE DE LUXEMBOURG MOUSEL - DIEKIRCH - 1, Rue de la Brasserie - L-9214 - Diekirch

     95.82   

INDIA

  

CROWN BEERS INDIA LIMITED - #8-2-684/A, Road No. 12 - Banjara Hills, Hyderabad 500034 - Andhra Pradesh

     100.00   

MEXICO

  

GRUPO MODELO, S.A.B. DE C.V. - JAVIER BARROS SIERRA 555 PISO 3 ZEDEC ED PLAZA SANTA FE DISTRITO FEDERAL C.P. 01210

     100.00   

PARAGUAY

  

CERVECERIA PARAGUAYA S.A. - Ruta Villeta KM30 - Ypané

     61.89   

PERU

  

COMPANIA CERVECERA AMBEV PERU SAC - Av Los Laureles Mza a lote 4 (Mirador 12 Carretera R. Priale) Lima - Luringancho

     61.89   

RUSSIA

  

OAO SUN INBEV - 28 Moscovskaya Street, Moscow region - 141600 - Klin

     99.95   

THE NETHERLANDS

  

INBEV NEDERLAND N.V. - Ceresstraat 1 - 4811 CA - Breda

     100.00   

INTERBREW INTERNATIONAL B.V. - Ceresstraat 1 - 4811 CA - Breda

     100.00   

UKRAINE

  

PJSC SUN InBev Ukraine - 30V Fizkultury St - 03680 - Kyiv

     98.29   

US

  

ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES, LLC. - One Busch Place - St. Louis, MO 63118

     100.00   

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INTERNATIONAL, INC. - One Busch Place - St. Louis, MO 63118

     100.00   

ANHEUSER-BUSCH PACKAGING GROUP, INC. - One Busch Place - St. Louis, MO 63118

     100.00   

UNITED KINGDOM

  

BASS BEERS WORLDWIDE LIMITED - Porter Tun House, 500 Capability Green - LU1 3LS - Luton

     100.00   

INBEV UK LTD - Porter Tun House, 500 Capability Green - LU1 3LS - Luton

     100.00   

URUGUAY

  

CERVECERIA Y MALTERIA PAYSSANDU S.A. - Rambla Baltasar Brum, 2933 - 11800 - Payssandu

     61.89   

 

F-84

Exhibit 4.18

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

 

                                 Plaintiff,

 

v.

 

ANHEUSER-BUSCH InBEV

SA/NV, et al.,

 

                                 Defendants.

  

 

Civil Action No. 13-127 (RWR)

Judge Richard W. Roberts

FINAL JUDGMENT

WHEREAS, Plaintiff United States of America (“United States”) filed its Complaint against Defendants Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (“ABI”) and Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V. (“Modelo”) on January 31, 2013;

AND WHEREAS, pursuant to a Stipulation among Plaintiff and the Defendants including Defendant Constellation Brands, Inc., (“Constellation”), the Court has joined Constellation as a Defendant to this action for the purposes of settlement and for the entry of this Final Judgment;

AND WHEREAS, the United States and Defendants ABI, Modelo, and Constellation, by their respective attorneys, have consented to entry of this Final Judgment without trial or adjudication of any issue of fact or law, and without this Final Judgment constituting any evidence against or admission by any party regarding any issue of fact or law;

AND WHEREAS, Defendants agree to be bound by the provisions of the Final Judgment pending its approval by the Court;


AND WHEREAS, the essence of this Final Judgment is (a) the prompt and certain divestiture of certain rights and assets held by Defendants ABI and Modelo to Defendant Constellation (or other firm) as an Acquirer, to assure that competition is not substantially lessened; and (b) the necessary and appropriate build-out and capacity expansion of the Piedras Negras Brewery by the Acquirer over time to ensure that the Acquirer is able to compete in the United States independent of a relationship to the Sellers;

AND WHEREAS, this Final Judgment requires Defendants ABI and Modelo to make certain divestitures to Defendant Constellation (or other Acquirer) for the purpose of remedying the loss of competition alleged in the Complaint;

AND WHEREAS, Defendants ABI and Modelo intend for the divestiture of certain rights and assets to Constellation (or other Acquirer) to be permanent;

AND WHEREAS, this Final Judgment requires Defendant Constellation (or other Acquirer) to make certain investments for the purpose of expanding the capacity of the Piedras Negras Brewery;

AND WHEREAS, Defendants have represented to the United States that the divestitures required below can and will be made, and Defendant Constellation has represented that the Piedras Negras Brewery investments and expansion can and will be accomplished, and that Defendants will later raise no claim of hardship or difficulty as grounds for asking the Court to modify any of the provisions contained below;

NOW THEREFORE, before any testimony is taken, without trial or adjudication of any issue of fact or law, and upon consent of the parties, it is ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED:

 

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I. JURISDICTION

This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of and each of the parties to this action. The Complaint states a claim upon which relief may be granted against Defendants ABI and Modelo under Section 7 of the Clayton Act, as amended (15 U.S.C. § 18). Pursuant to the Stipulation filed simultaneously with this Final Judgment joining Constellation as a Defendant to this action for the purpose of this Final Judgment, Constellation has consented to this Court’s exercise of personal jurisdiction over it.

II. DEFINITIONS

As used in the Final Judgment:

A. “ABI” means Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, its domestic and foreign parents, predecessors, divisions, subsidiaries, affiliates, partnerships and joint ventures (excluding Crown, and, prior to the completion of the Transaction, Modelo); and all directors, officers, employees, agents, and representatives of the foregoing. The terms “parent,” “subsidiary,” “affiliate,” and “joint venture” refer to any person in which there is majority (greater than 50 percent) or total ownership or control between the company and any other person.

B. “ABI-Owned Distributor” means any Distributor in which ABI owns more than 50 percent of the outstanding equity interests as of the date of the divestiture of the Divestiture Assets.

C. “Acquirer” means:

 

  1. Constellation; or

 

  2. an alternative purchaser of the Divestiture Assets selected pursuant to the procedures set forth in this Final Judgment.

 

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D. “Acquirer Confidential Information” means:

 

  1. confidential commercial information of Constellation (or other Acquirer) that has been obtained from such entity, including quantities, units, and prices of items ordered or purchased from the Sellers by the Acquirer, and any other competitively sensitive information regarding the Sellers’ or the Acquirer’s performance under the Interim Supply Agreement or the Transition Services Agreement; and

 

  2. confidential unit sales data, non-public pricing strategies and plans, or any other confidential commercial information of the Acquirer that either an ABI-Owned Distributor, or any other Distributor in which ABI acquires a majority interest after the date of the divestiture contemplated herein, obtains from the Acquirer by virtue of its relationship with the Acquirer.

E. “Beer” means any fermented alcoholic beverage that (1) is composed in part of water, a type of starch, yeast, and a flavoring and (2) has undergone the process of brewing.

F. “Brewery Companies” means (1) Compañia Cervecera de Coahuila S.A. de C.V., a subsidiary of Grupo Modelo with its headquarters in Coahuila, Mexico, and (2) Servicios Modelo de Coahuila, S.A. de C.V., a subsidiary of Grupo Modelo with its headquarters in Coahuila, Mexico.

G. “Constellation” means Constellation Brands, Inc., its domestic and foreign parents, predecessors, divisions, subsidiaries, affiliates, partnerships and joint ventures, including but not limited to, Crown, and all directors, officers, employees, agents, and representatives of the foregoing. The terms “parent,” “subsidiary,” “affiliate,” and “joint venture” refer to any person in which there is majority (greater than 50 percent) or total ownership or control between the company and any other person.

 

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H. “Covered Entity” means any Beer brewer, importer, or brand owner (other than ABI) that derives more than $7.5 million in annual gross revenue from Beer sold for further resale in the United States, or from license fees generated by such Beer sales.

I. “Covered Interest” means any non-ABI Beer brewing assets or any non-ABI Beer brand assets of, or any interest in (including any financial, security, loan, equity, intellectual property, or management interest), a Covered Entity; except that a Covered Interest shall not include (i) a Beer brewery or Beer brand located outside the United States that does not generate at least $7.5 million in annual gross revenue from Beer sold for resale in the United States; or (ii) a license to distribute a non-ABI Beer brand where said distribution license does not generate at least $3 million in annual gross revenue in the United States.

J. “Crown” means Crown Imports, LLC, the joint venture between Constellation and Modelo that is in the business of importing Modelo Brand Beer into the United States, or any successor thereto.

K. “Defendants” means ABI, Modelo, and Constellation, and any successor or assignee to all or substantially all of the business or assets of ABI, Modelo, or Constellation involved in the brewing of Beer.

L. “Distributor” means a wholesaler in the Territory who acts as an intermediary between a brewer or importer of Beer and a retailer of Beer.

M. “Distributor Incentive Program” means the Anheuser-Busch Voluntary Alignment Incentive Program and any other policy or program, either currently in effect or implemented hereafter, that offers some type of benefit to a Distributor based on the Distributor’s sales performance, its loyalty in supporting any brand or brands of Beer, or its commercial support for any brand or brands of Beer, including decisions of which brands to carry or the sales volume of each.

 

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N. “Divestiture Assets” means all tangible and intangible assets, rights and interests necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Final Judgment, as specified by the following agreements attached hereto and labeled as Exhibit A to this Final Judgment: the Stock Purchase Agreement (including the exhibits thereto) and the MIPA (including the exhibits thereto). In addition:

 

  1. In the event that the Acquirer is a buyer other than Constellation, the Divestiture Assets shall also include the Entire Importer Interest, pursuant to ABI’s Drag-Along Right to require Constellation to divest such interest, and subject to Constellation’s right to receive compensation in the event of such divestiture, as set forth in Section 12.5 of the MIPA, attached hereto in Exhibit A; and

 

  a. in the event that a Divestiture Trustee is appointed, the Divestiture Trustee may, with the consent of the United States pursuant to Section IV.J herein: include in the Divestiture Assets any additional assets, including tangible assets as well as intellectual property interests and other intangible interests or assets that extend beyond the United States, if the Divestiture Trustee finds the inclusion of such assets necessary to enable the Acquirer to expand the Piedras Negras Brewery to a Nominal Capacity of at least twenty (20) million hectoliters of packaged Beer per year, or to remedy any breach that the Monitoring Trustee has identified pursuant to Section VIII.B.3 herein; or

 

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  b. remove from the divestiture package any assets that are not needed by the Acquirer to accomplish the purposes of this Final Judgment, if such removal will facilitate the divestiture of Modelo’s United States Beer business as contemplated by this Final Judgment.

O. “Drag-Along Right” means ABI’s right, as defined in Section 12.5(b) of the MIPA, attached hereto in Exhibit A, to require Constellation to divest Constellation’s interest in Crown in the event Constellation is not the Acquirer.

P. “Entire Importer Interest” means Constellation’s present interest in Crown, as defined in Section 12.5(b) of the MIPA, attached hereto in Exhibit A.

Q. “Hold Separate Stipulation and Order” means the Stipulation and Order filed by the parties simultaneously herewith, which imposes certain duties on the Defendants with respect to the operation of the Divestiture Assets pending the proposed divestitures, and also adds Constellation as a Defendant in this action.

R. “Interim Supply Agreement” means:

 

  1. the form of agreement between Modelo and Crown, attached as Exhibit A to the MIPA, attached hereto, and incorporated herein, or

 

  2. in the event the Divestiture Assets are sold to an Acquirer other than Constellation, an agreement between Sellers and the Acquirer to provide the same types of services under substantially similar terms as provided in Exhibit A to the MIPA incorporated hereto, subject to approval by the United States in its sole discretion.

 

7


S. “MIPA” means the Amended and Restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement among Constellation Beers Ltd., Constellation Brands Beach Holdings, Inc., Constellation Brands, Inc., and Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV dated February 13, 2013, as amended on April 19, 2013, and attached hereto in Exhibit A.

T. “Modelo” means Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V., its domestic and foreign parents, predecessors, divisions, subsidiaries, affiliates, partnerships and joint ventures (excluding Crown and the entities listed on Exhibit B hereto); and all directors, officers, employees, agents, and representatives of the foregoing. The terms “parent,” “subsidiary,” “affiliate,” and “joint venture” refer to any person in which there is majority (greater than 50 percent) or total ownership or control between the company and any other person.

U. “Modelo Brand Beer” means any Beer SKU that is part of the Divestiture Assets, and any Beer SKU that may become subject to the agreements giving effect to the divestitures required by Sections IV or VI of this Final Judgment.

V. “Nominal Capacity” means a brewery’s annual production capacity for packaged Beer, if the brewery were operated at 100% capacity.

W. “Piedras Negras Brewery” means all the land and all existing structures, buildings, plants, infrastructure, equipment, fixed assets, inventory, tooling, personal property, titles, leases, office furniture, materials, supplies, and other tangible property located in Nava, Coahuila, Mexico and owned by the Brewery Companies.

X. “Sellers” means ABI and Modelo.

Y. “Stock Purchase Agreement” means the Stock Purchase Agreement between Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and Constellation Brands, Inc. dated February 13, 2013, as amended on April 19, 2013, and attached hereto in Exhibit A.

 

8


Z. “Sub-License Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Sub-License Agreement between Marcas Modelo, S.A. de C.V. and Constellation Beers Ltd., attached as Exhibit A to the Stock Purchase Agreement.

AA. “Territory” means the fifty states of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, and Guam.

BB. “Transaction” means ABI’s proposed acquisition of the remainder of Modelo.

CC. “Transition Services Agreement” means:

 

  1. the form of agreement between ABI and Constellation attached as Exhibit B to the Stock Purchase Agreement, and incorporated herein; or

 

  2. in the event the Divestiture Assets are sold to an Acquirer other than Constellation, an agreement between Sellers and such Acquirer to provide the same types of services under substantially similar terms as provided in Exhibit B to the Stock Purchase Agreement incorporated hereto, subject to approval by the United States in its sole discretion.

III. APPLICABILITY

A. This Final Judgment applies to Defendants, as defined above, and all other persons in active concert or participation with any of them who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise.

B. If, prior to complying with Section IV and VI of this Final Judgment, Sellers sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of their assets or of lesser business units that include the Divestiture Assets, they shall require the purchaser to be bound by the provisions of this Final Judgment.

 

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IV. DIVESTITURE

A. The Court orders the divestitures set forth in this Section IV, having accepted the following representations made by the parties as of the date of filing this Final Judgment:

 

  1. by ABI, the certain representations contained in Section 3.25 of the Stock Purchase Agreement attached in Exhibit A hereto regarding the sufficiency of the assets to be divested;

 

  2. by ABI, the certain representations contained in Section 3.26 of the Stock Purchase Agreement attached in Exhibit A hereto regarding the absence of present knowledge of impediments to the expansion of capacity of the Piedras Negras Brewery;

 

  3. by Modelo, the representations set forth in the Letter of Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V., dated April 17, 2013, attached hereto as Exhibit C, regarding the issues described in subparagraphs A.1 and A.2 above; and

 

  4. by Modelo, the representations set forth in the Letter of Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V., dated April 17, 2013, attached hereto as Exhibit C, regarding the sufficiency of the assets being divested for the importation, marketing, distribution and sale of Modelo Brand Beer in the United States.

B. ABI is ordered and directed, upon the later of (1) the completion of the Transaction or (2) ninety (90) calendar days after the filing of this proposed Final Judgment, to divest the Divestiture Assets in a manner consistent with this Final Judgment to an Acquirer acceptable to the United States in its sole discretion. The United States, in its sole discretion, may agree to one or more extensions of this time period not to exceed sixty (60) calendar days in total, and shall notify the Court in such circumstances. ABI agrees to use its best efforts to divest the Divestiture Assets as expeditiously as possible.

 

10


C. In the event Sellers are attempting to divest the Divestiture Assets to an Acquirer other than Constellation, in accomplishing the divestiture ordered by this Final Judgment, Sellers promptly shall make known, by usual and customary means, the availability of the Divestiture Assets. Sellers shall inform any person making inquiry regarding a possible purchase of the Divestiture Assets that they are being divested pursuant to this Final Judgment and provide that person with a copy of this Final Judgment. Sellers shall offer to furnish to all prospective Acquirers, subject to customary confidentiality assurances, all information and documents relating to the Divestiture Assets customarily provided in a due diligence process except such information or documents subject to the attorney-client privileges or work-product doctrine. Sellers shall make available such information to the United States at the same time that such information is made available to any other person.

D. Sellers shall provide the Acquirer and the United States information relating to the personnel involved in the operation of the Divestiture Assets to enable the Acquirer to make offers of employment. Sellers will not interfere with any negotiations by the Acquirer to retain, employ or contract with any employee of the Brewery Companies. Interference with respect to this paragraph includes, but is not limited to, enforcement of non-compete clauses, solicitation of employment with ABI or Modelo, offers to transfer to another facility of ABI or Modelo, and offers to increase salary or other benefits apart from those offered company-wide.

E. In the event the Sellers are attempting to divest the Divestiture Assets to an Acquirer other than Constellation, Sellers shall permit prospective Acquirers of the Divestiture Assets to have reasonable access to personnel and to make inspections of the physical facilities

 

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of the Piedras Negras Brewery; access to any and all environmental, zoning, and other permit documents and information; and access to any and all financial, operational, or other documents and information customarily provided as part of a due diligence process.

F. Defendants shall, as soon as possible, but within two (2) business days after completion of the relevant event, notify the United States of: (1) the effective date of the completion of the Transaction; and (2) the effective date of the sale of the Divestiture Assets to the Acquirer.

G. Any amendment or modification of any of the agreements in Exhibit A, or any similar agreements entered with an Acquirer pursuant to Section IV.B, may only be entered into with the approval of the United States in its sole discretion. Sellers and the Acquirer shall enter into a Transition Services Agreement for a period up to three (3) years from the date of the divestiture to enable the Acquirer to compete effectively in providing Beer in the United States. Sellers shall perform all duties and provide any and all services required of Sellers under the Transition Services Agreement. Any amendments or modifications of the Transition Services Agreement may only be entered into with the approval of the United States in its sole discretion.

H. Sellers and the Acquirer shall enter into an Interim Supply Agreement for a period up to three (3) years from the execution date of the divestiture to enable the Acquirer to compete effectively in providing Beer in the United States. Sellers shall perform all duties and provide any and all services required of Sellers under the Interim Supply Agreement. Any amendments, modifications, or extensions of the Interim Supply Agreement beyond three (3) years may only be entered into with the approval of the United States in its sole discretion.

I. If the Acquirer seeks an extension of the Interim Supply Agreement, the Acquirer shall so notify the United States in writing at least four (4) months prior to the date the Interim

 

12


Supply Agreement expires. If the United States approves such an extension, it shall so notify the Acquirer in writing at least three (3) months prior to the date the Interim Supply Agreement expires. The total term of the Interim Supply Agreement and any extension(s) so approved shall not exceed five (5) years.

J. Unless the United States otherwise consents in writing, the divestiture pursuant to Section IV or VI shall include the entire Divestiture Assets, and shall be accomplished in such a way as to satisfy the United States, in its sole discretion, that the Divestiture Assets can and will be used by the Acquirer as part of a viable, ongoing business, engaged in providing Beer in the United States. The divestiture shall be:

 

  1. made to an Acquirer that, in the United States’ sole judgment, has the intent and capability (including the necessary managerial, operational, technical and financial capability) to complete the expansion of the Piedras Negras Brewery as contemplated herein, and to compete in the business of providing Beer; and

 

  2. accomplished so as to satisfy the United States, in its sole discretion, that none of the terms of the agreement between an Acquirer and Sellers gives Sellers the ability unreasonably to raise the Acquirer’s costs, to lower the Acquirer’s efficiency, or otherwise to interfere in the ability of the Acquirer to compete effectively.

V. REQUIRED EXPANSION AND OTHER PROVISIONS DESIGNED TO PROMOTE COMPETITION

A. Acquirer shall accomplish the expansion of the Piedras Negras Brewery to a Nominal Capacity of at least twenty (20) million hectoliters of packaged Beer annually, to include the ability to produce commercially reasonable quantities of each Modelo Brand Beer

 

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offered by Crown for sale in the United States as of the date of filing this proposed Final Judgment. Acquirer shall complete the above expansion by December 31, 2016. As part of the expansion of the Piedras Negras Brewery, Defendant Constellation shall use its best efforts to complete the following construction milestones by the specified deadlines:

 

  1. Within six (6) months from the date of divestiture, the appointment of, and contracts executed with, design and engineering firms;

 

  2. Within twelve (12) months from the date of divestiture, the completion of the design and engineering (including specifications and rated capacities) of the brewhouse, packaging hall, and warehouse;

 

  3. Within twelve (12) months from the date of divestiture, the obtainment of all necessary permits;

 

  4. Within twelve (12) months from the date of divestiture, the commencement of construction of the brewhouse, packaging hall, and warehouse;

 

  5. Within twenty-four (24) months from the date of divestiture, the completion of the construction of the warehouse and completion of the installation of equipment in the warehouse;

 

  6. Within thirty (30) months from the date of divestiture, the completion of the construction of the brewhouse and completion of the installation of equipment in the brewhouse;

 

  7. Within thirty-six (36) months from the date of divestiture, the completion of the construction of the packaging hall and the completion of the installation of equipment in the packaging hall; and

 

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  8. Within thirty-six (36) months from the date of divestiture, Constellation determines in its discretion that it is able to obtain its supply requirements from the Piedras Negras Brewery and is no longer dependent on supply under the Interim Supply Agreement.

B. For a period of thirty-six (36) months after the date of the divestiture, (i) ABI shall not make any change to its Distributor Incentive Program that would cause any Modelo Brand Beer to count against a Distributor’s level of alignment, nor implement a new Distributor Incentive Program that would have a similar effect; and (ii) additionally, any Distributor’s carrying of Modelo Brand Beer shall not be considered by ABI to be an adverse factor or circumstance when determining whether or not to approve such Distributor’s purchase of any other Distributor.

C. For a period of two (2) years beginning one (1) year after filing of this proposed Final Judgment, as to any ABI-Owned Distributor that has rights to distribute Modelo Brand Beer in the Territory, the Acquirer shall have the right, upon sixty (60) days notice to ABI, to direct the ABI-Owned Distributor to sell those rights to another Distributor identified by Acquirer, subject to the terms for such sales set forth in Exhibit D hereto, and incorporated herein. At least thirty (30) days before ABI acquires a majority of the equity interests in any additional Distributors after divestiture of the Divestiture Assets, and such Distributors have rights to distribute Modelo Brand Beer in the Territory, ABI shall notify the Acquirer of any such planned acquisition and the Acquirer shall have thirty (30) days from the date of such notice to provide notice to ABI that the Acquirer intends to exercise the rights outlined in Exhibit D hereto.

 

15


D. If Sellers and the Acquirer enter into any new agreement(s) with each other with respect to the brewing, packaging, production, marketing, importing, distribution, or sale of Beer in the United States or elsewhere, Sellers and the Acquirer shall notify the United States of the new agreement(s) at least sixty (60) calendar days in advance of such agreement(s) becoming effective and such agreement(s) may only be entered into with the approval of the United States in its sole discretion.

VI. APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEE TO EFFECT DIVESTITURE

A. If Sellers have not divested the Divestiture Assets within the time period specified in Section IV.B, Sellers shall notify the United States of that fact in writing. Upon application of the United States, the Court shall appoint a Divestiture Trustee selected by the United States and approved by the Court to divest the Divestiture Assets in a manner consistent with this Final Judgment.

B. After the appointment of a Divestiture Trustee becomes effective, only the Divestiture Trustee shall have the right to sell the Divestiture Assets. The Divestiture Trustee shall have the power and authority to accomplish the divestiture to an Acquirer acceptable to the United States at such price and on such terms as are then obtainable upon reasonable effort by the Divestiture Trustee, subject to the provisions of Sections IV, V, VI, and VII of this Final Judgment, and shall have such other powers as this Court deems appropriate.

C. Subject to Section VI.E of this Final Judgment, the Divestiture Trustee may hire at the cost and expense of Sellers any investment bankers, attorneys, or other agents, who shall be solely accountable to the Divestiture Trustee, reasonably necessary in the Divestiture Trustee’s judgment to assist in the divestiture.

D. Defendants shall not object to a sale by the Divestiture Trustee on any ground other than the Divestiture Trustee’s malfeasance. Any such objections by Defendants must be conveyed in writing to the United States and the Divestiture Trustee within ten (10) calendar days after the Divestiture Trustee has provided the notice required under Section VII.A.

 

16


E. The Divestiture Trustee shall serve at the cost and expense of Sellers, pursuant to a written agreement with Sellers on such terms and conditions as the United States approves, and shall account for all monies derived from the sale of the assets sold by the Divestiture Trustee and all costs and expenses so incurred. After approval by the Court of the Divestiture Trustee’s accounting, including fees for its services and those of any professionals and agents retained by the Divestiture Trustee, all remaining money shall be paid to Sellers and the trust shall then be terminated. The compensation of the Divestiture Trustee and any professionals and agents retained by the Divestiture Trustee shall be reasonable in light of the value of the Divestiture Assets and based on a fee arrangement providing the Divestiture Trustee with an incentive based on the price and terms of the divestiture and the speed with which it is accomplished, but timeliness is paramount.

F. Defendants shall use their best efforts to assist the Divestiture Trustee in accomplishing the required divestiture. The Divestiture Trustee and any consultants, accountants, attorneys, and other persons retained by the Divestiture Trustee shall have full and complete access to the personnel, books, records, and facilities of the business to be divested, and Defendants shall develop financial and other information relevant to such business as the Divestiture Trustee may reasonably request, subject to reasonable protection for trade secret or other confidential research, development, or commercial information. Defendants shall take no action to interfere with or to impede the Divestiture Trustee’s accomplishment of the divestiture.

G. After its appointment, the Divestiture Trustee shall file monthly reports with the United States and the Court setting forth the Divestiture Trustee’s efforts to accomplish the

 

17


divestiture ordered under this Final Judgment. To the extent such reports contain information that the Divestiture Trustee deems confidential, such reports shall not be filed in the public docket of the Court. Such reports shall include the name, address, and telephone number of each person who, during the preceding month, made an offer to acquire, expressed an interest in acquiring, entered into negotiations to acquire, or was contacted or made an inquiry about acquiring the Divestiture Assets, and shall describe in detail each contact with any such person. The Divestiture Trustee shall maintain full records of all efforts made to divest the Divestiture Assets.

H. If the Divestiture Trustee has not accomplished the divestiture ordered under this Final Judgment within six (6) months after its appointment, the Divestiture Trustee shall promptly file with the Court a report setting forth (1) the Divestiture Trustee’s efforts to accomplish the required divestiture, (2) the reasons, in the Divestiture Trustee’s judgment, why the required divestiture has not been accomplished, and (3) the Divestiture Trustee’s recommendations. To the extent such reports contain information that the Divestiture Trustee deems confidential, such reports shall not be filed in the public docket of the Court. The Divestiture Trustee shall at the same time furnish such report to the Defendants and to the United States, which shall have the right to make additional recommendations consistent with the purpose of the trust. The Court thereafter shall enter such orders as it shall deem appropriate to carry out the purpose of the Final Judgment, which may, if necessary, include extending the trust and the term of the Divestiture Trustee’s appointment by a period requested by the United States.

VII. NOTICE OF PROPOSED DIVESTITURE

A. Within two (2) business days following execution of a definitive divestiture agreement with an Acquirer other than Constellation, the Defendants or the Divestiture Trustee, whichever is then responsible for effecting the divestiture required herein, shall notify the United

 

18


States of any proposed divestiture required by Section IV of this Final Judgment. If the Divestiture Trustee is responsible, it shall similarly notify Defendants. The notice shall set forth the details of the proposed divestiture and list the name, address, and telephone number of each person who offered or expressed an interest in or desire to acquire any ownership interest in the Divestiture Assets or, in the case of the Divestiture Trustee, any update of the information required to be provided under Section VI.G above.

B. Within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt by the United States of such notice, the United States may request from Defendants, the proposed Acquirer, any other third party, or the Divestiture Trustee if applicable, additional information concerning the proposed divestiture, the proposed Acquirer, and any other potential Acquirer. Defendants and the Divestiture Trustee shall furnish any additional information requested within fifteen (15) calendar days of the receipt of the request, unless the parties shall otherwise agree.

C. Within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of the notice or within twenty (20) calendar days after the United States has been provided the additional information requested from Defendants, the proposed Acquirer, any third party, and the Divestiture Trustee, whichever is later, the United States shall provide written notice to Defendants and the Divestiture Trustee, stating whether or not it objects to the proposed divestiture. If the United States provides written notice that it does not object, the divestiture may be consummated, subject only to Defendants’ limited right to object to the sale under Section VI.D of this Final Judgment. Absent written notice that the United States does not object to the proposed Acquirer or upon objection by the United States, a divestiture proposed under Section VI shall not be consummated. Upon objection by Defendants under Section VI.D, a divestiture proposed under Section VI shall not be consummated unless approved by the Court.

 

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VIII. MONITORING TRUSTEE

A. Upon the filing of this Final Judgment, the United States may, in its sole discretion, appoint a Monitoring Trustee, subject to approval by the Court.

B. The Monitoring Trustee shall have the power and authority to monitor Defendants’ compliance with the terms of this Final Judgment and the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order entered by this Court, and shall have such powers as this Court deems appropriate. The Monitoring Trustee shall be required to investigate and report on the Defendants’ compliance with this Final Judgment and the Defendants’ progress toward effectuating the purposes of this Final Judgment, including but not limited to:

 

  1. the attainment of the construction milestones by the Acquirer as set forth in Section V.A, the reasons for any failure to meet such milestones, and recommended remedies for any such failure;

 

  2. any breach or other problem that arises under the Transition Services Agreement, Interim Supply Agreement, or other agreement between Sellers and Acquirer that may affect the accomplishment of the purposes of this Final Judgment, the reasons for such breach or problem, and recommended remedies therefor; and

 

  3. any breach or other concern regarding the accuracy of the representations made by ABI in sections 3.25 and 3.26 of the Stock Purchase Agreement, incorporated herein, or successor agreements thereto, and by Modelo in the Letter of Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V., incorporated herein as Exhibit C, and recommended remedies therefor.

C. Subject to Section VIII.E of this Final Judgment, the Monitoring Trustee may hire at the cost and expense of ABI, any consultants, accountants, attorneys, or other persons, who shall be solely accountable to the Monitoring Trustee, reasonably necessary in the Monitoring Trustee’s judgment.

 

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D. Defendants shall not object to actions taken by the Monitoring Trustee in fulfillment of the Monitoring Trustee’s responsibilities under any Order of this Court on any ground other than the Monitoring Trustee’s malfeasance. Any such objections by Defendants must be conveyed in writing to the United States and the Monitoring Trustee within ten (10) calendar days after the action taken by the Monitoring Trustee giving rise to the Defendants’ objection.

E. The Monitoring Trustee shall serve at the cost and expense of ABI on such terms and conditions as the United States approves. The compensation of the Monitoring Trustee and any consultants, accountants, attorneys, and other persons retained by the Monitoring Trustee shall be on reasonable and customary terms commensurate with the individuals’ experience and responsibilities. The Monitoring Trustee shall, within three (3) business days of hiring any consultants, accountants, attorneys, or other persons, provide written notice of such hiring and the rate of compensation to ABI.

F. The Monitoring Trustee shall have no responsibility or obligation for the operation of Defendants’ businesses.

G. Defendants shall use their best efforts to assist the Monitoring Trustee in monitoring Defendants’ compliance with their individual obligations under this Final Judgment and under the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order. The Monitoring Trustee and any consultants, accountants, attorneys, and other persons retained by the Monitoring Trustee shall have full and complete access to the personnel, books, records, and facilities relating to compliance with this Final Judgment, subject to reasonable protection for trade secret or other

 

21


confidential research, development, or commercial information or any applicable privileges. Defendants shall take no action to interfere with or to impede the Monitoring Trustee’s accomplishment of its responsibilities.

H. After its appointment, the Monitoring Trustee shall file reports every ninety (90) days, or more frequently as needed, with the United States, the Defendants and the Court setting forth the Defendants’ efforts to comply with their individual obligations under this Final Judgment and under the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order. To the extent such reports contain information that the trustee deems confidential, such reports shall not be filed in the public docket of the Court.

I. The Monitoring Trustee shall serve until the divestiture of all the Divestiture Assets is finalized pursuant to either Section IV or Section VI of this Final Judgment and the Transition Services Agreement and the Interim Supply Agreement have expired and all other relief has been completed as defined in Section V.A.

IX. FINANCING

Sellers shall not finance all or any part of any purchase made pursuant to Section IV or VI of this Final Judgment.

X. HOLD SEPARATE

Until the divestiture required by this Final Judgment has been accomplished, Defendants shall take all steps necessary to comply with the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order entered by this Court. Defendants shall take no action that would jeopardize the divestiture ordered by this Court.

XI. AFFIDAVITS

A. Within twenty (20) calendar days of the filing of this proposed Final Judgment, and every thirty (30) calendar days thereafter until the divestiture has been completed under

 

22


Section IV or VI, each Seller shall deliver to the United States an affidavit as to the fact and manner of its compliance with Section IV or VI of this Final Judgment. Each such affidavit shall include the name, address, and telephone number of each person who, during the preceding thirty (30) calendar days, made an offer to acquire, expressed an interest in acquiring, entered into negotiations to acquire, or was contacted or made an inquiry about acquiring, any interest in the Divestiture Assets, and shall describe in detail each contact with any such person during that period. Each such affidavit shall also include a description of the efforts Sellers have taken to solicit buyers for the Divestiture Assets, and to provide required information to prospective Acquirers, including the limitations, if any, on such information. Assuming the information set forth in the affidavit is true and complete, any objection by the United States to information provided by Sellers, including limitation on information, shall be made within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of such affidavit.

B. Within twenty (20) calendar days of the filing of this proposed Final Judgment, each Defendant shall deliver to the United States an affidavit that describes in reasonable detail all actions it has taken and all steps it has implemented on an ongoing basis to comply with Section X of this Final Judgment. Each Defendant shall deliver to the United States an affidavit describing any changes to the efforts and actions outlined in its earlier affidavits filed pursuant to this section within fifteen (15) calendar days after the change is implemented.

C. Defendants shall keep all records of all efforts made to preserve and divest the Divestiture Assets until one year after such divestiture has been completed.

XII. NOTIFICATION OF FUTURE TRANSACTIONS

A. Unless such transaction is otherwise subject to the reporting and waiting period requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, 15

 

23


U.S.C. § 18a (the “HSR Act”), ABI, without providing at least sixty (60) calendar days advance notification to the United States, shall not directly or indirectly acquire or license a Covered Interest in or from a Covered Entity; provided, however, that advance notification shall not be required for acquisitions of the type addressed in 16 C.F.R. §§ 802.1 and 802.9.

B. Any notification pursuant to Section XII.A above shall be provided to the United States in letter format, and shall identify the parties to the transaction, the assets being acquired or licensed, the value of the transaction, the seller’s annual gross revenue from each brand or asset being acquired, and the identity of the current importer for any Beer being acquired that is brewed outside the United States.

C. All references to the HSR Act in this Final Judgment refer to the HSR Act as it exists at the time of the transaction or agreement and incorporate any subsequent amendments to the Act.

XIII. FIREWALL

A. During the term of the Transition Services Agreement and the Interim Supply Agreement, Sellers shall implement and maintain reasonable procedures to prevent Acquirer Confidential Information from being disclosed by or through Sellers to those of Sellers’ affiliates who are involved in the marketing, distribution, or sale of Beer in the United States, or to any other person who does not have a need to know the information.

B. Sellers shall, within ten (10) business days of the entry of the Hold Separate Stipulation and Order, submit to the United States a document setting forth in detail the procedures implemented to effect compliance with Section XIII.A of this Final Judgment. The United States shall notify Sellers within five (5) business days whether it approves of or rejects Sellers’ compliance plan, in its sole discretion. In the event that Sellers’ compliance plan is rejected, the reasons for the rejection shall be provided to Sellers and Sellers shall be given the

 

24


opportunity to submit, within ten (10) business days of receiving the notice of rejection, a revised compliance plan. If the parties cannot agree on a compliance plan, the United States shall have the right to request that the Court rule on whether Sellers’ proposed compliance plan is reasonable.

C. Defendants may at any time submit to the United States evidence relating to the actual operation of the firewall in support of a request to modify the firewall set forth in this Section XIII. In determining whether it would be appropriate for the United States to consent to modify the firewall, the United States, in its sole discretion, shall consider the need to protect Acquirer Confidential Information and the impact the firewall has had on Sellers’ ability to efficiently provide services, supplies and products under the Transition Services Agreement and the Interim Supply Agreement.

D. Sellers and the Acquirer shall:

 

  1. furnish a copy of this Final Judgment and related Competitive Impact Statement within sixty (60) days of entry of the Final Judgment to (a) each officer, director, and any other employee that will receive Acquirer Confidential Information; (b) each officer, director, and any other employee that is involved in (i) any contact with the other companies that are parties to the Transition Services Agreement and Interim Supply Agreement, (ii) making decisions under the Transition Services Agreement or the Interim Supply Agreement, (iii) making decisions regarding ABI’s Distributor Incentive Programs, or (iv) making decisions regarding the treatment of Crown by either ABI-Owned Distributors, or by any other Distributor in which ABI acquires a majority interest after the date of the divestiture contemplated herein; and (c) any successor to a person designated in Section XIII.D.1(a) or (b);

 

25


  2. annually brief each person designated in Section XIII.D.1 on the meaning and requirements of this Final Judgment and the antitrust laws; and

 

  3. obtain from each person designated in Section XIII.D.1, within sixty (60) days of that person’s receipt of the Final Judgment, a certification that he or she (i) has read and, to the best of his or her ability, understands and agrees to abide by the terms of this Final Judgment; (ii) is not aware of any violation of the Final Judgment that has not been reported to the company; and (iii) understands that any person’s failure to comply with this Final Judgment may result in an enforcement action for civil or criminal contempt of court against each Defendant and/or any person who violates this Final Judgment.

XIV. COMPLIANCE INSPECTION

A. For the purposes of determining or securing compliance with this Final Judgment, or of determining whether the Final Judgment should be modified or vacated, and subject to any legally recognized privilege, from time to time authorized representatives of the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division (“Antitrust Division”), including consultants and other persons retained by the United States, shall, upon written request of an authorized representative of the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division, and on reasonable notice to Defendants, be permitted:

 

  1. access during Defendants’ office hours to inspect and copy, or at the option of the United States, to require Defendants to provide hard copy or electronic copies of, all books, ledgers, accounts, records, data, and documents in the possession, custody, or control of Defendants, relating to any matters contained in this Final Judgment; and

 

26


  2. to interview, either informally or on the record, Defendants’ officers, employees, or agents, who may have their individual counsel present, regarding such matters. The interviews shall be subject to the reasonable convenience of the interviewee and without restraint or interference by Defendants.

B. Upon the written request of an authorized representative of the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division, Defendants shall submit written reports or respond to written interrogatories, under oath if requested, relating to any of the matters contained in this Final Judgment as may be requested. Written reports authorized under this paragraph may, at the sole discretion of the United States, require Defendants to conduct, at Defendants’ cost, an independent audit or analysis relating to any of the matters contained in this Final Judgment.

C. No information or documents obtained by the means provided in this section shall be divulged by the United States to any person other than an authorized representative of the executive branch of the United States, except in the course of legal proceedings to which the United States is a party (including grand jury proceedings), or for the purpose of securing compliance with this Final Judgment, or as otherwise required by law.

D. If at the time information or documents are furnished by Defendants to the United States, Defendants represent and identify in writing the material in any such information or documents to which a claim of protection may be asserted under the Protective Order, then the United States shall give Defendants ten (10) calendar days notice prior to divulging such material in any legal proceeding (other than a grand jury proceeding).

 

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XV. NO REACQUISITION

Sellers may not reacquire any part of the Divestiture Assets during the term of this Final Judgment.

XVI. BANKRUPTCY

The failure of any party to the Sub-License Agreement to perform any remaining obligations of such party under the Sub-License Agreement shall not excuse performance by the other party of its obligations thereunder. Accordingly, for purposes of Section 365(n) of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, as amended, and codified as 11 U.S.C. §§ 101 et. seq. (the “Bankruptcy Code”) or any analogous provision under any law of any foreign or domestic, federal, state, provincial, local, municipal or other governmental jurisdiction relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization (“Foreign Bankruptcy Law”), (a) the Sub-License Agreement will not be deemed to be an executory contract, and (b) if for any reason the Sub-License Agreement is deemed to be an executory contract, the licenses granted under the Sub-License Agreement shall be deemed to be licenses to rights in “intellectual property” as defined in Section 101 of the Bankruptcy Code or any analogous provision of Foreign Bankruptcy Law and Constellation or any other Acquirer shall be protected in the continued enjoyment of its right under the Sub-License Agreement including, without limitation, if Constellation or another Acquirer so elects, the protection conferred upon licensees under 11 U.S.C. Section 365(n) of the Bankruptcy Code or any analogous provision of Foreign Bankruptcy Law.

XVII. RETENTION OF JURISDICTION

This Court retains jurisdiction to enable any party to this Final Judgment to apply to this Court at any time for further orders and directions as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out or construe this Final Judgment, to modify any of its provisions, to ensure and enforce compliance, and to punish violations of its provisions.

 

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XVIII. EXPIRATION OF FINAL JUDGMENT

Unless this Court grants an extension, this Final Judgment shall expire ten (10) years from the date of its entry.

XIX. PUBLIC INTEREST DETERMINATION

Entry of this Final Judgment is in the public interest. The parties have complied with the requirements of the Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. § 16, including making copies available to the public of this Final Judgment, the Competitive Impact Statement, and any comments thereon and the United States’ responses to comments. Based upon the record before the Court, which includes the Competitive Impact Statement and any comments and response to comments filed with the Court, entry of this Final Judgment is in the public interest.

 

Date: 10/21/13    
      Court approval subject to procedures of the Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, 15 U.S.C. § 16.
     

/s/ Richard W. Roberts

     

United States District Judge

 

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EXHIBIT B

Aeromodelo, S.A. de C.V.

Bodegas Alprosa, S.A. de C.V.

Club de Base Ball Obregon, S.A. de C.V.

Comercio y Distribución Modelo, S. de R.L. en C.V.

Compañía Cervecera de Colima, S. A. de C.V.

Desarrollo Inmobiliario Siglo XXI, S.A.de C.V.

Espectáculos Costa del Pacifico, S.A. de C.V.

Extrade, S.A. de C.V.

Extraser, S.A. de C.V.

Industria del Campo, S.A. de C.V.

Inmobiliaria Exmod, S.A. de C.V.

Intregrow Malt, LLC

Promotora Deportiva y Cultural de la Laguna, S.A. de C.V.

Promotora Deportiva y Cultural de Zacatecas, S.A. de C.V.

Promotora e Inmobiliaria Cuyd, S.A. de C.V.

Rancho Cermo, S.A de C.V.

Santos Laguna, S.A. de C.V.

Seguridad Privada Modelo, S. A. de C. V.

Servicios de Personal Modelo, S.A. de C.V.

Territorio Santos Modelo, S.A. de C.V.

Tiendas Extra, S.A. de C.V.


EXHIBIT C

[GRUPO MODELO, S.A.B. DE C.V. Letterhead]

April 17, 2013

U.S. v. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, et al.. No. 13-00127-RWR

Dear Mary:

At the request of the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice, Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V. (“Grupo Modelo”), in connection with the above­captioned action, hereby represents as follows:

 

   

Future Expansion . Grupo Modelo is not aware at this time of any material impediment (physical, legal, regulatory or otherwise) to the expansion of the Piedras Negras plant to operate at a nominal capacity of thirty million (30,000,000) hectoliters of beer per annum (assuming that sufficient capital expenditures shall have been made and necessary permits shall have been sought).

 

   

Proprietary Inputs . With the exception of yeast and recipes, there are no proprietary inputs required to operate the Piedras Negras plant.

 

   

Sufficiency . Grupo Modelo is not aware at this time of any additional assets beyond the Divestiture Assets (as that term is defined in the proposed Final Judgment) that would need to be transferred to Constellation Brands, Inc. (“Constellation”) in order to operate the Piedras Negras plant.

The Divestiture Assets include all of the assets, properties and rights owned by Grupo Modelo that Constellation would need to obtain from Grupo Modelo in order to import, distribute, market and sell the Modelo Beer Brands (as that term is defined in the proposed Final Judgment) in the U.S. through Crown Imports LLC. This representation will be effective until the Monitoring Trustee’s services, shall have been terminated pursuant to Section IIX.I. of the proposed Final Judgment.

JAVIER BARROS SIERRA NO. 555  *  PISO 6  *  COLONIA SANTA FÉ.  *  01210 MÉXICO, D. F

TEL.: 22-66-00-00        FAX: 22-66-42-92 Y 22-66-00-00        www.gmodelo.com.mx


   

Employees. At this time, all employees who spend substantially all of their time working at the Piedras Negras plant are employed by Servicios Modelo de Coahuila, S.A. de C.V., except for the employees of independent contractors who perform job functions not directly related to the production of beer at the Piedras Negras plant, including but not limited to gardening, cleaning and medical services.

 

Sincerely,
GRUPO MODELO, S.A.B DE C.V.
By:  

    /s/ Carlos Fernandez

  Name: Carlos Fernandez
  Title: CEO

Mary Strimel, Esq.

        U.S. Department of Justice

            Networks and Technology Enforcement Division

                450 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 7100

                    Washington, D.C. 20530

Exhibit 4.19

EXECUTION COPY

FIRST AMENDMENT TO

AMENDED AND RESTATED

MEMBERSHIP INTEREST PURCHASE AGREEMENT

THIS FIRST AMENDMENT TO AMENDED AND RESTATED MEMBERSHIP INTEREST PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this “ Amendment ”) is made and entered into as of April 19, 2013, and amends that certain Amended and Restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, dated as of February 13, 2013 (the “ Original Execution Date ”), by and among Constellation Beers Ltd. , a Maryland corporation (“ Constellation Beers ”), Constellation Brands Beach Holdings, Inc. , a Delaware corporation (“ CBBH ”), Constellation Brands, Inc. , a Delaware corporation (“ CBI ”), and Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV , a Belgian corporation (“ ABI ”) (the “ Agreement ”).

W I T N E S S E T H

WHEREAS, on July 17, 2006, Diblo, S.A. de C.V., a Mexican sociedad anónima de capital variable (“ Diblo ”), and Constellation Beers (then known as Barton Beers, Ltd.) agreed to establish and engage in a joint venture, Crown Imports LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Importer ”), for the principal purpose of importing, marketing and selling beer packaged in containers bearing one or more of the trademarks belonging to Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C. V., a sociedad anónima bursátil de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico (“ Grupo Modelo ”), or one of its Affiliates;

WHEREAS, GModelo Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a Subsidiary of Grupo Modelo (“ Seller ”), and Constellation Beers are parties to that certain Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Crown Imports LLC, dated as of January 2, 2007 (as amended through June 28, 2012, the “ LLC Agreement ”);

WHEREAS , Seller holds fifty percent (50%) of the limited liability company membership interests (the “ LLC Interests ”) of the Importer (the limited liability company membership interests owned by Seller, the “ Importer Interest ”);

WHEREAS , on February 13, 2013, Constellation Beers, CBBH, CBI and ABI enterered into the Agreement, pursuant to which ABI shall cause Seller to divest, and CBI shall cause Constellation Beers and CBBH to acquire, the Importer Interest; and

WHEREAS , the undersigned, being all of the parties to the Agreement, desire to amend the Agreement as set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, agree to amend the Agreement as follows:

1. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein or in any exhibit attached hereto shall have the meanings given to them in the Agreement.


2. Section 12.5(b)(i) of the Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

(i) If the Seller Parties determine to sell the Entire Importer Interest to the Alternative Purchaser pursuant to a sale under this Section 12.5(b) (such a sale, a “ Participatory Transaction ”), then upon fifteen (15) days’ prior written notice from the Seller Parties (the “ Drag-Along Notice ”), which notice shall include, in reasonable detail, the terms and conditions of the Participatory Transaction, including the time and place of closing and the aggregate purchase price for the Entire Importer Interest, the Buyer Parties shall be obligated to, and shall, on the same terms and conditions specified in the Drag-Along Notice, sell, transfer and deliver, or cause to be sold, transferred and delivered, to the Alternative Purchaser, the CBI Interest in the same transaction at the closing of the Participatory Transaction (and will deliver certificates or assignments for the CBI Interest at such closing, free and clear of all claims, liens and encumbrances subject to customary exceptions); provided that, the Buyer Parties shall only be required to make representations and warranties relating to due organization of Buyer Parties, brokers, non-contravention, title and ownership of, and authority to sell the CBI Interest and shall only be required to provide indemnification to the Alternative Purchaser (which shall be capped at the net cash proceeds received by the Buyer Parties in the transaction and shall be on a pro rata basis with the Seller Parties’ indemnification obligations and subject to any limitations on the Seller Parties’ obligations to indemnify the Alternative Purchaser (including any caps on indemnification obligations)) for breaches of such representations and warranties and any covenants that both the Seller Parties and the Buyer Parties are required to make.

3. Exhibit A to the Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with Exhibit A attached hereto.

4. (a) All references in the Agreement to “the date hereof”, “herein” or “the date of this Agreement” shall refer to the Original Execution Date and (b) the date on which the representations and warranties set forth in Articles IV and V of the Agreement are made by ABI, Constellation Beers, CBBH or CBI shall not change as a result of the execution of this Amendment and shall be made as of such dates as they were in the Agreement, in each of cases (a) and (b), unless expressly indicated otherwise in this Amendment.

5. Except as expressly provided above, all terms and conditions of the Agreement shall remain unchanged and in full force and effect.

6. THIS AMENDMENT SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE MADE IN AND IN ALL RESPECTS SHALL BE INTERPRETED, CONSTRUED AND GOVERNED BY AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICTS OF LAW PRINCIPLES THEREOF TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH PRINCIPLES WOULD DIRECT A MATTER TO ANOTHER JURISDICTION. The parties hereby irrevocably submit to the personal jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware and the Federal courts of the United States of America located in the State of Delaware solely in respect of the interpretation and enforcement of the provisions of this Amendment, and in respect

 

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of the transactions contemplated hereby, and hereby waive, and agree not to assert, as a defense in any action, suit or Proceeding for the interpretation or enforcement hereof, that it is not subject thereto or that such action, suit or Proceeding may not be brought or is not maintainable in said courts or that the venue thereof may not be appropriate or that this Amendment may not be enforced in or by such courts, and the parties hereto irrevocably agree that all claims relating to such action, Proceeding or transactions shall be heard and determined in such a Delaware State or Federal court. The parties hereby consent to and grant any such court jurisdiction over the person of such parties and, to the extent permitted by Law, over the subject matter of such dispute and agree that mailing of process or other papers in connection with any such action or Proceeding in the manner provided in Section 14.3 of the Agreement or in such other manner as may be permitted by Law shall be valid and sufficient service thereof.

7. EACH PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AMENDMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND THEREFORE EACH SUCH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT SUCH PARTY MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AMENDMENT, OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AMENDMENT. EACH PARTY CERTIFIES AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT (i) NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER, (ii) EACH PARTY UNDERSTANDS AND HAS CONSIDERED THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS WAIVER, (iii) EACH PARTY MAKES THIS WAIVER VOLUNTARILY AND (iv) EACH PARTY HAS BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AMENDMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS PARAGRAPH 4.

8. This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which, taken together, shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. This Amendment may be executed by facsimile signature.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties hereto have duly caused this Amendment to be executed, as an instrument under seal, as of the date first above written.

 

CONSTELLATION BEERS LTD.
By:  

/s/ Thomas J. Mullin

Name:   Thomas J. Mullin
Title:   Executive Vice President
CONSTELLATION BRANDS BEACH HOLDINGS, INC.
By:  

/s/ Perry R. Humphrey

Name:   Perry R. Humphrey
Title:   Vice President
CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC.
By:  

/s/ Thomas J. Mullin

Name:   Thomas J. Mullin
Title:   Executive Vice President
ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV SA/NV
By:  

/s/ A. Randon

Name:   A. Randon
Title:   V.P. Control
By:  

/s/ Benoit Loore

Name:   Benoit Loore
Title:   V.P. Legal Corporate & Compliance

[ Signature Page to First Amendment to Amended and Restated Membership Interest Purchase Agreement ]

CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED BY ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV SA/NV

[****] Indicates that certain information contained herein has been

omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Confidential treatment has been requested with respect to the omitted portions

Exhibit 4.20

EXECUTION COPY

FIRST AMENDMENT TO

STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT

THIS FIRST AMENDMENT TO STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT (this “ Amendment ”) is made and entered into as of April 19, 2013, and amends that certain Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of February 13, 2013 (the “ Original Execution Date ”), between Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV , a public company organized under the laws of Belgium (“ ABI ”), and Constellation Brands, Inc. , a Delaware corporation (“ CBI ”) (the “ Agreement ”).

W I T N E S S E T H

WHEREAS , pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, ABI has agreed, among other things, to cause all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of (i) Compañia Cervecera de Coahuila, S.A. de C.V., a sociedad anónima de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico and (ii) all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Servicios Modelo de Coahuila, S.A. de C.V., a sociedad anónima de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico, in each case, to be sold to CBI or one of its designees; and

WHEREAS , the undersigned, being all of the parties to the Agreement, desire to amend the Agreement as set forth herein.

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the premises and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, agree to amend the Agreement as follows:

1. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein or in any annex or exhibit attached hereto shall have the meanings given to them in the Agreement.

2. The definition of Future Expansion in Section 9.1 of the Agreement is hereby amended to change the phrase “brew and bottle” to “brew and package”.

3. Section 3.26 of the Agreement is hereby amended, by appending the following representation and warranty to the end of that section (with such representation and warranty being made as of the date of this Amendment):

To the Knowledge of ABI and as of the date hereof, there are no material impediments (physical, legal, regulatory, or otherwise) to the expansion of the Piedras Negras Plant to brew and package a nominal capacity of thirty million (30,000,000) hectoliters of Beer per annum.

4. Section 4.8 of the Agreement is hereby amended to change the reference from “ABI’s existing credit facilities” to “CBI’s existing credit facilities”, in the third-to-last sentence of that section.


5. Section 5.7 of the Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

5.7 Intentionally Omitted.

6. Section 5.16 of the Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

5.16 Employee Matters

(a) In the event that CBI desires to hire, or desires to cause the CCC Company, the Servicios Company, or any of CBI’s Affiliates to hire within one hundred eighty (180) days following the Closing Date, any independent contractor of the CCC Company or an employee or independent contractor of Grupo Modelo or any of its Subsidiaries other than those employees or independent contractors set forth on Annex A hereto, then ABI shall not, and ABI shall cause its Affiliates, Grupo Modelo and each Grupo Modelo Affiliate not to interfere with any negotiations relating to the hiring of such an employee. For purposes of this Section 5.16(a) , interference includes enforcement of any non-compete clause, offers to increase compensation or other benefits (other than Grupo Modelo broadly-offered increases).

(b) CBI shall not and shall not permit its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, hire, solicit or encourage to leave the employment of ABI or any of its Affiliates any employee necessary to and actually providing transition services under the Transition Services Agreement with whom CBI, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their Representatives come into contact with in connection with receiving such transition services; provided , however , that the foregoing provision shall not apply to employees terminated by ABI or its Affiliate or general advertisements or solicitations that are not specifically targeted at such persons.

(c) ABI shall not and shall not permit its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, hire, solicit or encourage to leave the employment of, any employee of any of the Companies; provided , however , that the foregoing provision shall not apply to employees terminated by any of the Companies or general advertisements or solicitations that are not specifically targeted at such persons.

7. Exhibit A to the Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with Exhibit A attached hereto.

8. Exhibit B to the Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with Exhibit B attached hereto.

9. An Annex A is hereby added to the Agreement in the form of Annex A attached hereto.

 

  10. (a) All references in the Agreement to “the date hereof”, “herein” or “the date of this Agreement” shall refer to the Original Execution Date and (b) the date on which the representations and warranties set forth in Articles III and IV of the Agreement are made by ABI or CBI shall not change as a result of the execution of this Amendment and shall be made as of such dates as they were in the Agreement, in each of cases (a) and (b), unless expressly indicated otherwise in this Amendment.

 

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11. Except as expressly provided above, all terms and conditions of the Agreement shall remain unchanged and in full force and effect.

12. This Amendment shall be governed by, enforced pursuant with and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the conflict of laws principles, to the extent such principles are not mandatorily applicable by statute and would require or permit the application of the laws of another jurisdiction. Each party hereto hereby waives, to the extent permitted by Law, all jurisdictional defenses, objections as to venue and any rights to appeal, review or nullify such award by any court or tribunal. Each of the parties hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of any court of competent jurisdiction in any Federal or State Court in the City of New York, County of New York, in any action, suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Amendment and the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court with respect to the enforcement of any award thereunder.

13. This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which, taken together, shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. This Amendment may be executed by facsimile signature.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties have duly executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV SA/NV
By:   /s/ A. Randon
Name:   A. Randon
Title:   V.P. Control
By:   /s/ Benoit Loore
Name:   Benoit Loore
Title:   V.P. Legal Corporate & Compliance
CONSTELLATION BRANDS, INC.
By:   /s/ Thomas J. Mullin
Name:   Thomas J. Mullin
Title:   Executive Vice President

[ Signature Page to First Amendment to Stock Purchase Agreement ]


EXHIBIT A

FORM OF LICENSE AGREEMENT


EXHIBIT A

TO FIRST AMENDMENT TO STOCK PURCHASE AGREEMENT

AMENDED AND RESTATED SUB-LICENSE AGREEMENT

BETWEEN

MARCAS MODELO, S.A. DE C.V.

AND

CONSTELLATION BEERS LTD.

DATED:             , 2013


AMENDED AND RESTATED SUB-LICENSE AGREEMENT

This Amended and Restated Sub-license Agreement (“ Agreement ”), dated this             day of             , 2013, is by and between Marcas Modelo, S.A. de C.V., a sociedad anónima de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico (“ Marcas Modelo ”), and Constellation Beers Ltd., a Maryland corporation (“ Constellation Beers ”), and amends and replaces, in its entirety, that certain Sublicense Agreement dated the 2nd day of January, 2007, as subsequently amended (the “ Original Agreement ”) by and between Marcas Modelo and Crown Imports LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ Crown ”).

WITNESSETH:

WHEREAS , on July 17, 2006, Diblo, S.A. de C.V., a Mexican variable stock corporation, and Barton Beers, Ltd., a Maryland corporation (“ Barton ”), agreed to establish and engage in a joint venture for the principal purpose of importing, marketing and selling Product (as defined below), and, in connection therewith, on January 2, 2007, caused Crown to be formed and Crown and Extrade II, S.A. de C.V., a sociedad anónima de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico (“ Extrade II ”) to enter into the Original Agreement;

WHEREAS , on February 4, 2009, Barton changed its name to Constellation Beers Ltd.;

WHEREAS , on June 28, 2012, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (“ ABI ”), Constellation Brands, Inc. (“ Constellation ”), Constellation Beers and Constellation Brands Beach Holdings, Inc. (“ Beach Holdings ”) entered into that certain Membership Interest Purchase Agreement (the “ Membership Interest Purchase Agreement ”), pursuant to which ABI and Constellation agreed, inter alia , to amend and restate the Original Agreement;

WHEREAS , on [ ], 2013, ABI, Constellation, Constellation Beers and Beach Holdings amended the Membership Interest Purchase Agreement to provide for the amendment and restatement of the Original Agreement as set forth herein;

WHEREAS , on [ ] 2013, ABI and CBI have entered into that certain Stock Purchase Agreement (the “ Brewery SPA ”), pursuant to which CBI agreed to purchase, or cause to be purchased by its designee(s), all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Compañia Cervecera de Coahuila, S.A. de C.V., a sociedad anónima de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico, and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of Servicios Modelo de Coahuila, S.A. de C.V., a sociedad anónima de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico;

WHEREAS , pursuant to the Interim Supply Agreement (as defined below), beginning on the date hereof, Grupo Modelo (defined below) will supply to Crown Interim Products (as defined below);

WHEREAS , substantially contemporaneously with the execution of this Agreement, Constellation Beers or its assignee intends to sublicense directly or indirectly certain rights provided by this Agreement to Crown (the “ Crown Sub-License ”);

 

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WHEREAS , for United States federal income tax purposes, Marcas Modelo and Constellation Beers intend to treat the execution of this Agreement together with the Crown Sub-License as a sale by Marcas Modelo of its rights and responsibilities under the Original Agreement, together with such other rights and responsibilities as are further described in this Agreement, to Constellation Beers in exchange for all or a portion of the payments provided for in that certain Brewery SPA, dated as of February     , 2013, by and between ABI and Constellation; and

WHEREAS , it is the intent of the parties that Constellation Beers shall have the right to make, and have made Importer Products (as defined below), pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and Marcas Modelo agrees to grant Constellation Beers the rights set forth herein with respect thereto.

NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the payment as provided for in that certain Brewery SPA, dated as of February     , 2013, by and between ABI and Constellation, and those covenants and promises contained herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

1.1 For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings set forth below:

ABI ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Recitals.

Abandoned Trademarks ” means those trademarks evidenced by the trademark applications and registrations described in Exhibit A to this Agreement.

Additional Trademarks ” means those trademarks evidenced by the trademark applications and registrations described in Exhibit B to this Agreement, as such Exhibit may be amended or supplemented from time to time in accordance with this Agreement.

Affiliate ” of any Person means any other Person which, directly or indirectly, controls or is controlled by that Person, or is under common control with that Person. For purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meaning, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any Person, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.

Agreement ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Preamble.

Bankruptcy Code ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 9.11 .

Barton ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Recitals.

“Beach Holdings” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Recitals.

 

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Beer ” means beer, ale, porter, stout, malt beverages, and any other versions or combinations of the foregoing, including non-alcoholic versions of any of the foregoing.

Bottle Designs ” means the shape and designs of bottles that bear any Trademark or constitute Trade Dress.

Brand Extension Beer ” means Beer packaged in Containers bearing a Brand Extension Mark.

Brand Extension Mark ” means a Mark that is a derivative of one or more of the Trademarks for use in the marketing, merchandising, promotion, advertisement (including sponsorship activities in connection with the foregoing), licensing, distribution and sale of Mexican-style Beer.

Brand Guidelines ” means the applicable Brand Guidelines for an Interim Product or Importer Product as attached hereto as Exhibit C .

Brewery SPA ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Recitals.

Brewing Territory ” means Mexico; provided , however , if at any time after the date of this Agreement (a) Modelo Group manufacturers or has manufactured on its behalf any Product outside of Mexico (other than as a result of a Force Majeure Event, and in that case, only to the extent of, and for the duration of, such Force Majeure Event), the “Brewing Territory” with respect to such Product shall automatically be deemed to be worldwide (including, for clarity, for purposes of brewing using a high gravity process); and (b) upon occurrence of a Force Majeure Event adversely affecting the capacity of the brewing facilities of Constellation or its Affiliates in Mexico to meet demand for Products, then, for the duration of such Force Majeure Event, the Brewing Territory with respect to Beer produced at such facility shall be worldwide (including, for clarity, for purposes of brewing using a high gravity process).

Business Day ” means any day, other than Saturday, Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in New York, New York, Chicago, Illinois, or Mexico City, Mexico are authorized or obligated by law to close.

Chelada Trademarks ” means those Trademarks evidenced by the trademark registrations and applications described in Exhibit E to this Agreement.

Confidential Information ” means all information and materials regarding the business of either party that are identified in writing by the party to be confidential information or which a party should reasonably believe to be confidential information of a party, including business plans, formulas, know-how, Yeast, financial information, historical financial statements, financial projections and budgets, historical and projected sales, pricing strategies and other pricing information, marketing plans, research and consumer insights, capital spending budgets and plans, the names and backgrounds of key personnel, personnel policies, plans, training techniques and materials, organizational strategies and plans, employment or consulting agreement information, customer agreements and information (including for distributors or retailers), names and terms of arrangements with vendors or suppliers, or other similar information, all of which includes all non-public data, information and materials delivered to

 

4


Marcas Modelo or Grupo Modelo pursuant to the inspection rights set forth herein, including Sections 3.6, 3.7 and 3.8 , whether or not marked as or otherwise reasonably believed to be confidential. Inadvertent failure to identify information as confidential, may be corrected by the producing person by written notice to the other party, and once confidential information has been identified as Confidential Information by a party, failure to do so in all communications containing that information shall not cause the information to be treated in a non-confidential manner. “ Confidential Information ” does not include, however, information which (a) is or becomes generally available to the public other than as a result of a breach by the receiving party or its Affiliates of its obligations of confidentiality and non-use set forth herein, (b) was available to the receiving party or its Affiliates on a non-confidential basis prior to its disclosure by the disclosing party, or (c) becomes available to the receiving party on a non-confidential basis from a person other than Constellation Beers or any of its Affiliates.

Confidentiality Agreement ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 9.6 .

confusingly similar” (or “ likely to cause confusion ”) means, with respect to any use of a Mark or elements of trade dress that are protectable under applicable law, that such use would be determined to give rise to a likelihood of confusion pursuant to federal trademark law as interpreted and applied in the federal courts in the State of New York.

Constellation ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Recitals.

“Constellation Beers” shall have the meaning assigned to that term in the Preamble, and shall include any assign of Constellation Beers permitted under Section 9.1 of this Agreement.

Constellation Beers Indemnitees ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 5.2 .

Container ” means the bottle, can, keg or similar receptacle in which the Beer is directly placed.

“Crown” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Preamble.

Crown Sub-License ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Recitals.

Crown Trademarks ” means those Trademarks evidenced by the following trademark registration numbers 3,584,879 (Crown Imports) and 3,581,601 (Crown Imports and Design).

Damages ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 5.1 .

Disagreement Notice ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 3.10(b) .

Eligible Supplier ” means a Person, other than Constellation Beers and Grupo Modelo, that is capable of manufacturing Importer Products in a manner that meets or exceeds the Quality Standards.

Extrade II ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Recitals.

 

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Force Majeure Event ” means events or circumstances beyond the reasonable control of a party that significantly interfere with such party’s ability to manufacture Product at any brewing facility or deliver the Products to the Territory such as such events or circumstances arising from acts of God, strikes, lockouts or industrial disputes or disturbances, changes in law or governmental regulations, any taking or pending taking in condemnation or under the right of eminent domain or similar right, acts of civil or military authorities, civil disturbances, arrests or restraint from rulers or people, wars, acts of terrorism, riots, blockades, insurrections, epidemics, blights, plagues, landslides, lightning, earthquakes, fire, storm, weather, floods, washouts, explosions, strikes, the inability to obtain raw materials, the malfunction or breakdown of any machinery or equipment, the failure or malfunction of any utilities, telecommunications systems or common carriers, any labor, material or fuel shortages, or other physical supply or distribution constraints.

Foreign Bankruptcy Law ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 9.11 .

Grupo Modelo ” means Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V., a sociedad anónima de capital variable organized under the laws of Mexico, and its Subsidiaries, or any of them.

Importer Product ” means Product or Brand Extension Beer produced in the Brewing Territory by Constellation Beers or on behalf of Constellation Beers or an Affiliate of Constellation Beers by a Supplier pursuant to a Supply Agreement, in each case, solely for import, distribution and sale, including resale, by Constellation Beers in the Territory.

Interim Product ” means Product supplied to Constellation Beers pursuant to the Interim Supply Agreement.

Interim Supply Agreement ” means that certain Interim Supply Agreement dated as of [ ] by and between Grupo Modelo, S.A.B de C.V., and Crown.

law ”, unless otherwise expressly stated in this Agreement, includes statutes, regulations, decrees, ordinances and other governmental requirements, whether federal, state, local or of other authority.

Liability Insurance ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 5.3 .

Licensed Copyrights ” means all copyrights owned by either Constellation Beers or its Affiliates or Grupo Modelo, in each case, in and to Marketing Materials and Secondary Marketing Materials, as applicable.

Licensed Intellectual Property ” means the Licensed Copyrights, Licensed Other IP, Licensed Patents and the Trademarks.

Licensed Other IP ” means any of the following rights, including intellectual property rights, that are owned or controlled by Grupo Modelo existing as of the date of this Agreement or required to be provided pursuant to this Agreement with respect to Interim Products or Importer Products: (a) the Recipes, (b) the trade secrets and know-how (including methods and processes), that are used for formulating, manufacturing, producing and packaging Products including any such rights in and to Yeast, (c) protectable elements of the Trade Dress, and (d) the mold designs that may be protectable that are used in the manufacturing process of Containers for the Products for import, distribution and sale in the Territory.

 

6


Licensed Patents ” means all patents and any pending patent applications, if any, that are (a) owned as of the date of this Agreement by Grupo Modelo entities that are engaged in brewing, bottling or packaging of Products for distribution in the Territory (including divisions, continuations, continuations-in-part, extensions and reissues claiming priority to any of the foregoing patents or patent applications), and (b) practiced as of the date of this Agreement by Grupo Modelo in the formulation, manufacture, production or packaging of Products for distribution in the Territory.

Marcas Modelo ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Preamble.

Marketing Materials ” means sales collateral, promotional materials, advertisements, slogans, taglines, developed by either Constellation Beers or its Affiliates or Grupo Modelo, whether or not works of authorship, registered or unregistered, used in conjunction with the advertising, promotion and marketing of Products in the Territory, provided , however , that “Secondary Marketing Materials” are not included therein.

Marks ” means any and all trademarks, service marks, trade names, taglines, company names, and logos, including unregistered and common-law rights in the foregoing, and rights under registrations of and applications to register the foregoing.

Membership Interest Purchase Agreement ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Recitals.

Mexican-style Beer ” means any Beer bearing the Trademarks that does not bear any trademarks, trade names or trade dress that would reasonably be interpreted to imply to consumers in the Territory an origin other than Mexico.

Modelo Group ” means Grupo Modelo and all Persons that, now or in the future, are related to Grupo Modelo by virtue of Grupo Modelo’s direct or indirect share ownership in such Person, and any Affiliates thereof, and ABI, Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC, Anheuser-Busch International, Inc., Anheuser-Busch International Holdings, LLC, and any of their respective Affiliates.

Modelo Indemnitees ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 5.1 .

Non-Exclusive Trademarks ” means those Trademarks evidenced by the trademark registrations and applications described in Exhibit F to this Agreement.

Original Agreement ” has the meaning assigned to that term in the Preamble.

Packaging ” means cases, cartons or the like into which Containers may be placed, or other packaging into which such cases, cartons or the like themselves may be placed for transport, shipping or display, or delivery to consumers.

Parent Product ” means a Product bearing a Parent Trademark.

 

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Parent Trademark ” means a Trademark from which a Brand Extension Mark is derived.

Permitted Corporate Reference ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 2.5(b).

Person ” means any individual, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, syndicate, sole proprietorship, a company with or without share capital, unincorporated association, trust, trustee, executor, administrator or other legal representative, regulatory body or agency, government or governmental agency, authority or entity, however designated or constituted.

Product ” means Beer packaged in Containers bearing one or more of the Trademarks.

Qualified Brewmaster ” means a brewmaster that is independent and impartial and recognized in the Beer brewing industry for his or her expertise relating to the subject matter at issue.

Quality Default ” means either (a) a defect in a Product or Packaging, or (b) a deviation from the intended recipe and taste formula or Technical Specifications for any Product which causes an adverse change in intended taste, consistency or mouth feel of the Product, in each case, that would reasonably be perceptible by a consumer.

Quality Default Cure Failure ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 3.10(a) .

Quality Default Cure Failure Notice ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 3.10(a) .

Quality Default Notice ” has the meaning assigned to that term in Section 3.10(a) .

Quality Standards ” with respect to the Beer, means that such Beer is consistently produced pursuant to the Recipe and Technical Specifications for such Product without a Quality Default; provided , however , that in all cases the Product, including physical and sensory characteristics of such Product, shall be merchantable, meet any applicable regulatory standards, and shall be free from microbiological defects and defects in aroma, flavor or appearance, such that such Importer Product would not be deemed to be defective by a Qualified Brewmaster. With respect to Containers, “ Quality Standards ” means that they are merchantable, meet any applicable regulatory standards, and are sufficient to contain, ship and store Product for the requisite planned period as set out in Section 3.3 .

Recipe ” means the description and measure of ingredients, raw materials, yeast cultures, formulas, brewing processes, equipment, and other information that is reasonably necessary for a brewmaster to produce a particular Beer and includes any Recipe for a Product existing as of the date hereof and any Recipe delivered by either party to the other party under this Agreement, or otherwise used or developed in compliance with this Agreement, after the date hereof, including any change to a Recipe permitted pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

 

8


representatives ” means, with respect to Marcas Modelo, any employee or agent of Marcas Modelo, but excluding any employee or agent involved in the marketing, sale, production or pricing of Beer in the Territory for the Modelo Group.

Secondary Marketing Materials ” means images, photography, displays, slogans, taglines which do not employ the Trademarks or the Trade Dress; for clarity, event promotional materials, colors of displays and the like shall be considered “Secondary Marketing Materials.”

Subsidiary ” means, with respect to any Person, a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, estate or other Person of which (or in which), directly or indirectly, more than fifty percent (50%) of (a) the issued and outstanding capital stock having ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors, managers or others performing similar functions of such entity (irrespective of whether at the time capital stock of any other class or classes of such entity shall or might have voting power upon the occurrence of any contingency), (b) the interest in the capital or profits of such partnership, joint venture or limited liability company or other Person or (c) the beneficial interest in such trust or estate is at the time owned by such first Person, or by such first Person and one (1) or more of its other Subsidiaries or by one (1) or more of such Person’s other Subsidiaries.

Supplier ” means an Eligible Supplier that has entered into a Supply Agreement with Constellation Beers.

Supply Agreement ” means an agreement that complies with the requirements set forth in this Agreement between Constellation Beers and an Eligible Supplier for such Eligible Supplier to manufacture, bottle or package Importer Products.

Technical Specifications ” means those technical specifications used by or on behalf of Marcas Modelo or any of its Affiliates with respect to the manufacture, bottling and packaging of Importer Products or Interim Products as may be amended from time to time as permitted in this Agreement. It shall not be considered a breach hereof if technical specifications and processes are changed to equivalent technical specifications and processes, so long as the resulting technical and chemical attributes of the Products resulting therefrom do not impair the finished product, as would be determined by a reasonable Qualified Brewmaster.

Territory ” means the fifty states of the United States of America, the District of Columbia and Guam.

Third Party ” means a Person other than Marcas Modelo and its Affiliates and other than Constellation Beers and its Affiliates.

Trade Dress ” means the print, style, font, color, graphics, labels, packaging and other elements of trade dress (including Bottle Designs or other Container designs) that are (a) used on or in connection with Products as of the date hereof (including the Bottle Designs as of the date hereof for Corona, Negra Modelo and Modelo Especial), or (b) permitted pursuant to this Agreement after the date hereof to be used in connection with the marketing, merchandising, promotion, advertisement, licensing, distribution and sale of Products in the Territory.

 

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Trademarks ” means those trademarks evidenced by the trademark applications and registrations described in either Exhibit B or in Exhibit D to this Agreement, as such Exhibits may be amended or supplemented from time to time in accordance with this Agreement.

Transition Period ” means (a) for Packaging, a period not to exceed eighteen (18) months after the date of this Agreement, and (b) for Containers, a period not to exceed twelve (12) months after the date of this Agreement.

USPTO ” means the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

West Coast Importer Agreement ” means the importer agreement, dated as of November 22, 1996, by and between Barton and Extrade, S.A. de C.V., as amended.

Yeast ” means yeast that complies with the Recipes for (a) any Product existing as of the date hereof or (b) any Brand Extension Beer marketed by (i) Marcas Modelo or Grupo Modelo in Mexico or Canada or (ii) Constellation Beers or any of its Affiliates in the Territory, in each of clauses (i) and (ii), following the date of this Agreement.

1.2 Construction

(a) Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, (i) words of any gender include each other gender; (ii) words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively; (iii) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby” and derivative or similar words refer to this entire Agreement; (iv) the terms “Article,” “Section,” “Schedule” or “Exhibit” refer to the specified Article, Section, Schedule or Exhibit of this Agreement, unless otherwise specifically stated; (v) the words “include” or “including” shall mean “include, without limitation” or “including, without limitation;” and (vi) the word “or” shall be disjunctive but not exclusive.

(b) Unless the context otherwise requires, references to agreements and other documents shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments and other modifications thereto.

(c) Unless the context otherwise requires, references to statutes shall include all regulations promulgated thereunder and, except to the extent specifically provided below, references to statutes or regulations shall be construed as including all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending or replacing the statute or regulation.

(d) The language used in this Agreement shall be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rule of strict construction shall be applied against any party. This Agreement is the joint drafting product of the parties hereto and each provision has been subject to negotiation and agreement and shall not be construed for or against any party as drafter thereof.

(e) All amounts in this Agreement are stated and shall be paid in United States dollars.

 

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ARTICLE II

GRANT OF LICENSE; INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY; SUPPLY

2.1 Licenses.

(a) Trademarks . Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Marcas Modelo hereby grants, on behalf of itself and Grupo Modelo, to Constellation Beers an irrevocable, exclusive, fully paid-up, sub-license to use the Trademarks solely in connection with: (i) importing, advertising, promoting, marketing and selling Importer Products and Interim Products in the Territory; (ii) the application of the Trademarks to Importer Product in the course of manufacturing, bottling and packaging of Importer Products in the applicable Brewing Territory (which foregoing rights with respect to manufacturing, bottling and packaging are, for clarity, non-exclusive) solely for importation, distribution and sale, including resale, of such Importer Products by Constellation Beers in the Territory (which foregoing rights with respect to importation, distribution and sale in the Territory are exclusive); (iii) distributing in the Territory collateral sales and promotional materials for Importer Products and Interim Products in the Territory; and (iv) distributing in the Territory other items to be marketed and sold or provided without charge to consumers in conjunction with the advertising, promotion and marketing of Importer Products and Interim Products in the Territory. Any use of the Trademarks shall be subject to the provisions of Section 2.4 of this Agreement. Marcas Modelo represents and warrants to Constellation Beers that Marcas Modelo has full authority and right to grant the sub-licenses to Constellation Beers as set forth in this Agreement. For the purposes of this Agreement, it is understood that the use by Constellation Beers of the Trademarks in connection with advertising and promotional material as authorized under this Section 2.1 that may be accessible to Persons residing outside the Territory, (such as the use in a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), domain or similar future electronic address or on an internet site or in a periodical that may have some distribution outside the Territory or use with respect to any Facebook ® page, Twitter ® account, Pinterest ® account or similar social media, telephone numbers, or other means of directing marketing or sales of Product in the Territory which may contain the Trademarks, whether such means are now known or developed in the future), shall not be a violation of this Agreement provided that: (a) the media chosen is not primarily directed to Persons residing outside the Territory or chosen with the intent of communicating with Persons residing outside the Territory as in the case of a website with an address indicating a source in a foreign country (e.g. .ca) or a periodical that is primarily distributed to Persons outside the Territory; and (b) Constellation Beers is in compliance with Section 2.12(f) below. Notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement, Constellation Beers shall have the right to use in the Territory or Brewing Territory the name “Crown” and the Crown Trademarks as its corporate or trade name for the purposes of identifying itself in print (or any other visually perceptible medium) in each case accompanied by an appropriate corporate identifier such as “Crown Imports LLC” (which use in association with products must also include a designation of the product as having been “bottled by”, “produced by”, “hecho”, or “imported by” or the like by such company), as required by law or regulation, or for purposes of government filings, corporate annual reports and other uses that would constitute “fair use” under applicable trademark law, provided , however , in each case, that Constellation Beers shall not, and shall cause its Affiliates not to, use the word “Crown” or the Crown Trademarks in any form or combination as a product brand name for a Beer.

 

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(b) Licensed Other IP . Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Marcas Modelo hereby grants, on behalf of itself and Grupo Modelo, to Constellation Beers an irrevocable, fully paid-up sub-license to use the Licensed Other IP solely in connection with (i) importing, advertising, promoting, marketing and selling Importer Products and Interim Products in the Territory; (ii) manufacturing, bottling and packaging of Importer Products in the applicable Brewing Territory, solely for distribution and sale, including resale, of such Importer Products by Constellation Beers in the Territory; (iii) distributing in the Territory collateral sales and promotional materials for promotion of Importer Products and Interim Products for sale in the Territory; and (iv) distributing in the Territory other items to be marketed and sold or provided without charge to consumers in conjunction with the advertising, promotion and marketing of Importer Products and Interim Products in the Territory. The license rights granted in clause (ii)  of this Section 2.1(b) shall be non-exclusive and the license granted in clauses (i) , (iii) , and (iv)  of this Section 2.1(b) shall, subject to Sections 2.5(a) and 2.5(b) , be exclusive solely in the Territory.

(c) Licensed Patents. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Marcas Modelo hereby grants, on behalf of itself and Grupo Modelo, to Constellation Beers an irrevocable, fully paid-up license or sub-license (as applicable) under the Licensed Patents (i) to make, have made (by Suppliers in accordance with this Agreement) and use Importer Products in the applicable Brewing Territory, and (ii) to sell (directly and/or indirectly), offer to sell, import and otherwise dispose of Interim Products and Importer Products in the Territory. The license rights granted in clause (i)  of this Section 2.1(c) shall be non-exclusive and the license granted in clause (ii)  of this Section 2.1(c) shall be exclusive solely in the Territory.

(d) Licensed Copyrights.

(i) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Marcas Modelo hereby grants, on behalf of itself and Grupo Modelo, to Constellation Beers an irrevocable, exclusive, fully paid-up license or sub-license (as applicable) under the Licensed Copyrights owned by Grupo Modelo in the Territory to copy, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display and distribute Marketing Materials or Secondary Marketing Materials existing at the time of entering into this Agreement to the extent that they may have been transferred by or on behalf of Crown to Grupo Modelo under the Original Agreement, in each case solely in connection with the marketing, promotion and sale of Importer Products and Interim Product in the Territory.

(ii) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Constellation Beers hereby grants to Marcas Modelo and its Affiliates an irrevocable, exclusive, fully paid-up license or sub-license (as applicable) under the Licensed Copyrights owned by Constellation Beers or its Affiliates outside of the Territory to copy, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display and distribute Marketing Materials and Secondary Marketing Materials existing as of the date of this Agreement, in each case solely in connection with the marketing, promotion and sale of Products outside of the Territory.

(e) Constellation Use of “Modelo” . Constellation Beers shall have the right to use the term “Cerveceria Modelo” or any derivation thereof (i) in the Territory as such term is included in the Trademarks or Trade Dress as currently existing (or to substitute for uses of “Grupo Modelo” in the Trademarks and Trade Dress currently used in the Products), (ii) for the

 

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purposes of identifying in print (or any other visually perceptible medium) that Importer Products marketed and sold in the Territory have been “bottled by”, “produced by”, “made by”, “hecho”, “imported by” of the like by “Cerveceria Modelo, and (iii) as the fictitious name or “d/b/a” for its brewery located in Mexico, in each case, (1) only in connection with the exercise of the licenses granted in this Section 2.1, and (2)  provided that such use is not likely to cause confusion with the uses described in Section 2.5(b) . Marcas Modelo will reasonably cooperate at the cost of Constellation Beers in reasonable requests of Constellation Beers to establish the rights identified in the foregoing clauses (i) through (iii) of this Section 2.1(e). All rights set forth in this Section 2.1(e) are provided on an “AS IS” basis without any warranty of any kind, express or implied, including as to the sufficiency of rights or the compliance of any exercise of such rights with applicable laws. Constellation will use reasonable efforts to wind-down all uses of the term “Grupo Modelo” or “Modelo Group” as soon as reasonably practicable after the date of this Agreement and shall ceases all such uses in connection with any Beer products marketed or sold in the Territory within the Transition Period. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent Constellation Beers from using “Cerveza Modelo” or derivatives thereof in the promotion or sale of Importer Products in the Territory. Constellation Beers shall have the right to use “Cerveza Modelo” or any derivation thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, and except during the Transition Period, the name “Cerveceria Modelo” or “Cerveceria del Pacifico” will be used only as a trade name and not with any foreign corporate identifier such as “S.A. de C.V. – Mexico” or “S.A” or other such identifier that may be likely to cause confusion with the brewery entity owned by Grupo Modelo.

(f) Chelada Trademarks . Notwithstanding Section 2.1(a) , Constellation Beers acknowledges and agrees that it is in the mutual interests of the parties to avoid the potential for consumer confusion arising from the use of similar Marks, and absent any change, there may be a potential for confusion with respect to the Chelada Trademarks and certain existing Marks of the Modelo Group. Accordingly, Constellation Beers agrees that it will as soon as reasonably practicable after the date of this Agreement, but in any case within the Transition Period, cease all use of the Chelada Trademarks in their existing form including on labels and other Containers for Products, provided that, Constellation Beers may adopt or use Trademarks evidenced in the Chelada Trademarks that do not contain a depiction of the glass in the background of those Trademarks, and at the discretion of Constellation Beers, it may file and maintain applications for such registrations so modified subject to the terms and conditions of Section 2.8.

(g) Non-Exclusive Trademarks . Notwithstanding Section 2.1(a) , the rights of Constellation Beers under Section 2.1(a) shall be deemed to be non-exclusive right respect to the Non-Exclusive Trademarks, and Marcas Modelo shall retain the right to use and sublicense the Non-Exclusive Trademarks or otherwise refer to the terms “Familiar”, “Cinco” or “Cinco De Mayo” or similar terms for any purpose including in connection with the marketing, promotion, distribution and sale of Beer in the Territory.

(h) Materials . For avoidance of doubt, Constellation Beers shall have the right to purchase raw materials, including recipe ingredients and Containers, anywhere in the world so long as they comply with the Quality Standards; provided , that the actual brewing and bottling of Importer Product shall take place in the applicable Brewing Territory in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

 

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(i) Certain Trade Names . In connection with the exclusive license granted in Section 2.1(a) above, Marcas Modelo and any other member of the Modelo Group shall not use in the Territory any Trademark as a corporate or trade name in connection with the importation, sale, distribution or marketing of Beer in the Territory, except as permitted in Section 2.5(b) below, and, further, Marcas Modelo or any of its Affiliates may not use any Abandoned Trademark on any Beer marketed or sold in the Territory in a manner which is likely to cause confusion.

2.2 Changes to Recipes .

(a) Should Marcas Modelo or Grupo Modelo (i) use any Recipe for any Brand Extension Beer marketed by Marcas Modelo or Grupo Modelo in Mexico or Canada after the Effective Date or (ii) make any reasonably perceptible change to any Recipe for any Product or any such Brand Extension Beer marketed in Mexico or Canada, Marcas Modelo will notify Constellation Beers that such new Recipe is being used or that such change has been made (as applicable) and, at the request of Constellation Beers, Constellation Beers may (but shall not be obligated to) adopt such new or changed Recipe and, if Constellation Beers so elects, the new or changed Recipe and the Licensed Other IP with respect to such Recipe will be added to the licenses granted in Section 2.1 of this Agreement, at no additional cost or charge to Constellation Beers.

(b) Constellation Beers shall have the right to determine in its sole discretion any changes to the Beer Recipe it uses for each existing Product, which changes may be variations or derivatives of Recipes of such existing Products or entirely new Recipes, provided that such changed Recipes meet the Quality Standards. Should Constellation Beers or any of its Affiliates (i) use any Recipe for any Brand Extension Beer marketed by Constellation Beers or any of its Affiliates in the Territory after the Effective Date, or (ii) make any reasonably perceptible change to any Recipe for any Product or any such Brand Extension Beer marketed in the Territory, Constellation Beers will notify Marcas Modelo that such new Recipe is being used or that such change has been made (as applicable) and, at the request of Marcas Modelo, Marcas Modelo may (but shall not be obligated to) adopt such new or changed Recipe and, if Marcas Modelo so elects, the new or changed Recipe and the Licensed Other IP with respect to such Recipe will be deemed to be licensed by Constellation Beers to Grupo Modelo on the same terms as the grants to Constellation Beers under Section 2.1 , provided that the territory for such license shall be for production worldwide and solely for distribution of product outside of the Territory.

2.3 Amendment of Trademark Exhibits . Exhibit B and Exhibit D shall be amended to reflect any Marks (including Brand Extension Marks) added to or removed from or deemed to be added to or removed from Exhibit B or Exhibit D pursuant to the terms of this Agreement (including the addition of Trademarks in accordance with Section 2.8(b) , the removal of Trademarks in accordance with Section 2.8(c) , and the removal of Trademarks associated with brands abandoned by Constellation Beers as set forth in Section 2.14) .

2.4 Acceptable Trademark Use .

(a) Form of Trademarks . Constellation Beers may not use or allow the use of any of the Trademarks, including use on labels, packaging, promotional materials, displays and in advertising and promotion, except in a form, color, style and appearance reasonably consistent with the applicable Brand Guidelines.

 

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(b) Prior Use . Subject to Section 2.4(a) , for purposes of this Agreement, (i) any materials supplied by or on behalf of Marcas Modelo to Constellation Beers bearing any of the Trademarks for use in connection with the performance of this Agreement and Importer Agreement or the Original Agreement, (ii) any materials previously used by Crown or Barton with the knowledge of Grupo Modelo, including pursuant to the West Coast Importer Agreement, the Modelo Sub-license Agreement, and/or the Pacifico Sub-license Agreement by and between Procermex, Inc. and Barton dated November 22, 1996, and (iii) any materials previously used by Crown with the knowledge of Grupo Modelo pursuant to the Original Agreement and Importer Agreement, shall be deemed to comply with the terms and conditions of this Agreement for ordinary use in the performance of this Agreement.

2.5 Retained Rights and Obligations of Marcas Modelo .

(a) Notwithstanding Section 2.1 , Marcas Modelo may use and may grant sub-licenses to use the Trademarks in the Territory in connection with (i) existing sponsorship activities, including any promotion, marketing or advertising of the Importer Products and Interim Products in the Territory that Marcas Modelo or its Affiliates is required to conduct pursuant to an agreement with a Third Party in effect on the date hereof until such agreement is terminated or expires in accordance with its terms, (ii) global sponsorship and worldwide promotional activities, including any internet-based or social media promotion, marketing or advertising of the Importer Products and Interim Products, as long as such activities are not primarily directed to Persons in the Territory, even if such activities involve advertising and other similar content that may be located in the Territory or accessible to Persons residing in the Territory, (iii) distributing or otherwise providing promotional materials or merchandise with charge or merchandise in the Territory solely in connection with the activities described in clauses (i)  and (ii)  of Section 2.5(a) above or in connection with contractual commitments of Grupo Modelo existing as of the date of this Agreement, provided that such contractual commitments are not voluntarily renewed by Grupo Modelo and Marcas Modelo uses commercially reasonable efforts to wind-down and terminate such commitments without incurring liabilities or breaching any obligation, and (iv) of government filings, corporate annual reports, printed historical references and other print uses that would constitute “fair use” under applicable trademark law.

(b) Notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement, Marcas Modelo and Grupo Modelo shall have the right to use inside the Territory (i) “Cerveceria Modelo”, or (ii) a corporate name including “Grupo Modelo”, and which in each case is accompanied by an appropriate corporate identifier, such as “Grupo Modelo S.A.de C.V.”, (collectively, “ Permitted Corporate Reference ”) for the purposes of identifying themselves in print (or any other visually perceptible medium) (which use in association with products or promotion of products must also include a designation of the product as having been “bottled by”, “produced by”, “made by”, “hecho”,“imported by” or the like by such company or brewery), so long as such Permitted Corporate Reference is not displayed on a consumer-facing label of a Container or primary consumer directed panel of Packaging unless required to comply with applicable laws in the Territory, or in a manner likely to cause confusion with respect to the Trademarks.

 

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(c) Notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement, Marcas Modelo or Modelo Group may use the Permitted Corporate Reference, Trademarks or Trade Dress for purposes of government filings, corporate annual reports, printed historical references and other uses that would constitute “fair use” under applicable trademark law.

(d) Under no circumstances may “Modelo” be used by Marcas Modelo or any of its Affiliates in any form or combination as a product brand name for marketing, promotion or sale of Beer in Territory. Notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement, Marcas Modelo and its Affiliates may use any Internet domain name (or other, similar or successor electronic address) or social media (including Facebook ® page, Twitter ® account, Pinterest ® account or the like) containing any of their corporate or trade names or respective Marks, including the Trademarks; provided that: (a) the media chosen is not primarily directed to Persons residing in the Territory or chosen with the intent of communicating with Persons residing in the Territory or a periodical that is primarily distributed to Persons in the Territory; and (b) Marcas Modelo or Grupo Modelo are in compliance with Section 2.5(f) below. Marcas Modelo and Constellation Beers shall reasonably cooperate to determine and agree upon in good faith appropriate and commercially reasonable policies and procedures for referring to the other party visitors to their respective websites or social media outlets that indicate an interest in the Products in the territory of the other party with the understanding that (i) online content directed to the marketing or sale of Importer Products to consumers in the Territory would be under the direction of Constellation Beers and (ii) online content directed to the marketing or sale of Products to consumers outside of the Territory would under the direction of Marcas Modelo. Constellation Beers obtains no right, title, or interest in or to any Marks hereunder other than the Trademarks, and all rights not granted to Constellation Beers hereunder are hereby expressly reserved. Nothing herein shall preclude Marcas Modelo or any member of the Modelo Group from (A) using any of their respective Marks, other than the Trademarks, for any purpose or (B) registering or displaying their respective Marks, in each case, other than the Trademarks, in any territory in the world, including the Territory.

(e) Marcas Modelo shall, and shall cause Grupo Modelo to, deliver to Constellation Beers copies of tangible embodiments of the Licensed Other IP used as of the date of this Agreement, or as required pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof, by Marcas Modelo or its Subsidiaries in brewing Product, as reasonably necessary for Constellation Beers to exercise its rights under clause (ii)  of Section 2.1(b) . Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its applicable Affiliates to, deliver to Marcas Modelo copies of tangible embodiments of the Recipes as required pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof as reasonably necessary for Marcas Modelo to exercise its rights under Section 2.2(b) .

(f) Marcas Modelo shall not, and shall not permit any member of the Modelo Group to, sell any Products to any buyers located in the Territory, and shall, and shall cause all members of the Modelo Group, to use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent buyers from reselling such Products in the Territory or in any manner not authorized by this Agreement (including by not selling to exporters or buyers who are known, or would reasonably be expected, to resell inside of the Territory); for clarity, it shall not be a breach of this Agreement to sell or distribute to cruise lines, airlines, tour operators and the like located outside of the Territory, so long as the Products are delivered outside of the Territory.

 

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(g) Without limiting any rights of the parties at law or in equity, Marcas Modelo shall not, and shall not permit any member of the Modelo Group to, use any Mark in the marketing or promotion of Beer in the Territory that is confusingly similar with any Trademark (other than any Additional Trademark) or protectable elements of Trade Dress (including the protectable Bottle Designs as of the date hereof for Corona, Negra Modelo and Modelo Especial) in each case existing as of the date of this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, nothing in this Agreement shall limit any rights of Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC, or any of its Affiliates operating in the Territory (other than Grupo Modelo) to use, register or adopt any Mark or trade dress used on or before the date of this Agreement in connection with the marketing, promotion or distribution of Beer in the Territory, or the right of any such entities to challenge, oppose or assert likelihood of confusion against any Trademark or Trade Dress on the basis of any Mark owned by or activity of such entities; provided , however , that as to Trademarks and Trade Dress of the Products in each case licensed under this Agreement as of the date of this Agreement, (i) neither Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC nor any their respective Affiliates shall challenge, oppose or assert likelihood of confusion with respect to existing uses of such Trademarks and Trade Dress, and (ii) neither Constellation Beers nor any of its Affiliates shall challenge, oppose or assert likelihood of confusion on the basis of such Trademarks and Trade Dress against any existing Marks or trade dress of Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC or any their respective Affiliates. For clarity, nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit Constellation Beers from bringing in accordance with Section 2.9 an action at law or in equity for infringement under federal trademark law with respect to any Additional Trademark.

(h) For clarity, neither the supply by Marcas Modelo or its Affiliates of Products pursuant to the Interim Supply Agreement nor the performance of any written agreement by and between a member of the Modelo Group and Crown existing as of the Effective Date regarding the wholesale distribution of Product in the Territory will be deemed to be a breach or violation of the terms of this Agreement.

2.6 Sub-Licenses of Constellation Beers .

(a) Generally. Constellation Beers may grant to its wholesalers, distributors, promotional agents, vendors, Affiliates, and Suppliers limited sub-licenses of any or all its rights in Section 2.1 , in each case only as reasonably necessary for each such sub-licensee to engage in the activity for which it was engaged by Constellation Beers and solely within the rights authorized by this Agreement. The agreement Constellation Beers routinely uses for any such sub-license of rights shall provide reasonable provisions for the use, protection and maintenance of the Licensed Intellectual Property in a manner that is consistent with this Agreement, and shall prohibit any further sub-licenses of the Licensed Intellectual Property, and Constellation Beers shall use commercially reasonable efforts to enforce such agreements. Under no circumstances may any such sub-licensee use the Licensed Other IP or Licensed Patents to manufacture, bottle or package any products for its own account or for anyone other than Constellation Beers, except that where such sub-licensee is an Affiliate of Constellation Beers, such sub-licensee shall be deemed to be Constellation Beers for purposes of the requirement that Constellation Beers must manufacture, bottle or package Importer Products only for its own account. For purposes of clarification, Constellation Beers shall have the right to sub-license any or all of its rights under this Agreement (including the right to grant further sub-licenses) to any other Affiliate of Constellation, provided , that Constellation Beers notifies Marcas Modelo of any such sub-licenses, such sub-licensee agrees in writing to be bound by all terms and conditions of this Agreement and the sublicensor remains liable for its sub-licensee’s performance under this Agreement.

 

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(b) Sub-Licenses to Suppliers . The right of Constellation Beers to grant sub-licenses to Suppliers or to any Affiliate with manufacturing rights or rights to grant sub-licenses to Suppliers under Section 2.6(a) is subject to and conditioned upon Constellation Beers’ compliance with the terms and conditions of this Section 2.6(b) . Constellation Beers agrees to promptly notify Marcas Modelo of any such sub-licenses, the name of the Supplier or Affiliate (as applicable) and the location of its facilities if applicable. Any sub-license granted by Constellation Beers to a Supplier or Affiliate covered by this Section 2.6(b) shall permit Marcas Modelo sampling and inspection rights consistent with the terms of Section 3.7 for the Importer Products produced by such Supplier. Constellation Beers shall remain liable to Marcas Modelo for the conduct of all of its Suppliers and Affiliates covered by this Section 2.6(b) that would constitute a breach of this Agreement if done by Constellation Beers, such conduct being deemed a breach hereof by Constellation Beers.

2.7 Limitations on Marcas Modelo . Marcas Modelo agrees that its exercise of its rights hereunder or otherwise obtained shall provide it with no right to approve the marketing, promotion, advertising used or manufacture by Constellation Beers for Interim Products and Importer Products. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Marcas Modelo shall be entitled to enforce its rights under this Agreement.

2.8 Maintenance of Trademarks and Licensed Other IP .

(a) Existing Registrations and Applications . Marcas Modelo shall (i) pay or cause to be paid all maintenance fees, and take or cause to be taken such other reasonable administrative actions, in each case, necessary to maintain in force all the registrations in the Territory included in the Licensed Intellectual Property (except with respect to maintenance fees and administrative actions required to be taken by Constellation Beers pursuant to Section 2.8(b )), and (ii) diligently prosecute any applications for registration included in the Trademarks, Licensed Patents or with respect to the Licensed Other IP that are pending before the USPTO or other agency in the Territory as of the date hereof. Constellation Beers shall promptly reimburse Marcas Modelo for all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses for the foregoing, including all maintenance and filing fees and reasonable attorneys’ fees. If Marcas Modelo fails to perform its obligations under this Section 2.8(a) , Constellation Beers may take any such actions at its sole cost and expense, in which case Marcas Modelo will, and will cause any applicable member of the Modelo Group to, reasonably cooperate with Constellation Beers in such actions, at the expense of Constellation Beers. If requested by Constellation Beers, Marcas Modelo shall, and shall cause any applicable member of the Modelo Group to, designate Constellation Beers as its agent with respect to any of the foregoing maintenance obligations, including the payment of maintenance fees and filing of documents with the USPTO or other agency in the Territory.

(b) New Registrations of Brand Extension Marks . Upon the reasonable request of Constellation Beers, Marcas Modelo will file with the USPTO or other agency in the Territory applications to register any Marks that constitute Brand Extension Marks that can be so registered, or applications for additional registrations for any Brand Extension Marks, which

 

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applications and registrations shall then be subject to Section 2.8(a) , and shall be deemed to be included in the Additional Trademarks. Constellation Beers shall be solely responsible for all reasonable costs and expenses associated with filing such applications, including all filing fees and reasonable attorneys’ fees, and shall pay such costs directly to the providers or, if paid by Marcas Modelo, shall promptly reimburse Marcas Modelo for the same. If Marcas Modelo fails to perform its obligations under this Section 2.8(b) , or as otherwise approved by Marcas Modelo, Constellation Beers may, to the extent allowed under applicable law, file such applications in its own name and will promptly thereafter assign them to Marcas Modelo. Constellation Beers will pay all maintenance fees and take such other administrative actions necessary to maintain in force all the registrations in the Territory contemplated by this Section 2.8(b) . Marcas Modelo will, and will cause any applicable member of the Modelo Group to, reasonably cooperate with Constellation Beers in such actions, at the expense of Constellation Beers. If requested by Constellation Beers, Marcas Modelo shall, and shall cause any applicable member of the Modelo Group to, designate Constellation Beers as its agent with respect to any of the foregoing maintenance obligations, including the payment of maintenance fees and filing of documents with the USPTO or other agency in the Territory.

(c) Status . Marcas Modelo shall keep Constellation Beers reasonably apprised of the status of all applications and registrations included in Licensed Intellectual Property, and any significant actions with respect thereto, and shall invoice Constellation Beers on a quarterly basis for any costs and expenses required to be reimbursed by Constellation Beers pursuant to Section 2.8(a) or 2.8(b) . Constellation Beers may provide written notice to Marcas Modelo that Constellation Beers no longer wishes to maintain a particular registration or application included in the Trademarks, in which case Constellation Beers’ and Marcas Modelo’s obligations under Sections 2.8(a) and 2.8(b) will no longer apply to such registration or application, and Exhibit B or Exhibit D as applicable will automatically be deemed amended to remove such Trademarks. Notwithstanding the removal of any Trademark from Exhibit B or Exhibit D , neither Marcas Modelo nor any member of the Modelo Group shall be permitted to use such Trademark in the marketing or promotion of Beer in the Territory if such use would be reasonably likely to cause confusion as to the source of Beer marketed with another Trademark included in Exhibit B or Exhibit D .

2.9 Defending Trademarks . Each party shall, consistently with the provisions of this Agreement, use its commercially reasonable efforts to protect the Trademarks, the Licensed Patents, Licensed Copyrights, and the Licensed Other IP in the Territory. Each party shall from time to time, as soon as reasonably possible after learning of the facts or law relating thereto, notify the other party of any federal, state, local or other filing (including any applications for, or renewals of, any trademarks or similar registrations) that Constellation Beers considers to be necessary, appropriate or advisable to protect the Trademarks, the Licensed Other IP, or other ownership rights with respect to the Products in the Territory. Furthermore, the parties will cooperate and consult in good faith to determine, on a case by case basis, the best means by which to address any infringement or suspected infringement of the Trademarks in the Territory; provided that Constellation Beers shall have the final right to make determinations of this nature, including commencing or defending litigation. If reasonably requested by Constellation Beers, or as may be required by a court or agency to permit Constellation Beers to pursue an action, Marcas Modelo shall, and shall cause any member of the Modelo Group to, join as a party to any such litigation if such joinder is necessary to prosecute Constellation Beers’

 

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claims. In the event that Constellation Beers does not decide to pursue any act that Marcas Modelo deems to constitute infringement or suspected infringement of the Trademarks in the Territory, it shall give written notice to Marcas Modelo of the same and then Marcas Modelo may pursue such infringement or suspected infringement, at the expense of Marcas Modelo. Constellation Beers shall provide reasonable cooperation to Marcas Modelo in connection therewith. All damages, paid in settlement or otherwise, shall be distributed as follows, first, pari passu , to pay each of Constellation Beers’s and Marcas Modelo’s reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses and then one hundred percent (100%) to Constellation Beers if Constellation Beers choose to pursue the infringement or suspected infringement or one hundred percent (100%) to Marcas Modelo if Constellation Beers gave written notice that it would not pursue the infringement or suspected infringement and Marcas Modelo pursued such infringement or suspected infringement.

2.10 Ownership . (a) Ownership of the Trademarks and of the goodwill associated therewith shall at all times remain in and inure solely to the benefit of Modelo Group, and any trademark rights or goodwill with respect thereto which may accrue as a result of advertising or sales of Importer Products or Interim Products shall be the sole and exclusive property of Modelo Group. Trademark rights (i) shall include any additions or modifications to the Trademarks, as well as any slogan, musical composition, name, emblem, symbol, trade dress or other device used to identify or refer to Importer Products or Interim Products or any Trademark sub-licensed hereunder, in each case, whether developed, created or used by Constellation Beers or any of its sub-licensees in the Territory, and (ii) may be used by Modelo Group, by Marcas Modelo or their importers, or their distributors or sub-licensees, according to the terms of this Agreement, in territories other than the Territory, in addition to the use thereof made by Constellation Beers in the Territory under this Agreement. If any such addition, modification or device is to be separately registered under the laws protecting trademarks, copyrights or other property rights, it shall be registered only in the name of Modelo Group, and Constellation Beers shall execute such documents as may be necessary to accomplish such registration.

(b) Marcas Modelo or Modelo Group shall be deemed to be the exclusive owner of all intellectual property used or developed in connection with this Agreement by Constellation Beers that (i) incorporates the Licensed Other IP and any derivative works based thereon; (ii) in the absence of this Agreement, would infringe upon or otherwise violate the rights of Marcas Modelo or Modelo Group in the Licensed Other IP under the laws of the Territory; or (iii) was developed by Constellation Beers based upon Confidential Information belonging to Marcas Modelo or Modelo Group. As between the parties and unless contrary to applicable law, Constellation Beers shall be the owner of any intellectual property independently developed by Constellation Beers that is not a result of the areas set forth above in clauses (i) - (iii)  of this Section 2.10(b) . For example, should Constellation Beers create a type of Container or a functional element of a Container that is not a result of the areas set forth above in clauses (i) - (iii)  of this Section 2.10(b) , even if such Container or a functional element of a Container is used with an Importer Product, Constellation Beers shall be the owner of the intellectual property rights with respect to such Container or functional element of such Container. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing herein shall give or be deemed to give Marcas Modelo or any member of the Modelo Group any rights in or to the Marks or other intellectual property rights that are owned by Constellation or any of its Affiliates unrelated to the subject matter of this Agreement.

 

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(c) If, for any reason or circumstances, Constellation Beers is deemed under any law or regulation to have acquired any right or interest with respect to the Licensed Intellectual Property, Constellation Beers hereby assigns and shall, at the request of Marcas Modelo or Modelo Group, promptly execute any document reasonably needed in order for Constellation Beers to transfer to Marcas Modelo or Modelo Group any and all such rights, titles and interests in and to the Licensed Intellectual Property including the goodwill that they represent and the Licensed Intellectual Property.

2.11 Derivative Works . Constellation Beers shall acquire no ownership rights in the Licensed Intellectual Property or derivative works based thereon or any intellectual property deemed to be owned by Marcas Modelo or Modelo Group as a result of this Agreement. Constellation Beers shall, at any time requested by Marcas Modelo or Modelo Group, whether during or subsequent to the term hereof, disclaim in writing any such property interest or ownership in the Licensed Intellectual Property.

2.12 Certain Restrictions . Constellation Beers shall not, either directly or indirectly (and shall cause its Affiliates not, either directly or indirectly, to):

(a) establish, form, be an owner of, operate, administer, authorize or control any company, division, corporation, association or business entity under any name which includes any of the Trademarks, either in whole or part, or under any name which is confusingly similar to the Trademarks or “Grupo Modelo” (other than with respect to Constellation Beers, “Crown” as described in Section 2.1(a) or as expressly set forth in Section 2.1(e) );

(b) (except as expressly authorized by this Agreement) use, adopt, register, or seek to register, or in any other manner claim the ownership of, any Mark or trade dress that includes any of the Trademarks or that is confusingly similar to any of the Trademarks or Trade Dress (including in connection with Brand Extension Marks);

(c) use, or authorize any other Person to use, any Trademark or Trade Dress in connection with any Beer or any other good or service other than an Importer Product or Interim Product, except as expressly permitted by this Agreement;

(d) use, or authorize any other Person to use, Trade Dress for goods or services other than Importer Products for which such Trade Dress are designated for use by Marcas Modelo or otherwise permitted by this Agreement;

(e) combine a Trademark with any other Mark that is not a Trademark (other than any new Brand Extension Mark); or

(f) distribute or sell any Products to any buyers located outside the Territory, and to use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent buyers from reselling such Products outside the Territory or in any manner not authorized by this Agreement (including by not selling to exporters or buyers who are known or would reasonably be expected to resell outside of the Territory); for clarity, it shall not be a breach of this Agreement to sell or distribute to cruise lines, airlines, tour operators and the like located within the Territory, so long as the Products are delivered within the Territory.

 

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CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED BY ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV SA/NV

[****] Indicates that certain information contained herein has been

omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Confidential treatment has been requested with respect to the omitted portions

2.13 Confusingly Similar Marks . Subject to Section 2.15 , Constellation Beers shall not, and shall not permit any Affiliate or sublicensee to, use or register, any symbol, name, trademark, trade dress or device that is confusingly similar to (a) any Trademark or Trade Dress, or (b) any trademark rights retained by the Modelo Group as of the date of this Agreement.

2.14 Abandonment . (a) If Constellation Beers fails to make any use in commerce (as the term is defined in 15 U.S.C. § 1127) of a brand with respect to all Trademarks and uses for any period comprising [****], Constellation Beers shall be presumed for purposes of this Section 2.14 to have abandoned its licensed rights to use those brands in such Trademarks. Marcas Modelo shall give written notice to Constellation Beers of such abandonment and allow Constellation Beers to notify Marcas Modelo of Constellation Beers’s intent not to abandon the Trademarks and of efforts to use the Trademarks in the future. Should Constellation Beers not reply to such notice from Marcas Modelo within [****] after the date of such notice, Constellation Beers shall be deemed to have abandoned such Trademarks for purposes of this Agreement, and, at any time thereafter immediately upon written notice by Marcas Modelo to Constellation Beers, (i) the Trademarks shall be deleted from Exhibit B or Exhibit D hereunder, (ii) all rights of Constellation Beers in and to such Trademarks under this Agreement shall terminate and, (iii) Marcas Modelo shall have the right to designate any Third Party as the assignee and beneficiary of all rights and obligations of Constellation Beers under this Agreement with respect to such deleted Trademarks, subject to the execution of a sublicense agreement between such Third Party and Marcas Modelo in substantially the same terms and conditions of this Agreement; provided that, in no event shall Marcas Modelo or its Affiliates re-acquire and practice such rights. Notwithstanding the removal of any Trademarks from Exhibit B or Exhibit D , neither Marcas Modelo nor any member of the Modelo Group shall be permitted to use such Trademark in the Territory if such use would be reasonably likely to cause confusion with another Trademark included in Exhibit B or Exhibit D .

(b) If Marcas Modelo, and all other members of the Modelo Group, fail to make any use in commerce (as that term is defined in 15 U.S.C. §1127) in all jurisdictions outside of the Territory of a brand with respect to all Trademarks and uses for any period comprising [****], Marcas Modelo shall be presumed for purposes of this Section 2.14 to have abandoned its rights in such Trademarks in the Territory. Constellation Beers shall give written notice to Marcas Modelo of such abandonment and allow Marcas Modelo to notify Constellation Beers of Marcas Modelo’s intent not to abandon the Trademarks and its efforts to use such Trademarks in the future outside of the Territory. Should Marcas Modelo not reply to such notice from Constellation Beers within [****] after the date of such notice, Marcas Modelo shall be deemed to have abandoned such Trademarks in the Territory for purposes of this Agreement, and Constellation Beers shall have the right to request that Marcas Modelo assign, and, upon such request, Marcas Modelo shall assign, or cause the applicable member of the Modelo Group to assign, its right, title, and interest in the Territory in and to the applicable Trademarks to Constellation Beers at no cost to Constellation Beers other than payment of any required assignment fee charged by a governmental authority.

2.15 Brand Extension Marks and Brand Extension Beers . Subject to the terms, conditions and licenses herein:

 

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CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED BY ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV SA/NV

[****] Indicates that certain information contained herein has been

omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Confidential treatment has been requested with respect to the omitted portions

(a) Constellation Beers Brand Extension Marks . Constellation Beers may, without the prior consent of Marcas Modelo, adopt new Brand Extension Marks that are not confusingly similar to any trademarks (excluding the Trademarks) owned by Marcas Modelo or its Affiliates in the Territory at the time of such proposed adoption, and concomitant accompanying new trade dress that is not confusingly similar to any trade dress including containers (excluding the Trade Dress) owned by Marcas Modelo or its Affiliates in the Territory at the time of such proposed adoption, solely for (i) the manufacturing, bottling, and packaging of Mexican-style Beer and importing, advertising, marketing and selling such Beer in the Territory and (ii) distributing of related collateral sales and promotional materials therefor and other items to be marketed and sold or provided without charge to consumers in conjunction with such Beer in the Territory. Provided that they meet the requirements of the foregoing sentence, such Brand Extension Marks shall be deemed to be Additional Trademarks and Trade Dress for purposes of this Agreement (including Sections 2.8 , 2.9 , and 2.10 ). Constellation Beers shall have the right to determine in its sole discretion the Beer Recipe it uses for each new Brand Extension Beer, which Beer Recipes may be variations or derivatives of Recipes of then-existing Products or entirely new Recipes, provided that such Recipes meet the Quality Standards.

(b) Modelo Brand Extension Marks. Constellation Beers may, upon [****] prior written notice to Marcas Modelo and solely for the manufacturing, bottling, and packaging of Mexican-style Beer in the Brewing Territory and importing, advertising, marketing and selling such Beer in the Territory and distributing of related collateral sales and promotional materials therefor and other items to be marketed and sold or provided without charge to consumers in conjunction with such Beer in the Territory, notify Marcas Modelo that it wishes to adopt a Brand Extension Mark created after the date of this Agreement by Marcas Modelo or Grupo Modelo and used by Grupo Modelo in Mexico or Canada for the manufacturing, bottling, packaging or selling of Mexican-style Beer. Provided that such Brand Extension Mark does not include and is not confusingly similar to any trademarks (excluding the Trademarks) owned by Marcas Modelo or its Affiliates in the Territory at the time of such notice from Constellation Beers, then such Brand Extension Mark shall be deemed to be an Additional Trademark for purposes of this Agreement (including Sections 2.8, 2.9, and 2.10). Constellation Beers shall have the right to determine in its sole discretion the Beer Recipe it uses for each such Brand Extension Beer, which Beer Recipes may be variations or derivatives of Recipes of then-existing Products or entirely new Recipes, provided that such Recipes meet the Quality Standards. For clarity, it is expressly understood and agreed that nothing in this Section 2.15(b) shall prevent Constellation Beers from adopting and using in the Territory as a Constellation Beers Brand Extension Mark any Modelo Brand Extension Mark so long as such adoption and use (i) complies with the provisions of Section 2.15(a) and (ii) does not infringe any intellectual property rights of the Modelo Group in the Territory.

(c) Distilled Spirits . Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, (i) Constellation Beers shall not adopt a Brand Extension Mark that adopts, refers to or incorporates the name of any type of distilled spirit (such as Corona Tequila), and (ii) Constellation Beers shall not use any distilled spirits as an ingredient in any Recipe for a Brand Extension Beer, unless included in a Recipe provided by, or required to be provided by, Marcas Modelo under this Agreement; provided , however , that if Marcas Modelo or Grupo

 

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Modelo (1) adopts a Brand Extension Mark that adopts, refers to or incorporates the name of any type of distilled spirit (such as Corona Tequila) for Product marketed in Mexico or Canada, or (2) uses any type of distilled spirits or any type of distilled spirit flavor as an ingredient in any Recipe for a particular Product marketed in Mexico or Canada, then the restrictions of this Section 2.15(c) shall not preclude Constellation Beers from using (x) the name of any type of distilled spirit in its own Brand Extension Mark for any Product in the Territory or (y) any type of distilled spirit or distilled spirit flavor ingredient in the Recipe for any Product, in each case (which for the avoidance of doubt in the case of (x) and (y), need not be the same distilled spirit or distilled spirit flavor ingredient as used by Marcas Modelo or Grupo Modelo), solely in the Territory in accordance with the other terms and conditions of this Agreement.

(d) Bottle Design . Constellation Beers may use a Parent Product’s Bottle Design (or other Container design) for any related Brand Extension Beer subject to and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

(e) Ownership . For the avoidance of doubt, Constellation Beers agrees that any and all Trademarks and Trade Dress related to any Brand Extension Beer manufactured, bottled and packaged by or on behalf of Constellation Beers hereunder shall be owned by Modelo Group, and Constellation Beers hereby assigns the foregoing to Marcas Modelo.

2.16 Changes to Form, Trademarks, Containers, Bottle Designs, Trade Dress or Recipes by Marcas Modelo . With respect to an Importer Product existing at the date of this Agreement, and subject to this Section 2.15(b) , Marcas Modelo may from time to time propose by written notice to Constellation Beers (a) reasonable changes in the approved form or use of the associated Trademarks, (b) reasonable changes to applicable Containers, Bottle Designs or Trade Dress, (c) an addition of a new Mark to Exhibit B as an Additional Trademark for use with such Importer Product, or (d) a change the Recipe for such Importer Product (other than a change of Recipe described in Section 2.2(a) above), in each case, in order to make such existing Importer Product more consistent with Products produced and sold outside of the Territory. Within a reasonable time following Constellation Beers’ receipt of such notice, the parties shall discuss whether such changes or additions are mutually agreeable, and if acceptable, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall govern such changes, provided that it is expressly understood and agreed that nothing in this Agreement, other than Section 2.4(a) and Section 2.17 , shall prevent Constellation Beers from adopting and using in the United States any such change in Form, Trademark, Container, Bottle Design, Trade Dress or Recipe, so long as the adoption and use does not constitute trademark infringement or copyright infringement under applicable laws. For the avoidance of doubt, the Modelo Group shall have the right to make in its sole discretion any change to the Recipe for any existing Product and to any Brand Extension Beer marketed by Marcas Modelo or Grupo Modelo outside of the Territory.

2.17 Changes to Form, Trademarks, Containers, Bottle Designs, Trade Dress or Recipes by Constellation Beers . Subject to Section 2.15 , and with respect to Products existing at the time of entry into this Agreement (or additional Recipes provided by Marcas Modelo under Section 2.2 ), Constellation Beers may from time to time propose by written notice to Marcas Modelo (a) reasonable changes in the approved form or use of the associated

 

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Trademarks, (b) reasonable changes to Containers, Bottle Designs or Trade Dress of the Products, (c) the addition of a new Mark to Exhibit B as an Additional Trademark for use with such existing Importer Product, or (d) a change to the Recipe for such Importer Product. Constellation Beers shall not implement any changes or additions of the type described in the foregoing clauses (a), (b), or (c) without the prior written consent of Marcas Modelo; provided , however , that (i) for the avoidance of doubt, changes in the Recipe of any existing Products or any Constellation Beers Brand Extension Beers shall not require the consent of Marcas Modelo and (ii) Constellation Beers may adopt and use a new Container for a Product different in size, shape or materials from the Container in effect for such Product on the date hereof, but if such new Container is a glass bottle derived from an original glass Bottle Design of a Product (e.g., a smaller version of a glass bottle for Product sold under a CORONA Trademark), such new glass bottle Container shall reasonably conform to such original glass bottle Container in form, shape and proportion as closely as reasonably practicable (taking into account the change in size, shape or materials). It is expressly understood that consent of Marcas Modelo shall not be required for Packaging used by Constellation Beers to contain, ship, store or display containers for any Product. For the avoidance of doubt, Constellation Beers shall have the right to make in its sole discretion any change to the Recipe for any existing Product and to any Brand Extension Beer marketed by Constellation Beers or any of its Affiliates in the Territory.

2.18 Abandoned Trademarks . Within a reasonable time following the date of this Agreement, Marcas Modelo shall allow, or cause its applicable member of Grupo Modelo to allow, the Abandoned Trademarks to be abandoned, lapse or otherwise expire. Constellation Beers agrees promptly following the date of this Agreement to make commercially reasonable efforts to wind-down its use of the Abandoned Trademarks including in connection with promotional materials and product labels that may include such Abandoned Trademarks. Within the Transition Period, Constellation Beers shall cease, and shall cause its Affiliates to cease, all use of the Abandoned Trademarks.

2.19 Confirmation. At the reasonable request of Constellation Beers, Marcas Modelo will provide documentation reasonably required by Constellation Beers for its tax or similar purposes demonstrating that Marcas Modelo has the necessary rights, as between Marcas Modelo and other members of Grupo Modelo, to grant the rights it purports to grant herein.

2.20 Brewery Territory . Marcas Modelo shall provide Constellation Beers with three months’ advance notice of Modelo Group’s intent to manufacture or have manufactured on its behalf any Product outside of Mexico (other than as a result of a Force Majeure Event).

2.21 Yeast.

(a) General. From time-to-time as reasonably requested by Constellation Beers during the term of the Transition Services Agreement, Marcas Modelo shall transfer, or shall cause its Affiliates to transfer, to Constellation Beers an appropriate quantity of “mother” Yeast as necessary for Constellation Beers to propagate its own yeast for the manufacture of the Products and Brand Extension Beer; provided that Constellation Beers shall bear all reasonable costs relating to the supply of such Yeast (including delivery charges) incurred by Marcas Modelo in connection therewith. In the event that the Yeast colony of either Party dies or is compromised such Party may request, and the other Party shall, to the extent reasonably available, provide a new Yeast colony to the requesting Party at the cost of the requesting Party.

 

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(b) Cessation of Use. In the event that Constellation Beers elects to cease using the Yeast, Constellation Beers shall (i) ensure that there is an immediate, orderly and proper disposal of any and all Yeast in production, propagation, culture, analytical or other systems, which manner of disposal shall be approved and supervised by Marcas Modelo; and (ii) diligently remove from any brewery all Yeast in a manner approved and supervised by Marcas Modelo.

ARTICLE III

QUALITY CONTROL

3.1 Marketing Standards . To protect the reputation and strength of the Trademarks and the goodwill associated with each Trademark, Constellation Beers shall: (a) always use the Trademarks in connection with the marketing and sale of Importer Products and Interim Products, and other activities with respect to the Trademarks, in a manner reasonably consistent with the requirements with respect to form, color, style and appearance of the applicable Brand Guidelines (and Constellation Beers shall reasonably consider and take into account the goodwill associated with the Trademarks in making any material changes to the other aspects of the Brand Guidelines such as strategic marketing), and (b) use and/or reproduce the Trademarks in accordance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Further, Constellation Beers shall not do any willful or intentional act which would damage the image of the Products in the Territory, and shall refrain from taking any act which disparages, discredits, dishonors, reflects adversely upon, or in any other manner materially harms the Trademarks, or the goodwill associated therewith. Additionally, with respect to Importer Products and Interim Products, Constellation Beers shall comply with the Advertising and Marketing Code of the Beer Institute, as it may be amended from time to time.

3.2 Merchandise and Advertising Materials . Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Affiliates and sub-licensees to, ensure that any merchandise or advertising item that bears any Trademark is of sufficient quality so as not to disparage, discredit, dishonor, reflect adversely upon, or in any other manner materially harm the Trademarks, or the goodwill associated therewith. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Marcas Modelo shall not have the right to approve or disapprove of advertising created by Constellation Beers.

3.3 Importer Products . Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Suppliers to, comply with the quality standards in this Article III for Importer Products. Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Suppliers to, ensure all Importer Products are manufactured, bottled and packaged in accordance with the applicable Quality Standards. Other than as set forth in this Agreement, Constellation Beers shall not, and shall cause its Suppliers not to, alter the Trademarks, Containers, Bottle Designs or Recipe for any Importer Product. To the extent that a Recipe or Technical Specification specifies any particular ingredients, raw materials, yeast cultures, formulas, brewing processes or equipment or other items, Constellation Beers and its Suppliers may use functional substitutes or replacements for the foregoing that do not change the finished product, as would be determined by a reasonable Qualified Brewmaster. All Importer Products shall be manufactured and imported in a manner reasonably designed to assure they remain suitable for resale and consumption for a period of no less than one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of production.

 

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3.4 Brand Extension Beers . With respect to each Modelo Brand Extension Beer constituting an Importer Product, Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Suppliers to, follow the Brand Guidelines of any Parent Products and Parent Trademarks, respectively, to the extent that they are applicable, in manufacturing, bottling and packaging any such Brand Extension Beer. With respect to each Constellation Brand Extension Beer constituting an Importer Product, Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Suppliers to, create applicable Brand Guidelines therefor compliant with the requirements of Section 2.15(a) and applicable quality standards. Any such Brand Extension Beer (whether Modelo or Constellation) must be of a quality equal to or higher than the Quality Standards.

3.5 Packaging . Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Suppliers to, package Beer that is produced pursuant to this Agreement only in a box, carton, wrap or similar item that contains other Products. Constellation Beers may include any number of bottles or cans in any particular box or carton.

3.6 Samples . In order to verify compliance with the quality standards for Importer Products set forth in this Article III , Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Suppliers to, at its own cost submit to Marcas Modelo, no more frequently than once per calendar quarter, (a) a reasonable number of representative samples of Importer Products, including the Containers thereof, and any promotional products or any packaging or other materials bearing any Trademark used in marketing, merchandising, promoting, advertising (including sponsorship activities in connection with the foregoing), licensing, distributing or selling Importer Products in the Territory ( provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, Constellation Beers is not required to submit any such samples, promotional products, packaging or other materials to Marcas Modelo in advance of actual use), and (b) compliance data that is reasonably necessary in order for Marcas Modelo to verify that Importer Products materially comply with applicable Quality Standards.

3.7 Inspection . Upon reasonable advance notice, not more than twice per year (or in the event of a recall or withdrawal pursuant to Section 3.9 , more frequently until the issues giving rise to such events are reasonably resolved) and subject to the reasonable confidentiality requirements of Constellation Beers, (a) Marcas Modelo or its representatives shall have the right, during regular business hours, to inspect the plants and facilities (including Yeast used therein) where Importer Products are manufactured, bottled, packaged, stored, or distributed, and (b) Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Suppliers to, make their respective representatives reasonably available to Marcas Modelo or its representatives, as may be reasonably necessary for Marcas Modelo or any of its representatives to adequately review the quality of the manufacturing, bottling, packaging, storage or distribution of Importer Products.

3.8 Brewmaster . Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Suppliers to, employ or otherwise retain the services of (a) a qualified brewmaster to be responsible for supervising and directing the production, manufacturing, bottling and packaging of Importer Products and (b) a Person responsible for the systems, and compliance, to ensure appropriate quality procedures and control for the production, manufacturing, bottling and packaging of Importer Products.

 

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CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED BY ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV SA/NV

[****] Indicates that certain information contained herein has been

omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Confidential treatment has been requested with respect to the omitted portions

3.9 Recalls . In the event there is a withdrawal or recall by Constellation Beers or its Supplier of any Importer Product, Constellation Beers shall promptly notify Marcas Modelo and provide Marcas Modelo with such relevant information as reasonably will inform Marcas Modelo of the facts giving rise to the need for such withdrawal or recall, and the adequacy of steps taken by Constellation Beers or its sub-licensees to address any material concerns relating to quality identified in connection with such recall or withdrawal.

3.10 Quality Default .

(a) In the event of a Quality Default, a party shall deliver a written notice to the other party of such Quality Default (a “ Quality Default Notice ”) promptly after becoming aware of any such Quality Default. The parties shall promptly meet to discuss the Quality Default Notice and each party shall provide the other with full technical and analytical support to assist in identifying the problem and determining the correct procedures for resolving the same. Constellation Beers shall have [****] from and including the delivery of such Quality Default Notice to cure such Quality Default. In the event Constellation Beers fails to cure such Quality Default within [****] of such Quality Default Notice (a “ Quality Default Cure Failure ”), and Marcas Modelo has delivered a written notice to Constellation Beers confirming such failure (a “ Quality Default Cure Failure Notice ”), then, subject to the dispute resolution procedures in the remainder of this Section 3.10 , Constellation Beers agrees that it shall, at its own cost, take all reasonably necessary steps to cure and mitigate the breach.

(b) In the event that Constellation Beers disagrees that a Quality Default or a Quality Default Cure Failure has occurred, it shall deliver a written notice to Marcas Modelo of its disagreement (a “ Disagreement Notice ”), which shall include the basis for such disagreement and shall be delivered within [****] of receipt by Constellation Beers of a Quality Default Notice or a Quality Default Cure Failure Notice, as applicable. In the event of such a disagreement, Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo shall attempt to resolve such disagreement between themselves. If Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo are unable to resolve the disagreement within [****] of receipt by Constellation Beers of a Quality Default Notice or a Quality Default Cure Failure Notice, as applicable, then Constellation Beers or Marcas Modelo will jointly select a Qualified Brewmaster; provided that if Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo are unable to select such Qualified Brewmaster within [****] after delivery of a Quality Default Notice, within an additional [****], Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo shall each select one brewmaster and those two brewmasters shall select a Qualified Brewmaster for purposes of this Section 3.10 .

(c) Within [****] of the appointment of the Qualified Brewmaster, Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo shall each deliver to the Qualified Brewmaster a detailed written report setting forth their respective proposed resolutions with respect to the disagreement and a detailed explanation of the basis and rationale for such party’s position. The Qualified Brewmaster shall thereafter issue a written determination of whether a breach occurred, but no such determination shall award damages, or other relief, including relief which would terminate, result in a termination or have the same effect as termination of this Agreement, in whole or in part. The determination of the Qualified Brewmaster shall be final and binding upon the parties and the breach determined by the Qualified Brewmaster may be enforced in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

 

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3.11 De Minimis Breaches of Brand Guidelines. Should Constellation Beers take any action inconsistent with the Brand Guidelines that constitute merely a de minimis breach of Sections 2.4 , 3.1(a) or 3.4 with respect to Importer Products, Containers, Packaging or Marketing Materials, Marcas Modelo shall not have the right to require, and Constellation Beers shall not be obligated, to destroy, recall, remove or otherwise cease the use of any then-existing stock of any such Importer Product, Containers, Packaging or Marketing Materials at issue.

ARTICLE IV

TERM

4.1 Term . The term of this Agreement shall commence on the date hereof and shall continue in perpetuity. The parties acknowledge and agree that Marcas Modelo shall have no right to terminate this Agreement notwithstanding any breach of this Agreement by Constellation Beers, at any time. Marcas Modelo retains only the right to bring a claim as provided for herein at Article VI against Constellation Beers for damages or to seek any other remedies available to it at law or equity for any claimed breach, but excluding any remedies that would seek to terminate, or result in the termination of this Agreement.

ARTICLE V

INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE

5.1 By Constellation Beers . From and after the date hereof, Constellation Beers shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless Marcas Modelo and its Affiliates and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (the “ Modelo Indemnitees ”) in respect of all damages, liabilities, losses, costs and expenses of any and every nature or kind whatsoever, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements and all amounts paid in investigation, defense or settlement of any or all of the foregoing) (“ Damages ”) that any of the Modelo Indemnitees may incur as a result of third-party actions, proceedings or claims to the extent arising out of or in consequence of: (a) the formulation, manufacture, production, packaging, transportation, storage, marketing, merchandising, promotion, advertisement (including sponsorship activities in connection with the foregoing), licensing, distribution or sale of any products, materials or services by or on behalf of Constellation Beers, its Affiliates or its sub-licensees that bear the Trademarks (other than to the extent caused by (i) any breach of any obligation of any member of the Modelo Group to Constellation Beers or its Affiliates, or (ii) the infringement caused solely by the Licensed Intellectual Property existing as of the date of this Agreement, other than Licensed Intellectual Property to the extent created by Constellation Beers or its Affiliates under the Original Agreement); (b) any breach of this Agreement by Constellation Beers; (c) any infringement to the extent arising from any use of a Brand Extension Mark created by Constellation Beers or any of its Affiliates or sub-licensees in the Territory (other than to the extent such infringement is caused solely by the associated Parent Trademark as it exists of the date of this Agreement), or (d) any failure by Constellation Beers or its employees, agents, or its sub-licensees to comply with applicable law in connection with this Agreement.

 

29


5.2 By Marcas Modelo . From and after the date hereof, Marcas Modelo shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless Constellation Beers and its Affiliates and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (the “ Constellation Beers Indemnitees ”) in respect of all Damages that any of Constellation Beers Indemnitees may incur as a result of third-party actions, proceedings or claims to the extent arising out of or in consequence of: (a) the formulation, manufacture, production, packaging, transportation, storage, marketing, merchandising, promotion, advertisement (including sponsorship activities in connection with the foregoing), licensing, distribution or sale of any products, materials or services by or on behalf of Marcas Modelo, its Affiliates or its sub-licensees (other than Constellation Beers or its Affiliates and their sub-licensees) that bear the Trademarks, in each instance other than due to a breach of this Agreement by any Constellation Beers Indemnitee; (b) any breach of this Agreement by Marcas Modelo; or (c) any failure by Marcas Modelo or its employees or agents to comply with applicable law in connection with this Agreement.

5.3 Insurance . Each of Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo shall maintain at its own expense sufficient insurance, including products liability and blanket contractual liability (“ Liability Insurance ”), to meet any claims that might reasonably be expected to arise against either of them in connection with the sale or distribution of any Products or any other items pursuant to this Agreement. Each of Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo agrees that the other party shall be added as an “additional insured as their interest may appear” on the other party’s Liability Insurance policy. Each of Constellation Beers’s and Marcas Modelo’s Liability Insurance shall be underwritten by financially sound, reputable insurance carriers that are reasonably satisfactory to the other party. Each of Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo shall promptly provide the other with evidence of such Liability Insurance upon request.

5.4 No Implied Warranty . ALL LICENSED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND OTHER RIGHTS AND MATERIALS LICENSED OR OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY OR ON BEHALF OF EITHER PARTY OR THEIR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES UNDER THIS AGREEMENT (INCLUDING ALL RECIPES, MARKETING OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, TRADE DRESS, AND DESIGNS) ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS, AND EACH PARTY HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH RESPECT TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The foregoing notwithstanding, each party warrants to the other party that tangible embodiments of Licensed Other IP and Recipes provided pursuant to this Agreement shall be complete and accurately reflect those embodiments that are used by such providing party and, at the reasonable request of the receiving party, the providing party will reasonably cooperate respond to questions or reasonably supplement such information consistent with the intent of this Agreement.

ARTICLE VI

GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION

6.1 Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without reference to its principles of conflicts of laws that would require application of the substantive laws of any other jurisdiction. Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo agree that the International Convention on the Sale of Goods shall not apply to this Agreement.

 

30


6.2 Jurisdiction . Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo irrevocably consent to the exclusive personal jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of New York or the federal courts of the United States, in each case sitting in New York County, in connection with any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement. Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of the venue of such action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo irrevocably consent to the service of process with respect to any such action or proceeding in the manner provided for the giving of notices under Section 9.5 , provided , the foregoing shall not affect the right of either Constellation Beers or Marcas Modelo to serve process in any other manner permitted by law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo agree that neither may bring a judicial action or administrative proceeding unless and until the parties have provided the other party a reasonable opportunity to engage in non-binding arbitration, to be held in the County and City of New York, before the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution, or such other alternative dispute resolution provider as they may mutually agree upon; provided that, the obligations of the parties under the foregoing sentence shall expire with respect to any dispute within ninety (90) days after notice is first provided by either party.

6.3 Enforcement of Judgment . Constellation Beers and Marcas Modelo hereby agree that a final judgment in any suit, action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in any jurisdiction by suit on the judgment or in any manner provided by applicable law.

ARTICLE VII

CONFIDENTIALITY

7.1 Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by Constellation Beers, Marcas Modelo agrees (and Marcas Modelo agrees to cause its Affiliates) (a) to keep confidential all Confidential Information of Constellation Beers and not to disclose or reveal any of such Confidential Information to any person other than those directors, officers, employees, stockholders, legal counsel, accountants, and other agents of Marcas Modelo or its Affiliates who are actively and directly participating in the performance of the obligations and exercise of the rights of Marcas Modelo under this Agreement, and (b) not to use Confidential Information of Constellation Beers for any purpose other than in connection with the performance of the obligations and exercise and enforcement of the rights of Marcas Modelo hereunder. The obligation to maintain the confidentiality of and restrictions on the use of Confidential Information hereunder shall include any Confidential Information of Constellation Beers obtained by Marcas Modelo and its Affiliates prior to the date hereof. If Marcas Modelo is required by law, court order or government order or regulation to disclose Confidential Information of Constellation Beers, Marcas Modelo shall provide notice thereof to Constellation Beers and, after consultation with Constellation Beers and, at the sole cost and expense of Constellation Beers, reasonably cooperating with Constellation Beers to object to or limit such disclosure, shall be permitted to disclose only that Confidential Information so required to be disclosed.

 

31


7.2 Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by Marcas Modelo, Constellation Beers agrees (and Constellation Beers agrees to cause its Affiliates and sub-licensees) (a) to keep confidential all Confidential Information of Marcas Modelo and the Modelo Group and not to disclose or reveal any of such Confidential Information to any person other than those directors, officers, employees, stockholders, legal counsel, accountants, and other agents of Constellation Beers or its Affiliates or sub-licensees who are actively and directly participating in the performance of the obligations and exercise of the rights of Constellation Beers under this Agreement, and (b) not to use Confidential Information of Marcas Modelo and the Modelo Group for any purpose other than in connection with the performance of the obligations and exercise and enforcement of the rights of Constellation Beers hereunder. The obligation to maintain confidentiality of and restrictions on the use of Confidential Information hereunder shall include any Confidential Information of Marcas Modelo and the Modelo Group obtained by Constellation Beers prior to the date hereof. If Constellation Beers is required by law, court order or government order or regulation to disclose Confidential Information, Constellation Beers shall provide notice thereof to Marcas Modelo and, after consultation with Marcas Modelo and, at the sole cost and expense of Marcas Modelo, reasonably cooperating with Marcas Modelo to object to or limit such disclosure, shall be permitted to disclose only that Confidential Information so required to be disclosed.

7.3 Constellation Beers acknowledges that certain elements in the Licensed Other IP are the Confidential Information and trade secrets of ABI and its Affiliates, and Constellation Beers shall, and shall cause its Affiliates and sub-licensees to, protect such elements with the same degree of care that it uses to protect its own Confidential Information and trade secrets of a similar nature, but no less than a reasonable degree of care.

7.4 The parties agree that Confidential Information of Constellation Beers provided under this Article VII and/or that is order or pricing information is competitively sensitive, and Marcas Modelo shall establish, implement and maintain strict procedures and take such other steps that are reasonably necessary to prevent disclosure of such Confidential Information to any person other than determined to be advisable in connection with the performance of the objectives and exercise of rights under this Agreement; and in no case may Marcas Modelo permit disclosure to its representatives and employees or representatives and employees of its Affiliates who have direct responsibility for marketing, distributing or selling Beer in competition with the Importer Products in the Territory.

ARTICLE VIII

TAXES

8.1 Withholding . The payment of the Up-Front Payment (as defined in the Brewery SPA) (including any adjustment thereto) , which is made pursuant to the Brewery SPA, and any payment made pursuant to Section 8.2 of this Agreement shall be made without deduction or withholding for any taxes (other than taxes imposed on net income in Mexico), except as required by applicable law. If any applicable law requires the deduction or withholding of any tax from such payment, then Constellation Beers or its assignee shall be

 

32


entitled to make such deduction or withholding and shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant governmental authority in accordance with applicable law and, if such payment is made by a Person other than Constellation Beers and such tax would not have been imposed had Constellation Beers made such payment, then the sum payable to Marcas Modelo shall be increased as necessary so that after such deduction or withholding has been made (including such deductions and withholdings applicable to additional sums payable under this section) Marcas Modelo receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deduction or withholding been made.

8.2 Other Taxes. If and to the extent Constellation Beers exercises its right pursuant to Section 9.1 to assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to another Person, Constellation Beers shall indemnify and hold harmless Marcas Modelo or any of its Affiliates from and against any taxes, including, for the avoidance of doubt, any value added or other similar taxes, for which Marcas Modelo may become liable for which Marcas Modelo would not have been liable had Constellation Beers not assigned its rights and obligations under this Agreement.

ARTICLE IX

MISCELLANEOUS

9.1 Assignment . Neither party may assign any right under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party; provided , that (a) Constellation Beers may assign or transfer (by sale of assets, sale of stock, merger, operation of law or otherwise) this Agreement and its rights and obligations hereunder to any Affiliate of Constellation, (b) Constellation Beers may assign and transfer this Agreement and all of its rights and obligations hereunder to any Third Party to whom Constellation Beers or its assigee sells or transfers (by sale of assets, sale of stock, merger, operation of law or otherwise) all or substantially all of its business with respect to Product in the Territory, and in that event such assignee shall be deemed to be Constellation Beers for all purposes of this Agreement, (c) Marcas Modelo may assign or transfer this Agreement and its rights and obligations hereunder in whole or in part to any Subsidiary of ABI, or (d) Marcas Modelo may assign or transfer this Agreement and its rights and obligations hereunder to any Third Party to whom Marcas Modelo sells or transfers (by sale of assets, sale of stock, merger, operation of law or otherwise) all or substantially all of its business with respect to Product, and in that event such assignee shall be deemed to be Marcas Modelo for all purposes of this Agreement; provided , further, that any such assignee of either party agrees in writing to be bound by all terms and conditions of this Agreement and the assigning party remains liable for its assignee’s performance under this Agreement. Any purported assignment not in strict compliance with the preceding sentence shall be null and void and of no force and effect. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties and their respective successors and assigns. In the event that Constellation Beers desires to assign or transfer less than all of its rights under this Agreement to any third party that is not an Affiliate of Constellation Beers or to which it does not assign or transfer all or substantially all of its business with respect to Product in the Territory, the consent of Marcas Modelo as set forth in the first sentence of this Section 9.1 shall not be unreasonably withheld.

 

33


9.2 Force Majeure . During the pendency of any Force Majeure Event affecting a brewing facility of Constellation Beers or Constellation Beers’s Supplier(s) in Mexico, Constellation Beers will discuss with Marcas Modelo and provide reasonable consideration of any offer made by Marcas Modelo to brew and deliver as directed by Constellation Beers, any affected Beer capacity in Mexico during the pendency of such Force Majeure Event prior to engaging any manufacturing source outside of Mexico.

9.3 Headings . The captions used in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not affect any obligation under this Agreement.

9.4 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be deemed an original, and such counterparts, taken together, shall constitute one and the same instrument. Signatures sent by facsimile shall constitute and be binding to the same extent as originals. This Agreement may not be amended except by an instrument in writing signed by both parties.

9.5 Notices . Any notice, claims, requests, demands, or other communications required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing and will be duly given if: (a) personally delivered, (b) sent by facsimile or (c) sent by Federal Express or other reputable overnight courier (for next Business Day delivery), shipping prepaid as follows:

 

If to Constellation Beers:      Constellation Beers Ltd
     One South Dearborn St., Suite 1700
     Chicago, IL 60603
     Attention: President
     Telephone: +1 (312) 873-9600
     Facsimile: +1 (312) 346-7488
With a copy to (which copy      Constellation Brands, Inc.
shall not serve as notice      207 High Point Drive, Building 100
hereunder):      Victor, New York 14564
     Attention: General Counsel
     Telephone: +1 (585) 678-7266
     Facsimile: +1 (585) 678-7103
With a second copy to      Nixon Peabody LLP
(which copy shall not serve      1300 Clinton Square
as notice hereunder):      Rochester, NY
     Attention: James O. Bourdeau
     Telephone: +1 (585) 263-1000
     Facsimile: +1 (585) 263-1600
If to Marcas Modelo:      Marcas Modelo, S.A. de C.V.
     Av. Javier Barros Sierra 555-3 Piso
     Col. Santa Fe, 01210,
     Mexico, D.F.
     Attention: General Counsel
     Telephone: + (52.55) 2266-0000
     Facsimile: + (52.55) 2266-0000

 

34


With a copy to (which copy      Anheuser-Busch InBev
shall not serve as notice      Brouwerijplein 1
hereunder):      Leuven 3000
     Belgium
     Attention: Chief Legal Officer & Company Secretary
     Telephone: +32 16 27 69 42
     Facsimile: +32 16 50 66 99
With a second copy to (which copy shall not serve as notice hereunder):
     Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
     125 Broad Street
     New York, New York 10004
     Attention: Frank J. Aquila
     George J. Sampas
     Krishna Veeraraghavan
     Nader A. Mousavi
     Telephone: +1 (212) 558-4000
     Facsimile: +1 (212) 558-3588

or such other address or addresses or facsimile numbers as the person to whom notice is to be given may have previously furnished to the others in writing in the manner set forth above. Notices will be deemed given at the time of personal delivery, if sent by facsimile, when sent with electronic notification of delivery or other confirmation of delivery or receipt, or, if sent by Federal Express or other reputable overnight courier, on the day of delivery.

9.6 Entire Agreement . This Agreement (including the schedules and exhibits hereto, which are incorporated into this Agreement by this reference and made a part hereof), the Confidentiality Agreement, dated as of May 26, 2012, by and between CBI, ABI and solely with respect to Section 2 thereof, Grupo Modelo (the “ Confidentiality Agreement ”), the Brewery SPA, the Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, and the Restated LLC Agreement (as defined in the Membership Purchase Agreement and solely to the extent Constellation Beers and Constellation do not acquire all of Constellation Beers’ Interest (as defined in the Membership Purchase Agreement)), and the Transition Services Agreement and each of the other Transaction Documents, constitute the entire agreement among the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and supersede all prior or contemporaneous agreements and understandings, whether written or oral, among the parties hereto, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof.

9.7 Severability . To the extent that any provision of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable in the Territory or any state or other area of the Territory, this Agreement is hereby deemed modified to the extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable within such state or area, and the parties shall promptly agree in writing on the text of such modification.

 

35


9.8 Injunction; Waiver . The parties acknowledge that a breach or threatened breach by them of any provision of this Agreement will result in the other entity suffering irreparable harm which cannot be calculated or fully or adequately compensated by recovery of damages alone. Accordingly, the parties agree that any party may, in its discretion (and without limiting any other available remedies), apply to any court of law or equity of competent jurisdiction for specific performance and injunctive relief (without necessity of posting a bond or undertaking in connection therewith) in order to enforce or prevent any violations of this Agreement, and any party against whom such proceeding is brought hereby waives the claim or defense that such party has an adequate remedy at law and agrees not to raise the defense that the other party has an adequate remedy at law. The failure of either party at any time to require performance of any provision of this Agreement shall in no manner affect such party’s right to enforce such provision at any later time. No waiver by any party of any provision, or the breach of any provision, contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to be a further or continuing waiver of such or any similar provision or breach.

9.9 Successors and Assigns; Third Party Beneficiaries . This Agreement is binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and permitted assigns. Nothing in this Agreement shall give any other Person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or with respect to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.

9.10 Amendment and Restatement . The Original Agreement shall be deemed amended and restated in its entirety as of the date hereof by this Agreement and the Original Agreement shall thereafter be of no further force and effect except to evidence any rights and obligations of the parties or action or omission performed or required to be performed pursuant to such Original Agreement prior to the date hereof.

9.11 Bankruptcy . The failure of any party hereto to perform any remaining obligations of such party under this Agreement shall not excuse performance by the other party of its obligations hereunder. Accordingly, for purposes of Section 365(n) of The Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, as amended, and codified as 11 U.S.C. §§ 101 et. seq. (the “ Bankruptcy Code ”) or any analogous provision under any law of any foreign or domestic, federal, state, provincial, local, municipal or other governmental jurisdiction relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization (“ Foreign Bankruptcy Law ”), (a) this Agreement will not be deemed to be an executory contract, and (b) if for any reason this Agreement is deemed to be an executory contract, the licenses granted under this Agreement shall be deemed to be licenses to rights in “intellectual property” as defined in Section 101 of the Bankruptcy Code or any analogous provision of Foreign Bankruptcy Law and Constellation Beers shall be protected in the continued enjoyment of its right under this Agreement including, without limitation, if Constellation Beers so elects, the protection conferred upon licensees under 11 U.S.C. Section 365(n) of the Bankruptcy Code or any analogous provision of Foreign Bankruptcy Law.

[Signature page follows]

 

36


IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties have executed this Agreement on the date first written above.

 

MARCAS MODELO, S.A. DE C.V.
By    
  Name:
  Title:
By      
  Name:
  Title:
CONSTELLATION BEERS LTD.
By    
  Name:
  Title:

[Signature Page to Sub-license Agreement]


Exhibit A

TRADEMARK APPLICATIONS & REGISTRATIONS TO BE ABANDONED

 

Mark

  

Ser./Reg./App. No.

   Jurisdiction
CELEBRATE CORONA DE MAYO    SN:85-645063    USA
COME CORONA WITH ME (Stylized)    SN:76-573148; RN:2,918,722    USA
CORONA DECOR    SN:76-230093; RN:2,517,268   
CORONA EXTRA READY TO SERVE    SN:85-818733    USA
CORONA EXTRA READY TO SERVE and Design    SN:85-818736    USA
CORONA START THE PARTY    SN:77-121219; RN:3,358,680    USA
CORONA WIDE OPEN    SN:77-665053; RN:4,060,380    USA
CORONA WIDE OPEN and Design    SN:77-665055; RN:3,986,182    USA
CORONA ZONA    SN:76-229560; RN:4,200,383    USA
CORONAVILLE    SN:78-725979; RN:3,221,680    USA
GOMODELO    SN:85-496131; RN:4,189,942    USA
SAVETHEBEACH.ORG CORONASAVETHEBEACH.ORG and Design    SN:85-769317    USA
CERVECERIA DEL PACIFICO S.A. DE C.V. CERVEZA PACIFICO CLARA    RN: CA 93009; AN: 01013055    California
PACIFICO and Design    SN:73-367145; RN:1,336171    USA
CORONA.COM    SN:75-632870; RN:2,663,599    USA

 

A-1


Exhibit B

ADDITIONAL TRADEMARKS

 

Mark/Name

  

Ser./Reg./App. No.

   Jurisdiction
CERVEZA LA CERVEZA MAS FINA CORONA LIGHT CONT. NET. 340 ML and Design    SN:77-410946; RN:3,629,573    USA
CONEXION CORONA    SN:77-120568; RN:3,908,281    USA
CORONA    SN:76-054459; RN:2,634,004    USA
CORONA    SN:76-230273; RN:2,817,872    USA
CORONA (Stylized)    SN:74-337257; RN:2,489,710    USA
CORONA (Stylized)    SN:76-090432; RN:2,590,621    USA
CORONA (Stylized)    SN:76-230586; RN:2,684,504    USA
CORONA (Stylized)    SN:75-875857; RN:3,631,787    USA
CORONA and Design    SN:74-337256; RN:2,489,709    USA
CORONA BEACH HOUSE    SN:85-081351; RN:3,984,217    USA
CORONA CANTINA    SN:85-645045    USA
CORONA DE MAYO    SN:85-645064    USA
CORONA EXTRA    SN:76-090433; RN:2,600,236    USA
CORONA EXTRA    SN:75-875865; RN:2,702,882    USA
CORONA EXTRA    SN:76-231041; RN:2,817,873    USA
CORONA EXTRA (Stylized)    SN:74-337259; RN:2,489,711    USA
CORONA EXTRA (Stylized)    SN:76-230810; RN:2,687,262    USA
CORONA EXTRA and Design    SN:76-559142; RN:2,993,696    USA
CORONA EXTRA and Design    SN:76-544591; RN:3,329,891    USA
CORONA EXTRA CERVEZA LA CERVEZA MAS FINA and Design    SN:77-118947; RN:3,544,218    USA
CORONA EXTRA CERVEZA LA CERVEZA MAS FINA and Design    SN:77-118906; RN:3,544,217    USA
CORONA EXTRA LA CERVEZA MAS FINA and Design    SN:74-337255; RN:2,489,708    USA
CORONA EXTRA LA CERVEZA MAS FINA and Design    SN:78-907233; RN:3,317,902    USA
CORONA FAMILIAR    SN:85-420269    USA
CORONAROJO    SN:85-383807    USA
CORONAROJO    SN:85-354655    USA
CORONITA    SN:85-383802    USA
CORONITA LIGHT    SN:77-379759; RN:3,549,260    USA
CORONITA LIGHT and Design    SN:77-419975; RN:3,611,200    USA
FIND YOUR BEACH    SN:77-870491; RN:4,191,028    USA
FIND YOUR BEACH    SN:85-499815    USA
LA CERVEZA MAS FINA    SN:76-544594; RN:2,963,654    USA
LA CERVEZA MAS FINA and Design    SN:74-337258; RN:1,828,343    USA
MODELO    SN:76-338317; RN:2,631,391    USA
MODELO ESPECIAL    SN:76-338316; RN:2,631,390    USA

 

B-1


Mark/Name

  

Ser./Reg./App. No.

   Jurisdiction

MODELO ESPECIAL

CHELADA

   SN:85-740870    USA
MODELO LIGHT (Stylized)    SN:85-656356    USA
MODELO LIGHT (Stylized)    SN:85-656355    USA
MODELO LIGHT and Design    SN:85-663677    USA
MODELO LIGHT and Design    SN:85-656354    USA
NEGRA MODELO    SN:76-338315; RN:2,631,389    USA
RELAX RESPONSIBLY    SN:77-120546; RN:3,576,821    USA
RELAX RESPONSIBLY and Design    SN:77-121268; RN:3,463,388    USA
RONAS & RITAS    SN:75-475936; RN:2,279,069    USA
RONAS AND ‘RIAS    SN:85-413853    USA
RONAS AND ‘RIAS    SN:85-383813    USA
VIVA CORONA    SN:85-645054    USA
Crown & Griffins Design    SN:73-708295; RN:1,548,371    USA
Miscellaneous Design    SN:85-469388    USA
Coins & King Design    SN:85-469380    USA
King Design    SN:85-469400    USA
Lion Design    SN:85-656360    USA
Lion Design    SN:85-656358    USA
Lion Design    SN:85-656357    USA
CORONA    RN: TX 33569; AN: 00494075    Texas
CORONA EXTRA    RN: UT 29675; AN: 20805621    Utah
CORONA EXTRA    RN: DE 1989-67233; AN: 08008434    Delaware
CORONA EXTRA    RN: NM 89012001; AN: 01076098    New Mexico
CORONA EXTRA    RN: NH (No Registration Number); AN: 01064334    New Hampshire
CORONA EXTRA    RN: MD 19897054; AN: 01057827    Maryland
CORONA EXTRA    RN: MA 42599; AN: 01055262    Massachusetts
CORONA EXTRA    RN: AZ 17892; AN: 00494153    Arizona
CORONA EXTRA    RN: NM (No Registration Number); AN: 00494152    New Mexico
CORONA EXTRA    RN: TX (No Registration Number); AN: 00494108    Texas
CORONA EXTRA    RN: ID 12517; AN: 00341706    Idaho
CORONA EXTRA    RN: NJ 8463; AN: 00339969    New Jersey
CORONA EXTRA    RN: CT 7439; AN: 00338212    Connecticut
CORONA EXTRA    RN: ME 19890160; AN: 00330567    Maine
CORONA EXTRA    RN: IL 63823; AN: 00329652    Illinois
CORONA EXTRA    RN: LA (No Registration Number); AN: 00017204    Louisiana
CORONA EXTRA LA CERVEZA MAS FINA    RN: WA 17801; AN: 41800097    Washington
CORONA EXTRA LA CERVEZA MAS FINA    RN: WA 9944; AN: 00016520    Washington
MODELO    RN: CA 51955; AN: 00241431    California
MODELO ESPECIAL    RN: CA 99414; AN: 23100029    California
Design    RN: CA 51922; AN: 00241430    California
VICTORIA    RN: CA 52397; AN: 00241579    California
PACIFICO    SN:76-497182; RN:2,885,751    USA
PACIFICO and Design    SN:76-497180; RN:2,862,190    USA
PACIFICO LIGHT    SN:78-896659; RN:3,381,909    USA
CORONARITA    SN:85-383808    USA

 

B-2


Mark/Name

  

Ser./Reg./App. No.

   Jurisdiction
CORONITA RITA    SN:85-383810    USA
CERVECERIA DEL PACIFICO, S.A. DE C.V. CERVEZA PACIFICO CLARA and Design    SN:74-071659; RN:1,671,994    USA
CERVECERIA MODELO S.A. DE C.V. MEXICO MODELO ESPECIAL and Design    SN:77-100703; RN:3,576,774    USA
CERVECERIA MODELO    SN:77-849176; RN:3,896,060    USA
CORONARITA    SN: 85-637980    USA
FAMILIAR (stylized)    SN: 85-420278    USA
Miscellaneous Design    SN: 78-605037    USA

 

B-3


Exhibit D

TRADEMARKS

 

Mark

  

Ser./Reg./App. No.

   Jurisdiction
CERVEZA MODELO LIGHT and Design    SN:78-787355; RN:3,210,796    USA
CORONA    SN:77-221594; RN:3,388,558    USA
CORONA (Stylized)    SN:73-625255; RN:1,681,366    USA
CORONA and Design    SN:73-625252; RN:1,689,218    USA
CORONA EXTRA    SN:77-221686; RN:3,388,566    USA
CORONA EXTRA (Stylized)    SN:73-625250; RN:1,681,365    USA
CORONA EXTRA LA CERVEZA MAS FINA and Design    SN:73-625248; RN:1,729,694    USA
CORONA LIGHT    SN:77-410950; RN:3,605,139    USA
CORONA LIGHT and Design    SN:75-876356; RN:2,406,232    USA
CORONA LIGHT and Design    SN:74-123829; RN:1,727,969    USA
CORONITA EXTRA    SN:74-132069; RN:1,729,701    USA
CORONITA EXTRA LA CERVEZA MAS FINA and Design    SN:74-160423; RN:1,761,605    USA
LA CERVEZA MAS FINA and Design    SN:73-625249; RN:1,495,289    USA
MODELO    SN:73-021202; RN:1,022,817    USA
MODELO ESPECIAL    SN:72-464917; RN:1,055,321    USA
MODELO ESPECIAL and Design    SN:85-074167; RN:4,060,986    USA
MODELO LIGHT    SN:78-771233; RN:3,183,378    USA
NEGRA MODELO    SN:73-128857; RN:1,217,760    USA
NEGRA MODELO and Design    SN:77-499866; RN:3,567,209    USA
VICTORIA and Design    SN:85-469396    USA
Crown & Griffins Design    SN:73-625251; RN:1,462,155    USA
Crown Design    SN:76-617147; RN:3,048,028    USA
King Design (for Victoria Product)    SN:85-469392; RN:4,146,769    USA
Miscellaneous Design (for Victoria Product)    SN:85-469385; RN:4,146,768    USA
Miscellaneous Design (for Victoria Product)    SN:85-469375; RN:4,146,767    USA
PACIFICO    SN:74-071754; RN:1,726,063    USA
PACIFICO CLARA    SN:76-514146; RN:2,866,272    USA
LA CERVEZA DEL PACIFICO CERVEZA PACIFICO CLARA and Design    SN:77-244688; RN:3,589,696    USA
CERVEZA BARRILITO    SN:77-295228; RN:3,440,278    USA
CORONARITA    SN:85-354652    USA
CORONITA RITA    SN:85-413849    USA

 

D-1


Mark

  

Ser./Reg./App. No.

   Jurisdiction
MODELO ESPECIAL CERVECERIA MODELO MEXICO and Design    SN:85-074113; RN:4,115,677    USA
CERVECERIA MODELO, S.A. DE C.V. - MEXICO and Design    SN:78-605075; RN:3,191,287    USA
VICTORIA    Common Law    USA
LEON    SN:85-459133    USA
LEON    SN:85-459120    USA
LEON    SN:85-459153    USA
LEON    SN:85-459142    USA
LEON (Stylized)    SN:85-459165    USA
LEON (Stylized)    SN:85-459162    USA
LEON (Stylized)    SN:85-459159    USA
LEON (Stylized)    SN:85-459157    USA
LEON and Design    SN:85-459181    USA
LEON and Design    SN:85-459177    USA
LEON and Design    SN:85-459180    USA
LEON and Design    SN:85-459175    USA

 

D-2


Exhibit E

CHELADA TRADEMARKS

 

Mark/Name

  

Ser./Reg./App. No.

  

Jurisdiction

CERVEZA MODELO ESPECIAL CHELADA and Design    SN:85-766205    USA
CERVEZA MODELO ESPECIAL CHELADA and Design    SN:85-766203    USA

 

E-1


Exhibit F

NON-EXCLUSIVE TRADEMARKS

 

Mark/Name

  

Ser./Reg./App. No.

   Jurisdiction
CELEBRATE CINCO    SN: 85-645065    USA
¡CELEBREMOS! CELEBRATE CINCO    SN: 85-645049    USA
FAMILIAR    SN: 85-420277    USA

 

F-1

Exhibit 7.1

RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets out our ratios of earnings to fixed charges for each of the five years ended 31 December 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 based on information derived from our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”).

 

     Year ended 31 December  
     2013      2012 (1)      2011 (1)      2010      2009  

Earnings:

              

Profit from operations before taxes and share of results of associates

     18,240         10,380         9,062         7,161         7,150   

Add: Fixed charges (below)

     2,389         2,361         3,702         4,313         5,014   

Less: Interest capitalized (below)

     38         57         110         35         4   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total earnings

     20,591         12,684         12,654         11,439         12,160   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Fixed charges:

              

Interest expense and similar charges

     2,005         2,008         3,216         3,848         4,394   

Accretion expense

     261         209         286         351         526   

Interest capitalized

     38         57         110         35         4   

Estimated interest portion of rental expense

     85         87         90         79         90   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total fixed charges

     2,389         2,361         3,702         4,313         5,014   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Ratio of earnings to fixed charges

     8.62         5.37         3.42         2.65         2.43   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Note:

 

(1) 2011 and 2012 as reported, adjusted to reflect the changes on the segment reporting. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review – B. Significant Accounting Policies”.

The ratio of earnings to fixed charges represents the number of times fixed charges are covered by earnings. For the purposes of computing this ratio, earnings consist of profit from operations before taxes and share of results of associates, plus fixed charges, minus interest capitalized during the period. Fixed charges consist of interest and accretion expense, interest on finance lease obligations, interest capitalized, plus one-third of rent expense on operating leases, estimated by the company as representative of the interest factor attributable to such rent expense.

The Parent Guarantor did not have any preferred stock outstanding and did not pay or accrue any preferred stock dividends during the periods presented above.

Exhibit 11.1

LOGO

ABInBev

Anheuser-Busch InBev

CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT

January 2014


LOGO

 

Introduction

As a leading global company, Anheuser-Busch InBev and its affiliates (“AB InBev” or the “Company”) operate in countries having a broad range of cultures and business practices. As a result, it is critical that we are guided by a clear and consistent code of business ethics and guidelines for our employees around the world.

In achieving our business objectives, we must always adhere to the highest standards of business integrity and ethics, and ensure that we comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Our Code of Business Conduct applies to all directors, officers, and employees of AB InBev and its subsidiaries. It applies to all business transactions we make and expresses principles that we expect every individual or entity acting on our behalf to follow. We expect our suppliers, service providers and other business partners to act in a manner consistent with this Code of Business Conduct.

It is our responsibility to carefully read and understand it. Senior management must also ensure that, within their respective areas of responsibility, this Code is distributed and receives the appropriate attention and follow-up.

THIS CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT, TOGETHER WITH OUR POLICIES,

plays an important part in building the foundation for our long-term success.

No financial objective, no sales target, no effort to outdo the competition, outweighs our commitment to ethics, integrity, and compliance with applicable law.

Employees are encouraged to report to the Company any activity or requested

action that they believe to be, even potentially, in violation of the law or this Code. Such reports should be made to a line manager, to your Legal and Compliance Department, or to our confidential Compliance Helpline. Only with your active support can AB InBev be the Best Beer Company in a Better World.

Carlos Brito

Kees J. Storm

Chief Executive Officer

Chairman of the Board

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Table of content pg

1. Our Principles 4

2. Statement of Policy 4

3. Compliance Helpline 4

4. Honest and Ethical Conduct 4

5. Environment, Health and Safety 5

6. Human Rights 5

7. Responsible Drinking 5

8. Compliance with competition and antitrust laws 5

9. Conflicts of Interest 6

10. Compliance with Anti-corruption Laws 6

11. Gifts and Hospitality 7

12. Political Contributions, Mandates 7

13. Books, Records and Controls 8

14. Code of Dealing 8

15. Confidentiality 9

16. E-mails, Internet and Information Systems 9

17. Social Media 9

18. Use of Company Assets 9

19. Code of Responsible Commercial Communication 9

20. External Communication 9

21. Administration of the Codes 9

3

 


LOGO

 

Dream

Culture

People

1. Our Principles

Our Code of Business Conduct is a practical guide to living our

principles and values every day. It is designed to be clear and must

be the context in which all Company business decisions are made.

10 Principles

Dream

1. Our shared dream energizes everyone to work in the same direction: to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World.

People

2. Great people, allowed to grow at the pace of their talent and compensated accordingly, are the most valuable assets of our company.

3. We must select people who, with the right development, challenges and encouragement, can be better than ourselves. We will be judged by the quality of our teams.

Culture

4. We are never completely satisfied with our results, which are the fuel of our company. Focus and zero-complacency guarantee lasting competitive advantage.

5. The consumer is the Boss. We connect with our consumers through meaningful brand experiences, balancing heritage and innovation, and always in a responsible way.

6. We are a company of owners. Owners take results personally.

7. We believe common sense and simplicity are usually better guidelines than unnecessary sophistication and complexity.

8. We manage our costs tightly, to free up resources that will support top-line growth.

9. Leadership by personal example is the best guide to our culture. We do what we say.

10. We don’t take shortcuts. Integrity, hardwork, quality and consistency are keys to building our company.

2. Statement of Policy

It is AB InBev’s policy that our Board of Directors, officers and

employees strictly comply with all applicable laws and regulations and observe the highest standards of business ethics. The Company’s reputation for honesty and integrity is an invaluable asset.

All AB InBev directors, officers and employees must be honest, objective and diligent in the performance of their duties and responsibilities. They are trusted by the Company to exhibit professionalism in all matters pertaining to AB InBev’s affairs and not to partake in any illegal or improper activity.

No Company official has the authority to require any action that would violate this policy. This policy is not subject to waivers or exceptions because of competitive or commercial demands, industry customs or other exigencies.

All managers shall be responsible for the enforcement of and compliance with our policies, including distributing and making them available to their teams.

Any employee who deliberately violates this policy or authorizes or allows a subordinate to violate it is subject to disciplinary action, including potential dismissal.

3. Compliance Helpline

We are encouraged to report any activity that we believe is or might be a violation of laws, regulations, this Code or our policies.

If you become aware of activity that might constitute a violation, you are encouraged to report the activity:

to your line manager;

to your Legal and Compliance Department; or

through our Compliance Helpline.

Our Helpline is available 24/7 and is toll-free. It is available to all employees, where you can CONFIDENTIALLY and, if you choose, ANONYMOUSLY report any concern in relation to potential breaches of our Code of Business Conduct.

It is a secure means of reporting, provided by an independent company (EthicsPoint).

It is available anywhere in the world and you can file your report in your language:

By phone using a toll-free telephone number based on the country from which you are calling. A list of international numbers can be found at http://talkopenly.ab-InBev.com

By web at http://talkopenly.ab-InBev.com

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How the reports are treated?

The reports and investigations are treated and conducted confidentially;

EthicsPoint captures the reports and directs them to the Global Compliance and Internal Audit teams who oversee the treatment of reports and conduct investigations;

If necessary, follow-up communications can be facilitated anonymously by EthicsPoint via the website.

Full details on how complaints and reports will be treated can be found in AB InBev’s global Helpline policy.

Non-Retaliation

AB InBev prohibits and will not tolerate any retaliation or threatened retaliatory action against any employee who reports of a possible violation of law, regulation or AB InBev policy. Similarly, any AB InBev employee who discourages or prevents another either from making such a report or seeking the help or assistance he or she needs to report the matter will be subject to disciplinary action. Retaliation is a violation itself and can be reported to our Compliance Helpline.

4. Honest and Ethical Conduct

All AB InBev directors, officers and employees must be honest, objective and diligent in the performance of their duties and responsibilities. They are trusted by the Company to exhibit professionalism in all matters pertaining to AB InBev’s affairs and not to partake in any illegal or improper activity.

5. Environment, Health and Safety

In support of the Company’s dream to be the Best Beer Company in a Better World, we will work vigorously to achieve a high standard of environmental, health and safety performance throughout our organization. We will strive to prevent all accidents, injuries and occupational illnesses within our operations. We will comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations, company standards and other requirements and strive to produce our products in the most environmentally responsible way, while maintaining our commitment to quality and cost-efficiency. All employees have a role to play in helping ensure we take into account the environment in our daily work, helping limit our use of scarce resources and ensuring we continue our strong commitment to recycling throughout our operations. See our Environmental, Health and Safety Policies for more details.

6. Human Rights

As a signatory to the United Nation’s Global Compact, AB InBev is committed to business practices that do not infringe on human rights and do align with various international standards of responsible business conduct, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. AB InBev’s Global Human

Rights Policy sets out standards, expectations, and commitments in relation to its responsibility to respect human rights. For more details see our Human Rights Policy.

In addition to its own operations, AB InBev is committed to upholding high standards of responsible behavior amongst its business partners, including its suppliers, through its Responsible Sourcing Policy. For more details see our Responsible Sourcing Policy.

7. Responsible Drinking

As the world’s leading brewer, we are committed to promoting the responsible enjoyment of our products among consumers. As a responsible employer, our employees’ safety and welfare at work is a top priority. That is why we have a global policy regarding drinking at work. This policy outlines the responsibilities of the Company, as well as those of the employee, and it gives clear guidelines about what is expected of both. Each of our operations also has its own local policy, which takes into account national legislation.

Our employees are ambassadors of the Company and are encouraged to exercise personal responsibility whenever they consume alcohol. No level of impairment due to alcohol during working hours is tolerated. Under no circumstances shall an employee be intoxicated over the legal limit while conducting Company business, or while on Company premises. Under no circumstances shall an employee be legally intoxicated while operating motor vehicles, driving a Company vehicle or a Company rental vehicle. There is clear disciplinary action for anyone who breaches Company policy, which may affect employment prospects with the Company.

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8. Compliance with competition and antitrust laws

We must understand and comply with all applicable competition and antitrust laws. These laws regulate our dealings with competitors, customers, distributors and other third parties. Infringement of competition and antitrust laws can result in very serious fines for AB InBev and for the employees involved, and have additional consequences such as reputational damage, litigation and even imprisonment.

To ensure compliance with these laws, AB InBev and its director, officers and employees:

May not participate in a cartel,

May not reach agreements or understandings with competitors that could restrict competition (e.g. to raise prices or to limit production volumes),

May not exchange confidential information with competitors (e.g. on future price increases, input costs or commercial strategy),

May not agree on market restrictions with competitors (e.g. agreement on exclusive territories or allocation of customers),

May not impose minimum or fixed resale prices on customers,

Must be very careful to comply with these rules in trade association meetings and all other contacts with competitors.

In countries where AB InBev has a significant market share, all market practices should be reviewed and pre-approved by the Legal and Compliance Department to ensure compliance with competition laws.

Detailed advice and training for compliance with competition and antitrust laws are available from your Legal Department. Not knowing the rules is not a defense – seek advice from your legal team! If you have any suspicion that AB InBev is involved in any anti-competitive behavior, please use our Compliance Helpline or contact your Legal and Compliance Department without delay.

9. Conflicts of Interest

Our directors, officer and employees should not become involved in any activity which would conflict or interfere with the performance of their duties to the Company.

A conflict of interest can arise in any personal relationship that can influence our ability to act in the best interest of the Company in all instances. It also can arise when our assessment of a circumstance could be affected or appear to

be affected by the possibility of a personal benefit. Even in those cases where we do not receive a personal benefit in reality, the appearance of conflict of interest may negatively impact our credibility. We should do everything to avoid a conflict of interest.

Conflicts of interest may arise in many situations. A conflict may arise, for example, when you or a family member:

Act as shareholder, director, officer, partner, agent or consultant for a supplier, customer or competitor (except with regard to shares in publicly traded companies, which may be held by employees for personal investment purposes)

Take a business decision motivated by a personal interest

Receive a personal benefit from a supplier, customer or competitor

Accept gifts from suppliers, customers, competitors or government officials which are not in accordance with our policies

Use Company assets or your position for private purposes

In addition, the Company recognizes that employees may have or form close personal friendships, and sometimes romantic relationships, with their colleagues. To avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest arising from those relationships, we request that you inform your manager or the Legal and Compliance Department if:

directly or indirectly, you manage or are managed by a family member or an employee with whom you have a close personal relationship; or

regardless of management line, a personal relationship with a colleague may influence your decision-making process or interfere with your work performance.

Seek guidance and aim for transparency. In many cases conflicts can be resolved by an open discussion. A conflict of interest is not necessarily a Code violation, but not disclosing it is!

10. Compliance with Anti-corruption Laws

Every director, officer, and employee of the Company must comply with international and local laws that prohibit corruption and bribery everywhere we conduct business, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and UK Bribery Act 2010. We have a zero tolerance anti-corruption policy. AB InBev directors, officers, and employees are strictly prohibited from directly or indirectly giving, offering, promising, or authorizing anything of value to a Public Official or any other individual to secure an improper business advantage, influence business or governmental decision making in connection with any of our activities, or otherwise induce the recipient to abuse his or her power or official position.

This prohibition must be interpreted broadly and applies to anyone acting on our behalf, including suppliers, distributors, contractors, consultants and agents. Consequently, you may not:

Instruct, authorize, or allow a third party to make a prohibited payment on your or the Company’s behalf; or

Make a payment to a third party knowing or having reason to believe that it is likely to be used to improperly provide something of value to a Public Official or other individual.

Anything of value includes not only cash and cash equivalents, but also gifts, entertainment, tickets, accommodation, travel expenses, job offers, loans, personal favors, or anything else of tangible or intangible value.

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Public Official includes officers and employees of the following, regardless of seniority: any national, regional, local or other governmental entity, judicial or legislative bodies, government-owned or government-controlled companies, public international organizations, such as the World Health Organization or World Trade Organization, charitable organizations linked to a government official, or any private person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing. Public Official also includes political parties, party officials, candidates for public office and family members of any Public Official.

AB InBev’s Anti-corruption Policy strictly prohibits facilitation payments. Facilitation or “grease” payments are small payments to a low-level government employee to expedite or secure performance of a routine, nondiscretionary governmental action, such as obtaining utility services or clearing customs. Contact your Legal and Compliance Department if you receive a request or demand for such a payment. For further details, see our Global Anti-Corruption Policy.

11. Gifts and Hospitality

Corporate gifts and hospitality (e.g., meals, travel or entertainment) are a common feature of business in many countries. In most cases, corporate gifts and hospitality are offered as a courtesy and are a way of developing and improving business relationships.

Our employees are allowed to accept small gifts or gratuities consistent with applicable laws and accepted business practices in the country where they are given, provided they are below the thresholds set forth in AB InBev policies and recorded accurately in the Company’s books and records.

Employees are always prohibited from accepting:

cash or cash equivalents (e.g., gift certificates, stock, stock options, loans at favorable rates, etc.)

gifts or entertainment in order to obtain or retain business

gifts or entertainment that create the appearance of a conflict of interest or that seek to influence a decision

hospitality that could make the person offering the hospitality breach the standards of his or her own employer

All gifts given by AB InBev employees also must meet the thresholds set forth in applicable AB InBev policies and must be recorded accurately in the Company’s books and records.

All gifts, entertainment or hospitality to Public Officials must comply with Anti-Corruption Policies. Any request will only be approved if it is provided on a customary gift-giving occasion, directly related to a business purpose, provided with no sense of obligation on either side, compliant with local gift guidelines and thresholds, permissible under local law and the internal rules of the recipient’s organization, and not made with a corrupt intent. The expenses must be limited in value, reasonable and recorded in a Gift Log. For further details, see our Global Anti-Corruption Policy.

Consult your Legal and Compliance Department for gift guidelines, thresholds, approval flows, and gift log requirements relating to the giving and acceptance of gifts and hospitality. You may also consult the guidelines for gifts and political contributions.

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12. Political Contributions, Mandates

Any direct or indirect contribution by the Company to any political party, committee or candidate for public office is strictly forbidden, even if permitted by local regulations, unless the formal approval of AB InBev’s Board of Directors has been obtained in advance.

Members of AB InBev’s management committees at global, zone, business unit or local level who wish to be a candidate for local, regional, provincial, national, federal or European elections are requested to notify AB InBev’s Board of Directors of their intentions. You can find further clarifications in the guidelines for gifts and political contributions.

13. Books, Records and Controls

It is essential that the integrity, accuracy and reliability of AB InBev’s books, records and financial statements be maintained.

All payments must be accurately recorded in AB InBev’s corporate books, records, and accounts in a timely manner and in reasonable detail. False, misleading, incomplete, inaccurate, or artificial entries in the books and records of AB InBev are strictly prohibited. Written contracts with counterparties must accurately reflect the financial terms of the agreement.

Business records shall accurately reflect transactions and no transaction shall be entered into with the intention of it being documented or recorded in a deceptive manner. False, misleading, incomplete, inaccurate, or artificial entries in the books and records of AB InBev and its subsidiaries are strictly prohibited.

Similarly, all funds, assets and transactions must be disclosed and recorded in the appropriate books and accounted for properly and punctually. All payments should be made through official bank transfer or by sending cheques directly to the official beneficiary’s company address.

Business records shall be interpreted broadly, meaning that every document, even an apparently insignificant one, shall be complete and accurate. This includes:

Expenses and travel reports

Invoices

Purchase orders

Gift logs

Inventory records

Target appraisals

Market research

Quality control tests

Accident reports

As a publicly traded company, we must adhere to the highest standards of governance and internal controls. Violation of these laws and regulations can result in Company and personal liability.

14. Code of Dealing

As a publicly listed company, AB InBev must ensure equal treatment of all investors, which means that all investors should have access to the same information at the same time. Therefore a Code of Dealing has been put in place, specifying the conditions to which all employees and their relatives are subject in dealing in AB InBev shares and in handling “inside information”. Inside information is information which has not been made public and could have a significant effect on the price of the AB InBev shares.

Dealing by employees: A director, officer or employee must not:

deal in AB InBev shares when he or she is in possession of inside information;

deal in AB InBev shares during a Close period,

i.e. the period of 15 calendar days preceding any financial results announcement of the company;

deal in AB InBev shares in considerations of a short-term nature, i.e. within a period of six months after having sold or purchased AB InBev shares;

Moreover “Executives” of the AB InBev group are subject to prior clearance before any dealing.

Use of inside information: A director, officer or employee shall never:

communicate inside information within the group or to a third party, except if necessary for the proper performance of his/her duties;

recommend to anyone to deal in AB InBev shares as a result of being in possession of such inside information.

Non-compliance with the Code of Dealing may result in disciplinary action and may also be a criminal offence and give rise to civil liability. The full Code of Dealing and further advice are available from your Legal and Compliance Department.

15. Confidentiality

Our directors, officers and employees may come into possession of confidential or proprietary information about the Company, its customers, suppliers, or joint venture parties. The confidentiality of all such information should be strictly maintained, except when disclosure is authorized. Confidential or proprietary information includes any non-public information that would be harmful to the Company or helpful to competitors if disclosed.

16. E-mails, Internet and Information Systems

Exercise care when using email, as in most countries, emails have the same legal effect as other written communications. When using email communication, we should exercise discretion and compose statements with care, thought, and precision. A reasonable use of emails in the framework of the requirements of daily and family life is accepted, on the condition that the use of the email does not affect the normal traffic of professional messages.

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As far as the use of the Internet is concerned, an occasional consultation, for personal reasons and within reasonable limits, of websites is accepted, provided their content is not contrary to public order or to morality, and that consultation of such sites is not detrimental to the interests and the reputation of AB InBev.

Physical access to AB InBev sites and system access to IT applications are granted based on a person’s job in the Company and are personal and shall not be accessed by unauthorized persons. Only persons that explicitly received nominative user-access and passwords are allowed on the sites. Also, sharing of passwords is strictly prohibited.

17. Social Media

The internet and social media have changed the way we work, offering new ways to engage with our colleagues, customers, consumers, and the world at large. Social media can help build strong reputation and more successful business relationships. Candor and transparency are part of our culture, and we encourage the exchange of ideas. However, the disclosure of sensitive or inappropriate information through social media also has the potential to damage our brands, our company and our people. Consistent with our ownership culture, we have adopted guidelines that must be followed by all directors, officers and employees:

Personal opinions: Do not state personal opinions on behalf of the Company;

Proprietary information: AB InBev is a publicly traded company; as a result, various government agencies strictly regulate when and how we communicate certain information. You must never disclose any private, sensitive, proprietary, confidential or financial information related to our company, or any current or former employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders or other stakeholders. You may not use any such information — in any way or for any purpose — that is not authorized by the Company. In particular, you must not use it to communicate anything related to trading in securities;

Stakeholders: Don’t attack or malign, personally or as a group any person, product, customer, supplier, other employee, former employee or any other stakeholder;

There is no substitute for good judgment. Being cautious you will be protecting the Company and your personal image! For further details, please refer to AB Inbev Social Media Guidelines.

18. Use of Company Assets

All directors, officers and employees should protect Company assets and ensure their efficient use. It is prohibited to use Company assets, funds, facilities, personnel or other resources for private purposes unless authorized by separate Company policies. Company assets also include your time at work and work product, as well as the Company’s equipment and vehicles, computers and software, Company information and trademarks and name.

All Company assets should be used for legitimate business purposes only. It is one of our 10 Principles to manage our costs tightly and it is everyone`s responsibility to protect Company funds. When managing our budgets we must ensure that our specific policies are strictly followed.

19. Code of Responsible Communication

As a leading global brewer, AB InBev has implemented a Code aimed at ensuring that our marketing and commercial communications are responsible and do not contribute to the misuse of our products nor are directed at the under-age. This Code applies to all forms of commercial communication and our brand marketing activities, including: advertising, sponsorship, outdoor events, promotions, web site content, relationship marketing, consumer public relations, packaging and labeling claims for all AB InBev beer brands.

The Code of Responsible Communication is to be applied by all those involved in the marketing, sales, promotion and communication of AB InBev brands, including external advertising, public relations, design, sales promotion, events and media and buying agencies. This Code should be used as a Company reference for responsible marketing and commercial communication and regarded as the minimum standard. In those markets where national mandatory or self-regulatory rules already exist and if those requirements are more stringent, then clearly these requirements have to be met in addition to those of this Code. For further information: please contact Corporate Affairs.

20. External Communication

The AB InBev Disclosure Manual requires that only a limited number of key people talk to the media. No AB InBev employee will respond to media enquiries or give interviews, speeches or make presentations outside the Company, without the prior authorization of the CEO/Zone President/Country Manager or the Corporate Affairs Representative.

21. Administration of the Codes

In case of general questions about this Code or our policies, contact the Global Compliance or Audit teams.

9


LOGO

 

CONTACT DETAILS:

Sabine Chalmers

Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer

Tel.: +1 212 573 9280

sabine.chalmers@ab-inbev.com

Bill Cartee

VP Corporate Audit

Tel.: +32 16 27 66 31

bill.cartee@ab-inbev.com

John Blood

VP Legal

Tel.: +1 212 573 4366

john.blood@ab-inbev.com

Martim Della Valle

Legal Director Global

Compliance & Competition

Tel.: + 32 16 27 62 53

martim.dellavalle@ab-inbev.com

Exhibit 12.1

I, Carlos Brito, certify that:

 

1) I have reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (the “ Company ”);

 

2) Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3) Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4) The Company’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the Company and have:

 

  a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

  b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

  c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the company’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

  d) Disclosed in this report any change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5) The Company’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

  a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

  b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date: 24 March 2014     By:  

/s/ Carlos Brito

    Name:   Carlos Brito
    Title:   Chief Executive Officer

Exhibit 12.2

I, Felipe Dutra, certify that:

 

1) I have reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (the “ Company ”);

 

2) Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3) Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4) The Company’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the Company and have:

 

  a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

  b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

  c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the company’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

  d) Disclosed in this report any change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5) The Company’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

  a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

  b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date: 24 March 2014     By:  

/s/ Felipe Dutra

    Name:   Felipe Dutra
    Title:   Chief Financial & Technology Officer

Exhibit 13.1

Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (subsections (a) and (b) of Section 1350, Chapter 63 of Title 18, United States Code), each undersigned officer of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (the “ Company ”), hereby certifies, to such officer’s knowledge, that:

The Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended 31 December 2013 (the “ Form 20-F ”) of the Company fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or Section 15(d), as applicable, of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and information contained in the Form 20-F fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

Date: 24 March 2014     By:  

/s/ Carlos Brito

    Name:   Carlos Brito
    Title:   Chief Executive Officer
Date: 24 March 2014     By:  

/s/ Felipe Dutra

    Name:   Felipe Dutra
    Title:   Chief Financial & Technology Officer

Exhibit 15.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements on Forms F-3 (Nos. 333-169514 and 333-185619) and Forms S-8 (Nos. 333-165065, 333-165566, 333-169272, 333-171231, 333-172069, 333-178664, 333-188517 and 333-192806) of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV of our report dated 21 March 2014 relating to the consolidated financial statements of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, which appears in this Form 20-F.

PwC Bedrijfsrevisoren BCVBA

Represented by

 

/s/ Yves Vandenplas
Yves Vandenplas
Bedrijfsrevisor
Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Belgium
21 March 2014