Now that InBev SA has closed its $52 billion deal to buy Anheuser-Busch Cos., will we see further beer industry consolidation? In this edition of Inside The Deal, Argus Research Group Inc. securities analyst Erin Ashley Smith says with InBev busy digesting A-B and Molson Coors Brewing Co. and SABMiller plc focused on their joint venture, we could see deal activity driven by smaller craft brands and midlevel independent brands such as Heineken International, which may look to M&A to gain scale and stay competitive. In addition, as demand for brew in emerging markets wanes, Smith tells The Deal's Suzanne Stevens that global players may slow expansion of their own beers in the short term, but may find well-established brands in Latin America, India and other emerging economies to be tasty targets.
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