Chris Hughes, Columnist

SABMiller: Big Money vs Minority Shareholders

Deal is a defining moment for shareholder equality

July 29, 2016 at 11:29 AM UTC

Chris Hughes is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals. Previously, he worked for Reuters Breakingviews, the Financial Times and the Independent newspaper.

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

This article is for subscribers only.

The attempted takeover of SABMiller is a defining moment in the treatment of minority shareholders. If Anheuser-Busch InBev succeeds with its $104 billion bid for the London-based brewer, it will be a victory for the forces of big money and speculation, and set a worrying precedent for U.K. takeovers.

SABMiller's board is set to decide soon on accepting or rejecting AB InBev's revised 45 pounds-a-share cash offer, which was made officially "final." This turned a friendly situation hostile -- needlessly so.