Rasputin_Vol
"Slava Ukraina"
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2007
- Messages
- 70,861
- Likes
- 38,896
If you love good beer, lets hope this fails the anti-trust test. They'll just push the craft beers off the shelves and out of bars (at best) or try to buy up the more popular craft breweries (at worst). Beer distributors already have far too much power, but allowing these guys to stock bars and grocery shelves with Bud Lights/Miller Lites and shove this garbage down our throats is ridiculous.
One thing about this beer price argument. I can't speak for most here, but price is not a factor in my beer purchases. I would rather pay a little more for a good beer. But that is just me.
Ankur Kapoor, an antitrust law specialist and partner at the Constantine Cannon law firm in New York, estimated that the combined firms theoretically could control 70% of the U.S. beer market, with the top three brands: Budweiser, Miller and Coors.
"You can just imagine what the reaction would be if GM, Ford and Chrysler tried to merge. This is not dissimilar," said Kapoor. "Without a divestiture, I think there's little or no chance for a deal."
He theorized the companies would try to counter antitrust concerns by contending that market conditions, including growing competition, have forced them to reduce beer prices for consumers in recent years. However, "given the size of these two companies, I don't think smaller competitors have been able to compete on price," said Kapoor.
One thing about this beer price argument. I can't speak for most here, but price is not a factor in my beer purchases. I would rather pay a little more for a good beer. But that is just me.