Beer mega merger: what court ruling means for troubled deal

FILE - In this Thursday, March 5, 2015, file photo, Budweiser beer cans are seen at a concession stand at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla. A British court has ruled that two groups of SABMiller shareholders should vote separately on Anheuser-Busch InBev’s 79 billion pound ($104 million) takeover, effectively giving smaller investors the outside chance to derail the deal. he decision Tuesday, AUG. 23, 2016 is seen as a concession to smaller shareholders who complained that their payout plummeted in relation to larger investors after the pound fell following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) FILE - In this Thursday, March 5, 2015, file photo, Budweiser beer cans are seen at a concession stand at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla. A British court has ruled that two groups of SABMiller shareholders should vote separately on Anheuser-Busch InBev’s 79 billion pound ($104 million) takeover, effectively giving smaller investors the outside chance to derail the deal. he decision Tuesday, AUG. 23, 2016 is seen as a concession to smaller shareholders who complained that their payout plummeted in relation to larger investors after the pound fell following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

By Associated Press August 23, 2016 3 min read

LONDON (AP) – A British court has ruled that two groups of shareholders in brewing company SABMiller should vote separately on the 79 billion pound ($104 million) takeover offer made by rival Anheuser-Busch InBev, effectively giving smaller investors an outside chance to derail the deal.

The decision Tuesday is seen as a concession to smaller shareholders who complained that their payout plummeted in relation to larger investors after the pound fell following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. While smaller shareholders will receive cash for their stakes, SABMiller’s two biggest investors will get cash and euro-denominated shares that have appreciated since the deal was announced in November.

SABMiller’s board has in principle accepted the deal, which would create a company controlling nearly a third of the global beer market.

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