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Exhibit 99
[ANHEUSER BUSCH COMPANIES logo]
News
For more information, contact:
Carlos Ramirez (314) 577-9629
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ANHEUSER-BUSCH REPORTS FIRST QUARTER
DOMESTIC BEER SALES VOLUME BELOW PREVIOUS EXPECTATIONS
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ST. LOUIS, April 5, 2005 - Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc., announced
today that first quarter 2005 domestic beer
volume was below previous
expectations. "The company has stepped up
its new product, packaging and
marketing efforts, but it will take time
for these new initiatives to gain
traction," said Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc.,
President and Chief Executive
Officer, Patrick T. Stokes. "Given
Anheuser-Busch's substantial competitive
strengths in the U.S. beer market, we are
confident the company will
successfully restore its volume
momentum."
Domestic beer sales-to-wholesalers decreased 2.7 percent for
the
first quarter 2005 vs. the first quarter
2004 to 24.4 million barrels.
Wholesaler inventories at the end of the
quarter were about one and one half
days higher than at the end of the first
quarter last year, representing a
reduction of approximately one day versus
the differential at the end of
last year.
Domestic beer wholesaler sales-to-retailers were down 1.0
percent
in the first quarter on a comparable
selling day basis, due to generally
weak industry volume conditions and the
comparison with the strong
performance of Michelob ULTRA in the prior
year. Michelob ULTRA was the most
successful new brand introduction in the
beer industry in many years, and
its sales have stabilized to a 2.4 percent
share year-to-date in
supermarkets, according to IRI data. BUD
family wholesaler
sales-to-retailers increased in the
quarter, driven by solid growth of Bud
Light and the national introduction in late
February of Budweiser Select.
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Anheuser-Busch
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The company expects first quarter 2005 earnings per share of
$.63
to $.64, excluding a one-time gain on the
sale of the company's equity
interest in a Spanish theme park, vs. $.66
per share on comparable
normalized basis in the first quarter
2004.1/ This decline reflects the
lower beer sales volume of the domestic
beer company, coupled with commodity
cost pressures and the incremental costs to
support the company's stepped up
marketing and sales efforts. Management
believes that earnings per share
growth in the low-single digit range for
the full year 200
