Belgian-Brazilian brewing giant InBev wooed Anheuser-Busch on Thursday, vowing to respect its St. Louis heritage and not close any US breweries if it accepts a 46-billion-dollar (30-billion-euro) takeover bid.
InBev, which already owns leading brands such as Stella Artois, Beck's, Leffe and Brahma, offered 65 dollars a share for Anheuser-Busch on Wednesday, seeking to build an unrivalled global brewer.
Even though the St. Louis, Missouri-based company said it would "review the merits" of the takeover, InBev faces stiff opposition from local politicians and beer lovers, who were quick to attack the takeover.
The success of the takeover offer will ultimately be decided by Anheuser-Busch's shareholders.
In early trading in New York, the US beer-maker's stock was 5.9 percent stronger at 61.87 dollars while in Brussels InBev shares fared even better, surging 6.17 percent to close at 50.21 euros.
Eager to ease fears about the takeover, InBev chief executive Carlos Brito said that Anheuser-Busch's hometown of St. Louis would not be only the headquarters of the combined group's North American business but also its international brands.
Moreover, Anheuser-Busch's well-known Budweiser brew would become the merged company's global flagship brand alongside InBev's Stella Artois, Beck's and Brahma lines.
"We see the potential to take the Budweiser brand and develop it across our foot print," Brito told a conference call, detailing the deal.
But perhaps more importantly for Anheuser-Busch's employees, Britos said: "There will be no closure of US breweries as part of this transaction."
With a takeover, InBev, which claims the title of the world's biggest beer maker, would create close to a 100-billion-dollar business in the most ambitious act of corporate consolidation since last year's credit crunch shook the markets.
Anheuser-Busch, which traces its roots to the 1850s, has historically been cool on being sold, with the Busch family playing a major role.
Britos assurances come amid anxiety about the deal in Missouri, where Governor Matt Blunt said in a statement he considered the bid "deeply troubling" and said he was "strongly opposed to the sale of Anheuser-Busch."
"Anheuser-Busch is a great Missouri company, a great employer, a great corporate citizen and the maker of great products that are enjoyed in Missouri and around the world," he said.
Meanwhile a website, SaveBudweiser.com, was collecting signatures in an online petition opposing the sale.
"We will need to scream now more than ever to make sure that the board of directors and others involved hear our voices and that we don't want them to accept the offer," said a notice on the website, the operators of which were not identified.
As of Thursday, more than 31,000 people had signed the online petition.
Analyst Kris Kippers at Belgian brokerage Petercam said that although 65 dollars a share was "a good bid," InBev might have to raise its offer to win shareholders over.
"To have a knock-out bid I think the market would expect 70 dollars," he told AFP.
While not ruling out a higher offer entirely, Britos stressed: "I think our 65 dollar all-cash offer is a full and fair price."
