AB InBev was so patriotic last summer it renamed its Budweiser brand “America” — but this year, a name switch to “Brazil,” “India” or “Paraguay” seems in order.
Those are the countries propping up today’s “King of Beers,” which on Wednesday posted first-quarter revenue growth of 2.5 percent in markets outside the US. Domestic sales were so flat, by contrast, that AB InBev said Bud’s total sales decreased 1.3 percent.
The decline extends a fall from the throne that began after Bud’s US share peaked in 1988. But the brand’s losing even more fizz as Americans embrace craft beers and suds with fewer calories.
This trend allowed Miller Lite to eclipse Bud last year to become the country’s third-best selling beer, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights.
The Anheuser-Busch flagship yielded its standing as America’s favorite to upstart Bud Light way back in 2001. And while Bud Light has remained the No. 1 US beer brand — with 18.4 percent of the market in 2017 — AB InBev acknowledged Bud Light share fell last quarter.
Investors took Bud’s sustained slide in stride, as shares were down just 31 cents Wednesday, to close at $97.93.
The shareholder reaction was muted largely by AB InBev benefiting from its other global brands: Corona increased first-quarter revenues by 25 percent, while Stella Artois recorded a 12 percent gain.
AB InBev left no doubt that Bud’s future is overseas: “Coming into the second quarter, we are looking forward to the opportunities presented by the FIFA World Cup [in Russia], with Budweiser acting as a global sponsor.”


