An editorial in the New York Times today sums up the problems with the merges of food and drinks companies that are giants to start with.
As huge corporations merge and get even huger, we find ourselves yearning for some old-fashioned competition, and maybe a little diversity.
They point out that Heineken after the acquisition of Femsa now will be about the same size as InBev Anheuser-Busch. At the end of 2008, 10 companies accounted for two-thirds of the world’s beer sales, up from 40 percent in 2000.
Price isn’t the only concern. Whether you quaff a Baisha in China, a Diekirch in Luxembourg or a Paceña in Bolivia, you’re paying the same company that sold you that Bud. Call us pessimists, but chances are it won’t be long before they all taste the same.
Amen.
You know, if they go ahead with their plans to charge for their online edition, I’ll seriously consider paying for it.
Yeah, and when they believe they might someday be faced with any sort of competition from an independent brewer, this is how Heineken reacts.
They don’t even have a sense of humour:
http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2348166.ece/Heineken_is_not_amused_by_Swiss_Keineken_campaign
Just say Neineken.