Anheuser-Busch plans to buy wholesale distributor C&G Distributing Co. for an undisclosed amount, the companies announced Friday.
Lima, Ohio-based C&G has been owned by the Cecala and Guagenti families for more than 60 years. The distributor has sold Anheuser-Busch products since 1967 in a nine-county area in west-central Ohio.
“We look forward to growing our brands and enhancing competition in this market, which will benefit west-central Ohio retailers and consumers,” Kevin Feehan, Anheuser-Busch’s regional sales vice president, said in a statement.
The companies have agreed to sale terms and expect the transaction to be completed “in the near future,” officials said.
Anheuser-Busch operates a brewery in Columbus, Ohio, as well as distributor A-B Sales of Canton that sells in five counties in the state.
On Tuesday, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that would require Anheuser-Busch to sell its stake in distributor Chicago’s City Beverage. Gov. Pat Quinn has 60 days to sign the bill, which would give Anheuser-Busch until January 2015 to sell its stake in what is its largest Chicago-area distributor.
St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch is part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, which reported first-quarter profit of $2.53 billion on revenue of $9.17 billion.
