Business

Budweiser owner accused of stifling competition with giveaways

FILE - In this Thursday, March 5, 2015, file photo, Budweiser beer cans are seen at a concession stand at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Fla. The world's two biggest beer makers will join forces to create a company that produces almost a third of the world's beer, as Budweiser maker AB InBev announced Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, a final agreement to buy SABMiller for 71 billion pounds ($107 billion). But in the U.S., the deal will not bring arch rivals Budweiser and Miller under the same roof. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

By The Boston Globe

Less than a minute to read

Massachusetts regulators Tuesday accused Anheuser-Busch of giving away nearly $1 million beer equipment to hundreds of Massachusetts bars and package stores as part of an illegal inducement campaign to push sales of Budweiser and its other drinks while stifling those of competitors.

The charges by the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission lend new credence to complaints by small breweries that anti-competitive tactics are pervasive in the beer industry as large brewers and their distributors try to staunch the loss of sales to the growing craft movement.

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