Emerson freezes out Anheuser-Busch InBev

ST. LOUIS, April 16 (UPI) -- U.S. appliance giant Emerson said its company coolers would no longer be stocked with Budweiser in retaliation for changes at Anheuser-Busch.

Belgian brewer InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch last year in a merger of brands that kept both company names. But an internal memo at Emerson said the new company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, changed payment terms to suppliers to 120 days, "take it or leave it!" the St. Louis Dispatch reported Thursday.

In retaliation, the memo said, Emerson would stop buying Anheuser-Busch InBev products for any of its corporate functions.

The memo suggested that people in charge of corporate events or sitting in corporate box seats at a baseball game buy other brands of beer.

"We suggest you use Coors, Miller, Modelo (Corona, etc.) or Heineken products," the memo said.

Anheuser-Busch InBev quickly responded with a statement calling Emerson's comments "misguided and unfounded."

"Nothing has changed about us," the brewer's response said, suggesting the new policy at Emerson "won't be well-appreciated," by Emerson staff.