Kennyweird Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 ^ Perhaps waiting to see if the merger even goes through would be wiser than getting your undies in a bunch. Guys, were a long way off before any announcements on the parks comes. Chill out. I wasn't really referring to the parks being scrapped. I was more referring to the parks suffering a severe decline in quality, which IMO, is almost as worse as being scrapped. (Call me crazy if you want.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I wasn't really referring to the parks being scrapped. I was more referring to the parks suffering a severe decline in quality, which IMO, is almost as worse as being scrapped. (Call me crazy if you want.) And Matt's very valid point is it's very difficult to say at this point. Maybe they'll get better? AB was notorious for being generous on CAPEX, but stingy on OPEX for their parks. They certainly haven't given Gwarzi much love over the years. Maybe the parks will be even better as a spin off/under new owners. Impossible to say at this point, but I suppose it's also a valid point that InBev would probably suck at running the parks. They're too much into cost cutting, which would clearly be DOING IT WRONG as far as running the AB parks goes. But, they also don't seem to have much interest in running the parks at this point and will likely divest to help bring their debt load down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Upsidedown Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I think that the AB parks will get sold.. I also think that the new owners will be the people that are in on the deal that helped back the development of Bush parks in Dubai... I think you will see that they will buy the parks and let the current operations staff go at it as they are now... I remember back a few months when there was talk of Busch the 4th wanting to sell the parks division anyway, then they moved the division headquaters to OlandO.. Then came the World of Discovery name change, then came the Dubai deal... Seems totally logical that the money men behind the Dubai deal will be the new owners of the parks division.. Otherwise, my other thought is this, you better go to the parks this year because they will never be the same if they get sold to some investment groupl... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 There's no way the parks are going to go to crap in a year. It could take a year just for the merger to iron itself out. IF it even goes through. InBev doesn't even have the cash for the deal the offered, so let's not go crazy. I can't see the parks getting sold, or going into the crapper for at least two, probably three years. Even then, it'd be hard to say that they'll be terrible. You can't predict it. So why get all nuts about it? Got time to go to the parks now? Then do it. If you don't, so what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueerRudie Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 There's no way the parks are going to go to crap in a year. It could take a year just for the merger to iron itself out. IF it even goes through. InBev doesn't even have the cash for the deal the offered, so let's not go crazy. OK- Business 101: When a smaller firm wants to buy out a larger firm, and they don't have the capital, they use the 'assets' of the larger firm as equity and collaterial on the basis of selling bonds, stocks and long-term debt. This technique is called the "Leveraged buy-out" and is a process that has SCREWED compaines for years now. Companies that have used the Leveraged Buy Out in the past: RJR Nabisco, 1987 (Also a fantastic movie with James Gardner and Jonathan Pryce called "Barbarians at the Gate"; TexasAir group buying out Continental, Eastern, PEOPLExpress, Frontier, PBA, Britt et al; and, near and dear to us all, Premier Parks buying out SixFlags Inc (1997). So if you think they don't have the cash, it's not always about the size of your wallet, but rather the SIZE of the equity in your partner's company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParkTrips Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 ^ Someone has taken a business class or two! There's no way the parks are going to go to crap in a year How long did it take Knott's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergusonat Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 AB was notorious for being generous on CAPEX, but stingy on OPEX for their parks. They certainly haven't given Gwarzi much love over the years. Maybe the parks will be even better as a spin off/under new owners. BEC is one of the few theme park/amusement park companies that seemed to keep a solid coat of paint on their coasters. As soon as Apollo's Chariot started looking a bit ratty, you could rest assured that a fresh coat of vibrant purple and gold would be slathered on for the next season. I think A-B did a fantastic job on operational maintenance for their parks, especially BGE. The fact that they couldn't run a wooden coaster to save their life is beside the point. I'm worried for the parks' overall quality, but it's too early to call. There are plenty of quality companies out there that could pretty much match BEC's comittment. I wish more than anything that this deal hadn't gone through, but the parks will survive somehow What I'm wondering is if there's any chance the "Busch Gardens" name will be able to stick under new management? I don't know much about trademarks and business complexities, so if someone could shed some light on this topic, I'd appreciate your theories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Thrill Dragster Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 ^ I would think the "Busch" part of the parks names would have to leave. Unless the new owners decide to license the name. They could easily name the parks African Gardens and European Gardens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Considering the merged company is going to be named Anheuser Busch-InBev. I think the name will stay the same. For the time being. Or at least until they scrap the parks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Seriously though, in the long run, will people boycott Bud beer and other products? I doubt it. You know though, that actually is an interesting question, at least in terms of certain regions....such as the one I currently live in. Rabid NASCAR fans are well known for their strong allegiance to any product associated with their favorite drivers (i.e. many Dale Earnhardt fans would NEVER be caught dead driving a Ford, or Tony Stewart freaks would never shop at Lowes, etc, etc.), so it would be interesting to see the reaction most of the rednecks would have when told that the europeans now owned Bud. Maybe Talladega Nights was prophetic. Maybe we'll end up seeing a European driving a Stella car next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheArchfiend Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 You know though, that actually is an interesting question, at least in terms of certain regions....such as the one I currently live in. Rabid NASCAR fans are well known for their strong allegiance to any product associated with their favorite drivers (i.e. many Dale Earnhardt fans would NEVER be caught dead driving a Ford, or Tony Stewart freaks would never shop at Lowes, etc, etc.), so it would be interesting to see the reaction most of the rednecks would have when told that the europeans now owned Bud. Maybe Talladega Nights was prophetic. Maybe we'll end up seeing a European driving a Stella car next year. I'm willing to bet your right. Budweiser is a big piece of Americana and seen as the man's man beer. Especially in the geographic region you mentioned. On a similar note; the region I am from, the North East, highly values PMW above all else in life. If someone came in and said something lame like "family" or "education" is going to replace P, M or W well... then I will move to an area where my values are accepted. This logic can be applied to the InBev buyout of Budweiser as many steadfast American alcoholics will be forced to now drink Coors as Coors is the closest thing to the popularity of product that is Budweiser. Some Americans now have no choice but to drink Coors or else they will burst into flames much like the Tony Stewart fan would if he were to walk into Lowes as you had mentioned. I'm buying stock in Coors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 This logic can be applied to the InBev buyout of Budweiser as many steadfast American alcoholics will be forced to now drink Coors as Coors is the closest thing to the popularity of product that is Budweiser. Just because you drink beer doesn't make you an alcoholic. Um isn't Coors part of Miller? If I recall, they're owned by a South African company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgeguy Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 ^Yeah, MolsonCoors and SABMiller merged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 ^ See, all the more reason to buy and drink micro and craft brews. They're tastier and American owned and operated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheArchfiend Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 This logic can be applied to the InBev buyout of Budweiser as many steadfast American alcoholics will be forced to now drink Coors as Coors is the closest thing to the popularity of product that is Budweiser. Just because you drink beer doesn't make you an alcoholic. Um isn't Coors part of Miller? If I recall, they're owned by a South African company. Umm... at point was I infering that ALL people who drink beer are alcoholics? Don't be so sensitive. And yeah, I'm switching to Milwaukee's Best now that this Coors news has been discovered. They gotta be owned by Americans. Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 This overall situation is just a nightmare. I never thought In a million years Busch would be sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercules Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 We are in a global economy. That is all I have to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 According to the Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg's newspaper), the Virginia General Assembly is considering levying a tax on BGE tickets in light of the InBev deal. The rationale is that InBev won't be as supportive of the the local community as Busch was, and this tax would make up for it. The tax would apply to other entertainment venues, such as Water Country and sporting events, as well. The last time this idea was floated, Busch lobbyists were able to persuade the assembly that no one would want to pay $13.95 to visit the park. Yep--that was a long time ago (when tickets to BG: The Old Country cost $12.95). Personally, I think the chances of this happening are pretty slim, as the assembly tends to be pretty anti-tax. Here's a link to the story: http://www.vagazette.com/news/local/va-news1_071608jul16,0,6648871.story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Umm... at point was I infering that ALL people who drink beer are alcoholics? Don't be so sensitive. And yeah, I'm switching to Milwaukee's Best now that this Coors news has been discovered. They gotta be owned by Americans. Right? It was a blanket statement. I'm not being sensitive. Milwaukee's Best is a Miller beer. You're out of luck again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheArchfiend Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Umm... at point was I infering that ALL people who drink beer are alcoholics? Don't be so sensitive. And yeah, I'm switching to Milwaukee's Best now that this Coors news has been discovered. They gotta be owned by Americans. Right? It was a blanket statement. I'm not being sensitive. Milwaukee's Best is a Miller beer. You're out of luck again. No... you were being sensitive and saying something that I didn't. Time to go local. Schlitz it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgeguy Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 According to the Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg's newspaper), the Virginia General Assembly is considering levying a tax on BGE tickets in light of the InBev deal. The rationale is that InBev won't be as supportive of the the local community as Busch was, and this tax would make up for it. The tax would apply to other entertainment venues, such as Water Country and sporting events, as well. The last time this idea was floated, Busch lobbyists were able to persuade the assembly that no one would want to pay $13.95 to visit the park. Yep--that was a long time ago (when tickets to BG: The Old Country cost $12.95). Personally, I think the chances of this happening are pretty slim, as the assembly tends to be pretty anti-tax. Here's a link to the story: http://www.vagazette.com/news/local/va-news1_071608jul16,0,6648871.story. Whata great idea... Seriously, they need to get something done as far as our roads go instead of worrying about this right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyweird Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I wonder what the chances are of this entire deal falling through? High, I would hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergusonat Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 I wonder what the chances are of this entire deal falling through? High, I would hope. With how persistent and ruthless InBev is? Slim to none Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterdude5 Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 I don't want to be getting to far ahead of anything, but I wondered, would/could HEF buy the parks? Sorry if it's already been brought up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 HFE? Seems like kind of a big acquisition for them considering that BEC is a much larger operation than they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now