Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) announced today a $300 million capital expenditure to build a new brewing facility in Columbus, Ohio, aiming to insulate its U.S. operations from steep import duties on aluminum-related goods. The brewer said nearly all Budweiser and Bud Light sold stateside will now be produced domestically, sidestepping the 25 percent tariff that took effect in April.
Over the last five years, AB InBev has deployed almost $2 billion across more than 100 U.S. sites, but the new Ohio plant signals a shift back into expansion after last year’s cost-cutting measures. In 2024, the company shuttered two breweries in Florida and California and closed a Massachusetts distribution center in response to softer demand.
First-quarter volumes in the U.S. AB InBev’s largest market fell 6.4 percent year-on-year, driven partly by a conservative-led boycott of its core brands over a controversial transgender-influencer campaign. Last week, the brewer acknowledged a further 2.2 percent decline in global sales and reiterated that U.S. weather and calendar shifts had weighed on performance.
Despite these headwinds, AB InBev’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 7.9 percent in the first quarter, and management affirmed its commitment to investing in key brands and encouraging at-home consumption. By localizing production in Ohio and leveraging its existing U.S. footprint the group aims both to improve margins and accelerate its quest to become America’s leading brewer once again.
On the Brussels exchange, AB InBev shares slipped 0.10 percent today, roughly in line with the broader Bel 20 index.
