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- BUSINESS, Page 80Business NotesBEVERAGESUnhappy Hour For a Brewer
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- When Adolph Coors and Bernhard Stroh started their
- breweries more than a century ago, the beer industry was wide
- open and hundreds of small companies were able to compete. Today
- the top five brewers control 90% of the market and the industry
- is no longer so forgiving. Last week struggling Stroh agreed to
- sell most of its brewery operations to Coors for $425 million.
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- For Stroh and Coors, the third and fourth largest U.S.
- brewers, the combination is a matter of necessity. Neither has
- the financial clout or national brands needed to compete against
- behemoths Anheuser-Busch (market share: 42%) and Miller (21%).
- By acquiring the Detroit brewer, Coors will have a 19% share and
- gain established Stroh brands, including Schlitz and Old
- Milwaukee.
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