World Cup thirst offsets Chinese hangover for AB InBev

AB InBev outperformed expectations in the second quarter. The FIFA World Cup boosted sales in (Latin) America, while higher-priced brands drove revenue growth. Only China continued to pose a significant challenge.

Positive FIFA effect

The world’s largest brewer sold 144 million hectoliters of beer in the second quarter, up 0.9% from a year earlier. Revenue rose organically by 5.6% to 16.66 billion U.S. dollars (14.64 billion euros). Normalized operating profit, in turn, rose organically by 5.8% to 5.94 billion dollars (5.22 billion euros).