Disney purchased Busch Gardens

[MotherofLandon]

A customer of mine who is a manager at Busch Gardens Williamsburg told me today that Disney purchased both Busch Gardens Parks. I'm not sure how much truth their is to this however both parks were for sale and disney had said in the past they wanted to build a colonial themed park in the Williamsburg, VA area. Aparently they also purchased 250 acres around the park. He said they plan to begin restructuring the parks and rebuilding over the next 2 years. Honestly I would be a little sad to see Busch Gardens, the theme park I have grown up with, go... but having a disney park 30 mins away would be pretty nice.

[mitros]

That's a heavy rumor, isn't it??
Yet I somehow doubt it. You will shortly be hearing from the "experts" in rumors on Disboards...........stand by........................

[MotherofLandon]

Haha, Thanks for the heads up...

[Padrepride]

I'm still pushing for a Disney's America. I would welcome the idea of Disney buying some Busch Gardens parks. Sadly, we probably need a more credible source than your friend (no offense) to get our hopes up.

[yitbos96bb]

Originally Posted by MotherofLandon

A customer of mine who is a manager at Busch Gardens Williamsburg told me today that Disney purchased both Busch Gardens Parks. I'm not sure how much truth their is to this however both parks were for sale and disney had said in the past they wanted to build a colonial themed park in the Williamsburg, VA area. Aparently they also purchased 250 acres around the park. He said they plan to begin restructuring the parks and rebuilding over the next 2 years. Honestly I would be a little sad to see Busch Gardens, the theme park I have grown up with, go... but having a disney park 30 mins away would be pretty nice.

Nothing on any news sites. If this was a done deal, I think it would have to be made public... I'm no expert on SEC disclosure rules, but one public traded company selling something that big to another seems like it would have to be disclosed.

My bet is Inbev will try to sell the unit as a whole... but just a guess.

[KYMickey]

Originally Posted by yitbos96bb

....My bet is Inbev will try to sell the unit as a whole... but just a guess.

My bet is they will sell it and whatever way they can to make the most profit.

As far as this rumor goes I'm assuming the friend is a Disney CM or a bus driver! I don't believe there is any way in the world Disney shelled out the money to buy both Parks. The one in Williamsburg makes some sense, the one in Tampa makes no sense. The only possible way Tampa could make any sense is if they moved the ships to that port and they just signed a major deal to keep them where they are.

[wishdisney]

well if they buy those two parks they might as well buy sea world. its the same company. hmm...

[daber]

Originally Posted by yitbos96bb

I'm no expert on SEC disclosure rules, but one public traded company selling something that big to another seems like it would have to be disclosed.

My bet is Inbev will try to sell the unit as a whole... but just a guess.

Since Inbev is a European company, I don't believe the SEC has any jurisdiction over what they do or don't do. In the grand scheme of all things Disney, I'm not sure if buying two parks would be "big" enough, but I'm sure they would do it just for the PR and to keep their name in the public eye.

I'm not buying the rumor either.

[rebecca06261]

A couple of weeks ago, Inbev announced that they were no longer interested in selling the entertainment division of Busch (atleast not at this time.) I'm looking for the article and will post it as soon as I find it.

[yitbos96bb]

Originally Posted by daber

Since Inbev is a European company, I don't believe the SEC has any jurisdiction over what they do or don't do. In the grand scheme of all things Disney, I'm not sure if buying two parks would be "big" enough, but I'm sure they would do it just for the PR and to keep their name in the public eye.

I'm not buying the rumor either.

I'm not sure about Inbev, but Disney is under SEC jurisdiction. Don't get me wrong, I DOUBT that it would be blocked... there is clearly no monopoly in American Theme Parks... but I am pretty sure under SOX rules Disney has to announce it pretty fast. But yeah, as I'm sure it won't happen...moot point.

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally Posted by rebecca06261

A couple of weeks ago, Inbev announced that they were no longer interested in selling the entertainment division of Busch (atleast not at this time.) I'm looking for the article and will post it as soon as I find it.

Actually, a couple of weeks ago, Anheuser-Busch InBev (as the combined company is now named) announced that it would issue $3 billion worth of long-term debt. That led to speculation that there would be less pressure to sell Busch Entertainment quickly. Here' an example:

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/bus...ks-ebbing.html

However, A-B InBev still wants to sell non-core assets to retire some of their massive debt.

I don't think anyone will come up with a link to an article in which A-B InBev announces that "they were no longer interested in selling the entertainment division of Busch (at least not at this time)."

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally Posted by daber

Since Inbev is a European company, I don't believe the SEC has any jurisdiction over what they do or don't do. In the grand scheme of all things Disney, I'm not sure if buying two parks would be "big" enough, but I'm sure they would do it just for the PR and to keep their name in the public eye.

I'm not buying the rumor either.

Yes. Anheuser-Busch InBev is based in Brussels, Belgium. Their stock is listed on the Brussels Exchange. But that doesn't mean they're immune from disclosure laws. My understanding is that European disclosure laws tend to be more stringent than U.S. laws. A-B InBev publishes disclosures on the web as press releases at http://www.ab-inbev.com/go/media/glo...s_releases.cfm

The "past tense" name of this thread, "Disney purchased Busch Gardens," is wrong. That doesn't mean that Disney and A-B InBev could not have had some discussions. There could still be discussions in progress. There might even be a transaction between the two companies one of these days. But if it happens, it will quickly be disclosed to appropriate government entities and the business press. It won't be a secret known only to a manager at Busch Gardens Williamsburg who is unable to keep a secret.

I don't expect Disney to acquire any Busch Entertainment assets. If Disney wants a third major presence in the United States, Disney would be better off starting with a few thousand acres of empty land. Of course, I could be wrong.

[Uncleromulus]

Disney would be much better off simply by maintaining and improving the parks they already have---

[yitbos96bb]

Originally Posted by Horace Horsecollar

I don't expect Disney to acquire any Busch Entertainment assets. If Disney wants a third major presence in the United States, Disney would be better off starting with a few thousand acres of empty land. Of course, I could be wrong.

Wrong on whether they do it or not? Yes, we could all be wrong on that.

Wrong on their best approach is starting with a few thousand acres of empty land... Personally I think you are right on the money with that assessment.

[mitros]

Originally Posted by Uncleromulus

Disney would be much better off simply by maintaining and improving the parks they already have---

Boy, did you say a mouthful! They really need to continue updating and expanding the parks they have. WDW is getting so crowded, and they need to branch out to more attractions to cut down on those ridiculous wait times.