Article: UNited States : AB inbev To Sell Theme Parks To Blackstone For Up To $2.7 Bln.

Belgian brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD, ABI.BT) Wednesday said it will sell its theme parks business to private-equity firm Blackstone Group (BX) for up to $2.7 billion.

The deal will help AB InBev pay down the $45 billion in debt it took on to buy Anheuser Busch last year and is a sign that banks are prepared to finance risky takeovers.

It has been long rumored that AB InBev wanted to sell the theme parks, which were owned by Anheuser, but had held off because the collapse of credit markets made private equity buyers such as Blackstone and even corporate buyers unable to raise financing for deals.

AB InBev will receive $2.3 billion in cash ...

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