A recent report confirmed that Anheuser-Busch InBev N. V would continue to have a 30% stake in City Beverage-Illinois, the state's largest Budweiser distributor. While this decision might not go down well with all, this news has caught the attention of one and all with the battle running for some two years coming to end.

In response to the news, Bill Olson, president of the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, said the "regulatory process run amok" because it "impairs Illinois' authority to regulate alcohol beverages". It has been claimed that distributors have opposed such firms to have ownership, which apparently gives way too much for them to decide what all predicts can be shipped to retailers.

Moreover, Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois have also shown their disappointment over the decision. As per the three-tier system administered in Illinois, producers, distributors and retailers do not have access to each other's industry.

It is believed that in the absence of independent distributors in the state's three-tier regulatory system, a brewer can easily influence every single dimension of the sale of beer in the state.

Nonetheless, Anheuser-Busch is "pleased" that the decision with Gary Rutledge, vice president and general counsel for Anheuser-Busch N. A., assuring best practices to be followed.