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Theme Parks May Be Sold

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@tampatrib.com

Published: November 13, 2008

The Anheuser-Busch shareholders approval of the sale of the company to Belgium-based InBev on Wednesday includes Busch Entertainment Corp., which operates 10 theme parks including Busch Gardens and Adventure Island in Tampa.

Industry analysts have said InBev is likely to try to sell Busch Entertainment, both to focus on the brewery business where its expertise lies and raise funds for the buyout, but that is not certain at this point.

Analysts have predicted a sale of the highly successful Busch Entertainment division could raise anywhere from $2.5 billion to $5 billion.

It also is uncertain who might be interested in buying Busch Entertainment, but trade journals have speculated potential bidders could be the British theme park giant Merlin Entertainments, Spanish theme-park owner Parques Reunidos and Dubai World.

Ted Jackovics

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