• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wednesday, February 17, 2010 10:36 AM

They are calling it "Kashi" -- as in "go lean" -- and, indeed, one inside source tells Todd C. Frankel that as many as 450 jobs, mostly held by white-collar managers, will be cut. But Anheuser-Busch is spinning the overhaul of its U.S. sales and marketing team in a more positive light: as a way for the InBev subsidiary to strike closer relationships with both distributors and consumers.

Even as it trims overall staff, A-B will increase it sales regions from five to eight with new offices in St. Louis, Denver and Charlotte. There will be renewed emphasis on focus brands Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois with brand teams adding staff and taking over their own marketing and advertising efforts.

Company president Dave Peacock unveiled the plan to make A-B "optimally organized and as efficient as possible" during a nationwide conference call to employees yesterday afternoon, but he did not specify how many employees would be cut while acknowledging some would. Frankel reports that A-B's internal sales numbers show a "precipitous" 12.2% drop in sales this January compared to January 2009.

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