BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anheuser-Busch InBev (Brussel:ABI) (BMV:ANB) (JSE:ANH) (NYSE:BUD):

Regulated and inside information1

Continued momentum with double-digit top-line growth

“Our business delivered sustained profitable growth. Our volume increased by 3.4%, our top-line by 11.3% and EBITDA by 7.2%. The relentless execution of our strategy, the strength of our brands and accelerated digital transformation enabled us to meet the moment in an ongoing dynamic operating environment.” - Michel Doukeris, CEO

Total Revenue
+11.3%
Revenue increased by 11.3% in 2Q22 with revenue per hl growth of 7.5% and by 11.5% in HY22 with revenue per hl growth of 7.9%.

9.7% increase in combined revenues of our global brands, Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona, outside of their respective home markets in 2Q22, and 7.9% in HY22.

Approximately 55% of our revenue now through B2B digital platforms with the monthly active user base of BEES reaching 2.9 million users as of 30 June 2022.

Over 385 million USD of revenue and over 16 million ecommerce orders generated by our direct-to-consumer ecosystem in 2Q22.

Total Volume
+3.4%
In 2Q22, total volumes grew by 3.4%, with own beer volumes up by 2.7% and non-beer volumes up by 8.2%. In HY22, total volumes grew by 3.1% with own beer volumes up by 2.4% and non-beer volumes up by 7.1%.

Normalized EBITDA
+7.2%
In 2Q22 normalized EBITDA of 5 096 million USD represents an increase of 7.2% with normalized EBITDA margin contraction of 127 bps to 34.5%. In HY22, normalized EBITDA increased by 7.5% to 9 583 million USD and normalized EBITDA margin contracted by 122 bps to 34.2%. Normalized EBITDA figures of HY22 and HY21 include an impact of 201 million USD and 226 million USD from tax credits in Brazil. For more details, please see page 10.

Underlying Profit
1 468 million USD
Underlying profit (normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev excluding mark-to-market gains and losses linked to the hedging of our share-based payment programs and the impact of hyperinflation) was 1 468 million USD in 2Q22 compared to 1 507 million USD in 2Q21 and was 2 672 million USD in HY22 compared to 2 606 million USD in HY21.

Underlying EPS
0.73 USD
Underlying EPS was 0.73 USD in 2Q22, a decrease from 0.75 USD in 2Q21 and was 1.33 USD in HY22, an increase from 1.30 USD in HY21.

Net Debt to EBITDA
3.86x
Net debt to normalized EBITDA ratio was 3.86x at 30 June 2022 compared to 3.96x at 31 December 2021.

The 2022 Half Year Financial Report is available on our website at www.ab-inbev.com.

1The enclosed information constitutes inside information as defined in Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on market abuse, and regulated information as defined in the Belgian Royal Decree of 14 November 2007 regarding the duties of issuers of financial instruments which have been admitted for trading on a regulated market. For important disclaimers and notes on the basis of preparation, please refer to page 16.

Management comments

Continued momentum with double-digit top-line growth

We delivered top-line growth of 11.3%, comprised of 3.4% volume and 7.5% revenue per hl growth, driven by revenue management initiatives, ongoing premiumization and expansion of the beer category across most of our key markets supported by increased investment in our brands. EBITDA increased by 7.2% despite anticipated commodity and supply chain cost headwinds.

At the recent 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, we were awarded 50 Lions, a record high for our company.

Consistent execution of our strategy

We continue to execute on and invest in three key strategic pillars to deliver consistent growth and long-term value creation.

See Image 1.

1. Lead and grow the category:
This quarter we delivered volume growth in more than 60% of our markets with total volume growth of 3.4%.

2. Digitize and monetize our ecosystem:
BEES is now live in 18 markets and has reached 2.9 million monthly active users as of 30 June 2022, a 7% increase versus 1Q22. BEES Marketplace is now live in 12 countries with 40% of BEES customers now also Marketplace buyers.

3. Optimize our business:
We continued to deleverage with our net debt to normalized EBITDA ratio decreasing from 3.96x at 31 December 2021 to 3.86x for the 12-month period ending 30 June 2022. Gross debt reduced by $5.5 billion USD in HY22.

1. Lead and grow the category
We are executing on five proven and scalable levers to drive category expansion:

• Inclusive Category: In 2Q22, participation of consumers with our portfolio increased in the majority of our key markets, according to our estimates, driven by brand, pack and liquid innovations. For example, in Colombia we further scaled our local easy-drinking lager brand, Costeña Bacana, with growth driven primarily by legal drinking age consumers between 18-24 years old. In Brazil, the combination of our digital direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform, Zé Delivery, and 300ml returnable glass bottles are driving in-home consumption.
• Core Superiority: In 2Q22, our mainstream portfolio continued to outperform the industry across most of our key markets according to our estimates and delivered high-single digit revenue growth, led by particularly strong performances in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia.
• Occasions Development: Our global brand Stella Artois grew revenue by 7.7% outside of its home market, led by the focus on meal occasions in key markets such as Brazil and Colombia. We continue to grow our non-alcoholic beer portfolio with the successful expansion of Corona Sunbrew in Canada.
• Premiumization: Our above core portfolio grew revenue by approximately 12% this quarter, led by continued double-digit growth of Michelob ULTRA in the US and Mexico and expansion of Spaten in Brazil. Our global brands grew revenue by 9.7% outside of their home markets, led by Corona with 18.2% and Stella Artois with 7.7%. Budweiser grew by 6.1%, despite the impact of COVID-19 restrictions in China, the brand’s largest market.
• Beyond Beer: Our global Beyond Beer business contributed over 425 million USD of revenue in the quarter. In the US, within the spirits-based-ready-to-drink segment, our portfolio continued to grow ahead of the industry led by Cutwater and NÜTRL vodka seltzer. In South Africa, Brutal Fruit and Flying Fish delivered continued double-digit volume growth.

2. Digitize and monetize our ecosystem

• Digitizing our relationships with our more than 6 million customers globally: In 2Q22, the BEES platform captured approximately 7.4 billion USD in gross merchandise value (GMV) with over 24 million orders placed, growth of over 60% and 40% respectively versus 2Q21. Our e-commerce platform for sales of third party products, BEES Marketplace, is now live in 12 countries with 40% of BEES customers now also Marketplace buyers.
• Leading the way in DTC solutions: Our omni-channel direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecosystem of digital and physical DTC products generated revenue of approximately 385 million USD in 2Q22. Our digital DTC brands generated over 16 million orders in the quarter, led by Zé Delivery in Brazil and the continued expansion of our on demand platform in 10 additional markets in Latin America.

3. Optimize our business
In HY22, we continued to efficiently allocate resources across our operations. This enabled further investment behind the organic growth of our business with over 5.3 billion USD in capex and sales and marketing, focused on capacity and capabilities to lead and grow the category, marketing creativity and accelerating digital transformation. Our gross debt reduced from 88.8 billion USD as of 31 December 2021 to 83.3 billion USD as of 30 June 2022, leading to a net debt to EBITDA ratio of 3.86x. Our net interest expense decreased by 134 million USD versus HY21, principally as a result of our gross debt reduction efforts.

Advancing our ESG priorities

We continue to advance our ESG agenda. In June, we commenced operations in our first EverGrain facility in St. Louis, upcycling barley used in the brewing process into high quality, sustainable protein ingredients with an annual capacity of 7 thousand tons. To drive sustainable innovation at scale, this quarter we brought together more than 250 supply chain partners with the launch of our global collaboration initiative Eclipse and, along with our CPG partners, we hosted the 3rd annual demo day of our 100+ Accelerator program. During the event, 34 startups showcased solutions to our sustainability challenges across water stewardship, climate action, smart agriculture, circular packaging and upcycling.

Creating a future with more cheers

Our business continues to build momentum and deliver consistent profitable growth even in the context of the ongoing dynamic operating environment. Our best-in-class portfolio of brands, accelerated digital transformation and global ecosystem provide a unique platform that positions us well to lead and grow the beer category and drive superior long-term value creation.

2022 Outlook

1. Overall Performance: We expect our EBITDA to grow in-line with our medium-term outlook of between 4-8% and our revenue to grow ahead of EBITDA from a healthy combination of volume and price. The outlook for FY22 reflects our current assessment of the scale and magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is subject to change as we continue to monitor ongoing developments.
2. Net Finance Costs: Net pension interest expenses and accretion expenses are expected to be in the range of 170 to 200 million USD per quarter, depending on currency and interest rate fluctuations. We expect the average gross debt coupon in FY22 to be approximately 4.0%. Net finance costs will continue to be impacted by any gains and losses related to the hedging of our share-based payment programs.
3. Effective Tax Rates (ETR): We expect the normalized ETR in FY22 to be in the range of 28% to 30%, excluding any gains and losses relating to the hedging of our share-based payment programs. The ETR outlook does not consider the impact of potential future changes in legislation.
4. Net Capital Expenditure: We expect net capital expenditure of between 4.5 and 5.0 billion USD in FY22.

Figure 1. Consolidated performance (million USD)
		2Q21		2Q22		Organic
						growth
Total Volumes (thousand hls)		144 845		149 729		3.4%
AB InBev own beer		128 625		131 107		2.7%
Non-beer volumes		15 299		17 544		8.2%
Third party products		921		1 079		17.2%
Revenue		13 539		14 793		11.3%
Gross profit		7 819		7 997		4.9%
Gross margin		57.8%		54.1%		-329 bps
Normalized EBITDA		4 846		5 096		7.2%
Normalized EBITDA margin		35.8%		34.5%		-127 bps
Normalized EBIT		3 655		3 811		6.0%
Normalized EBIT margin		27.0%		25.8%		-123 bps
Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev		1 862		1 597
Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev		1 911		1 519
Underlying profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev		1 507		1 468
Earnings per share (USD)		0.93		0.79
Normalized earnings per share (USD)		0.95		0.75
Underlying earnings per share (USD)		0.75		0.73
		HY21		HY22		Organic
						growth
Total Volumes (thousand hls)		280 398		289 074		3.1%
AB InBev own beer		247 635		251 692		2.4%
Non-beer volumes		31 243		35 488		7.1%
Third party products		1 519		1 894		24.7%
Revenue		25 832		28 027		11.5%
Gross profit		14 869		15 243		6.1%
Gross margin		57.6%		54.4%		-277 bps
Normalized EBITDA		9 114		9 583		7.5%
Normalized EBITDA margin		35.3%		34.2%		-122 bps
Normalized EBIT		6 768		7 105		7.1%
Normalized EBIT margin		26.2%		25.4%		-100 bps
Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev		2 458		1 692
Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev		2 924		2 860
Underlying profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev		2 606		2 672
Earnings per share (USD)		1.23		0.84
Normalized earnings per share (USD)		1.46		1.42
Underlying earnings per share (USD)		1.30		1.33