Only time can tell

The weather felt grim this morning, moods seemed sober. Is the Dutch Kingdom losing another one of it’s finest? This question pierced through the hearts of many. Confusion and bedazzlement is what must be going through the minds of the wealthy Heineken family. With a third place in terms of market share, SABMiller the #2 from South-African origin, has laid its eyes on those well known green coloured star bottles. You know, the company which sponsors the EUFA Champions league? They seek to takeover ‘our pride’ with the intention of increasing their own market share, as they in turn risk being gobbled up by the #1 in the market, the dreaded Belgians. The only thing which could prevent such a thing is by becoming to big to swallow, a commonly used strategy in the corporate world. Hence a desperate yet at the same time aggressive take-over bid towards Heineken. Will the firm stand its ground or will they gave away one of the last pieces of Dutch cultural heritage? This seems to early to answer, for now… All we know is that the Heineken family has resolutely thrown the first take-over bid into the garbage bin, The Netherlands 1 – 0 South Africa. So, for the time being the danger seems averted. Which companies have already walked down the road of no return though? In the past couple of decades we have seen the fusion of Air France with our #1 airline company KLM, our #1 oil company Royal Dutch Shell is now jointly owned by the British and the inevitable stands at our doorstep with Heineken. Our number one beer company! The question is what will happen when SAB Miller returns with the lines of “I will make you an offer you cannot refuse”. The Heineken family seems keen on maintaining the Dutch pride and identity, yet they will be confronted with their own inner demons: will it be passion or rationale when an improved offer comes in? In these dark times, we pray.