Ambev S.A. said it has entered into a related-party agreement with its controlling shareholder, Anheuser‑Busch InBev, to continue using and operating the BEES B2B digital commerce platform.
The platform is a core system for taking orders from retailers and small businesses across its markets. The agreement governs Ambev’s use of the BEES platform. The BEES marketplace is a digital ordering, sales and customer-management system that allows bars, restaurants, and retailers to place orders, manage accounts and interact digitally with Ambev’s sales organization.
An AB InBev-controlled entity owns BEES, which it has rolled out globally as the brewer’s primary B2B commerce engine. Under the arrangement, Ambev will pay annual fees for access to the platform and related services. The company said it benchmarked the pricing against comparable digital commerce and technology agreements and reflects market-based terms.
Ambev deal to use AB-InBev’s BEES platform
Ambev also disclosed that the agreement includes provisions that would allow it to participate economically if a third party were to invest in or acquire an interest in the entity that owns BEES — a clause the company said recognizes Ambev’s role and investment in expanding the platform.
Ambev’s governance committee review the deal. Its board approved it without participation from AB InBev-appointed directors, in line with the company’s related-party transaction policy.
For Ambev, BEES has become a central pillar of its go-to-market strategy, shifting customer ordering away from manual, sales-rep-driven processes toward a digital, self-service model. The platform supports product discovery, promotions, order placement and fulfillment coordination. The company has positioned it to improve service levels while lowering selling and distribution costs.
The agreement was disclosed through a regulatory filing requested for transactions involving controlling shareholders. Ambev is listed in Brazil and the United States. AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, indirectly controls it.
Sign up
Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at mark@digitalcommerce360.com. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and YouTube.
