Coors Challenged: Adolph Coors’ agreement to acquire...

Coors Challenged: Adolph Coors’ agreement to acquire most beer assets of Detroit’s Stroh Brewery for $425 million will be challenged on antitrust grounds in federal court and before the Justice Department by S&P; Cos. The challenger’s beer holdings include Pabst, Pearl, Falstaff and General Brewing, which makes Lucky Lager and private label beers. General counsel William M. Bitting said S&P; maintains that if the takeover succeeds, Coors-Stroh would control more than 16% of national sales, third behind Anheuser-Busch (41%) and Miller (21.2%). S&P;’s brands, he said, had 3% of 1988 sales, Stroh 10.7% and Coors 8.6%.