2nd UPDATE: Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo To Make Joint Buys In US

Beer maker Anheuser-Busch Inbev NV (BUD, ABI.BT) and food and beverage company PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) agreed to jointly purchase goods and services for their U.S. operations to get more competitive prices.

The purchases may include information-technology hardware, office supplies, travel services, transportation, and maintenance, repair and operating supplies.

While it is unusual for large independent companies to make joint purchases, Anheuser-Busch InBev and PepsiCo go back a long way. AmBev, which is part of the Belgian brewer, is a PepsiCo bottler in Brazil and several other Latin American countries.

Still, the pact raises questions about how the companies could collaborate even further, possibly taking advantage of their distribution capabilities. Industry watchers have often speculated about the possibility of a wider collaboration between the two beverage companies, although there are no signs that latest pact will translate into anything bigger in the near future.

In an e-mail statement, Anheuser-Busch InBev said the agreement "is nothing more than joint purchasing in the United States for goods and services for use primarily in U.S. operations." No further joint activities are being contemplated at this time, the brewer said.

PepsiCo spokesman Dick Detwiler also said the two companies were focused purely on jointly purchasing indirect goods and services. The deal won't involve commodities, he said.

A team of procurement experts for each company will focus on common areas of spending and negotiate purchases on behalf of both companies.

Anheuser-Busch Inbev's shares fell 0.2%, to $47.46 in after-hours trading, while PepsiCo's rose one cent, to $60.61.

-By Anjali Cordeiro, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2200; [e-mail]

-By Kathy Shwiff contributed to this article.