UPDATE: Anheuser-Busch Inbev, PepsiCo To Make Joint Purchases 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.

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.

PepsiCo spokesman Dick Detwiler said the two companies were focused purely on jointly purchasing indirect goods and services and that the deal won't involve commodities. Anheuser-Busch InBev didn't immediately comment.

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 Kathy Shwiff, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2357; [e-mail]