Kirin revives beer plant in Sendai
Kirin Brewery Co. resumed beer production Monday in Sendai after repairing a plant there that was damaged by the March earthquake and tsunami. (more…)
Kirin to issue 70 bln yen in bonds – Nikkei
Japanese beverage maker Kirin Holdings Co plans to issue straight bonds worth 70 billion yen ($912.4 million) as long-term yields decline in a low interest rate environment, the Nikkei business daily reported today. (more…)
Asahi Said to Be Near Agreement to Buy Independent Liquor for $1.2 Billion
Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., Japan’s largest brewer by volume, is close to an agreement to buy New Zealand’s Independent Liquor for about NZ$1.5 billion ($1.2 billion), two people with knowledge of the matter said. (more…)
Japan. Retailers move into brewing
Major retailers are stepping up efforts to compete with leading beer manufacturers by developing and marketing low-priced house-brand beer. (more…)
Asahi Group Holdings 1st Half Net Profit Up 4.7% On Lower Costs
Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. (2502.TO) said Tuesday that its net profit for the interim period ended June 30 grew 4.7% from the previous year, in part due to lower expenses. (more…)
Japan. First-half beer shipments fall to record low since 1992
In Japan shipments of beer and quasi-beer decreased by 3.5% year-on-year to 200,323,000 cases in the first half of 2011, data released on Tuesday by the country’s five major brewers showed. This is the lowest since comparable statistics became available in 1992. The previous low was recorded in 2010. (more…)
Asahi, Kirin to Jointly Distribute Beer, Drinks in Tokyo
Asahi Breweries Ltd. (2502) and Kirin Holdings Co. will jointly distribute some beverages in Tokyo to cut costs and emissions at the nation’s two largest beermakers. (more…)
The Portland of the Far East: craft beer is booming in Japan.
Walking through Tokyo’s garish Roppongi district on my first visit to Japan, I found it remarkably easy to ignore the pulsing high-tech signs promoting electronics, movies, and cars. What caught my eye was probably the most modest ad: a tiny bilingual sandwich board that said “Craft Beer Bar.” When I think of Japanese alcohol, sake and mass-produced lagers come to mind. Apart from the excellent Hitachino Nest, I wasn’t aware of any Japanese craft brewers of note. Skeptical, I squeezed down a narrow staircase into a tiny, subterranean bar, expecting nothing more than insight into which foreign craft beers suit the Japanese palate, and possibly a taste of a Hitachino Nest creation that hadn’t yet crossed the Pacific. (more…)
Asahi Breweries Delays West Japan Plant Closure Amid Supply Concerns
Asahi Breweries Ltd. (2502.TO) said Monday it will postpone the planned shutdown of its brewery in Nishinomiya, western Japan, by one year to provide stable beer supplies amid concerns about power shortages in the east of the country after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (more…)
Japan’s beer shipments fall to record low in May
Total shipments of beer and beer-like drinks in Japan dived 8.6 percent in May from a year earlier to 32.58 million cases, a record low for the reporting month, data by five major brewers showed Friday. (more…)