Asahi Group is considering making an offer for SABMiller Plc's Peroni and Grolsch brands in Europe, among other deals, as the largest Japanese beermaker seeks overseas growth amid a stagnating domestic market.
The European beer brands named in recent media reports are among the targets Asahi is considering capital tie-ups, Asahi said in a statement Tuesday, without naming the targets. The brewer of Asahi Super Dry plans to make an offer for Peroni and Grolsch in a transaction that may be valued at as much as 400 billion yen ($3.4 billion), Yomiuri Shimbun reported Saturday, without citing anyone.
“Asahi could afford a purchase price of around 400 billion yen, but it is still not cheap,” Nomura analyst Satoshi Fujiwara wrote in a report. Mergers and acquisitions fits with the Japanese beermaker’s strategy, and it could use Italy-based Peroni and Dutch brand Grolsch’s sales channels to boost sales of its Super Dry brand, he said.
Nothing has been decided at this time, Asahi said in a statement.
The potential deal comes as beer drinking declined in Japan since 2001, with more people turning to alternatives such as whisky and wine even as the population shrinks.
News by Bloomberg, edited by Hospitality Ireland
