It’s been pretty quiet around here (and out there in the real world) on the beer business discussions. You might remember the excitement earlier this year about a possible shake-up on the Australian scene. Lion Nathan were chasing Coca Cola Amatil, and Japanese brewer and soft drink maker Asahi was about to take over Schweppes. The latter did happen, while the former deal was scuppered.
Now it seems Lion Nathan’s major shareholder, Japan’s other big brewer Kirin, has had enough of minor shareholder status, and is seeking to take complete control of Australia’s second largest brewer. A cashed Kirin-run Lion Nathan could make for interesting times down under and hopefully even open warfare with Fosters. Unfortunately the Kirin stable of beers isn’t extensive, but they may at least get more aggressive in their pursuit of new consumers. It is also possible they will treat Australian/NZ as a cash cow as the pursue more faster growing markets in the Asian region (i.e. China).
Irrespective it’s nice to see some movement around the bar…
Tags: Asahi, Australia, beer, brewing, business, Fosters, International business, Kirin, Lion Nathan, mergers and acquisitions, Strategic management
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