by FoodBizDaily.com staff writer
December 15 2009 - In a move intended to tap into the fast-growing Vietnamese beer market, Japan’s Sapporo Holdings says it is acquiring a 50% stake from Carlsberg and another 15% stake from Vietnam National Tobacco Corp, in the beer joint venture those companies maintain in Vietnam.
Sapporo’s decision follows aggressive moves by bigger rivals Kirin and Suntory to move into overseas markets to offset a reduced domestic market.
After China and Japan, Vietnam is the third largest beer market in Asia.
The total for Sapporo’s acquisition is worth US$25.4 million. This joint venture will result in a new beer factory in Vietnam to produce Sapporo beer, expected to hit the market in early 2012 with a sales target of $128 million by 2019.
Sapporo says its overseas expansion plans do not stop with Vietnam.
Japanese brewers have been scrambling to diversify and introduce their products to other markets in order to reduce reliance on the shrinking, recession-struck domestic beer market (15% loss in volume in the past decade).
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Sapporo Breweries Limited
Address: 4-20-1 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8522 Japan
Telephone: +81-3-5423-7224
Fax: +81-3-5423-2048
About Sapporo Breweries Limited
Sapporo Breweries vigorously engages in marketing activities with its premium Yebisu Beer, standard Sapporo Black Label, two refreshing happo-shu (low malt) brands, Hokkaido Namashibori and Sapporo Sugomi , a genre-pioneering low-alcohol beverage Draft One, Umai Nama with a satisfying taste and W-DRY in pursuit of bitterness and clear aftertaste. With this unique marketing strategy, we aim to improve Sapporo Breweries' brand-value overall.