Beer Merger On The Table

[Mulboyne]

AFP: Asahi Brewries proposes merger with Sapporo
Japan's largest brewer Asahi Breweries has offered a merger proposal to smaller rival Sapporo Holdings, which also has received an offer from its top shareholder, a US hedge fund, according to a report. Asahi informally made the offer to Japan's third-ranked beer company late last year, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, citing unnamed sources. Asahi hoped to expand its product line-up and to benefit from economies of scale through the merger, the Yomiuri said. Although Sapporo has not made a clear reply, there is speculation that talks between the two Japanese firms may speed up, especially after US hedge fund Steel Partners on Thursday made an offer to take a majority stake of Sapporo, the newspaper said...more...

[canman]

Is more like it Mulboyne. The barbarians are at the gate, we must protect the women and children. Forget that Asahi and Sapporo have been rivals for over a hundred years, toss all that out when a foreign firm tries to take over. I didn't hear Sapporo saying anything when they took over Slemans of Canada. What a bunch.

[dimwit]

[Doctor Stop]

Asahi Breweries Ltd. President Hitoshi Ogita said Saturday his company has no plans to propose business and capital tieups to Sapporo Holdings Ltd., which as been targeted for a buyout by a U.S. investment fund.

Ogita told reporters he has no plans to meet with Sapporo officials.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070218a5.html

A merger isn't out of the question. Sapporo and Asahi in fact merged in the past to form Dai Nippon and then later split.

[Captain Japan]

Sapporo denies reports it is seeking white knight to block U.S. fund takeover bid
Mainichi

Brewery Sapporo Holdings denied reports Sunday that it was seeking help from its bigger rivals to block a takeover attempt by a U.S. investment fund.

Major Japanese newspapers including the Mainichi reported Sunday that Japan's No. 1 beer maker Asahi Breweries was considering a white-knight bid to block the investment fund's takeover of Sapporo.

"There is no truth to the reports about those proposals," Sapporo spokesman Tatsuya Komatsu said. He also denied reports that the company was approached by Kirin Brewery Ltd., or was considering a tie-up with Kirin, the country's second-largest brewer....more...