Asahi, the leading brewery from Japan announced this Monday at a press conference that it intends to buy two liquor companies from Asahi Kasei Corporation. The acquisition will be accomplished by the end of this fiscal year and will cost between $22.7 mln and $30 mln.

The tendency of Asahi to increase its influence on the Japanese liquor market
(Asahi has signed as well a licensing contract with the Dutch liquor giant Maxxium) is connected to the situation of beer industry from Japan, where brewers face a drastic price competition, dropping sales and smaller margins.

16 April, 2002