The head of National Foods has admitted the Australian dairy group is still “some distance” off generating “acceptable” returns as the company integrates local firm Dairy Farmers. National Foods managing director Andrew Reeves said the coming together of the two companies during 2009 had created a “leading branded dairy and juice business” – and he insisted the combined group was “well-positioned” to invest in its business. While Reeves said National... ...Read more »

Japanese food and drink group Kirin Holdings has shuffled its management pack as the company looks to push on with plans to drive earnings. Kirin, which owns Australia’s Dairy Farmers and National Foods, said today (10 February) that executive vice president Senji Miyake would become president and CEO from next month. Current CEO Kazuyasu Kato will become Kirin’s chairman. The promotion of Miyake is the latest move from Kirin to establish “a leading company” in food and health... ...Read more »

Lion Nathan will officially be delisted from the ASX at the close of business tomorrow. An employer of over 3,000 in Australia and New Zealand, Lion Nathan’s roots trace back to New Zealand with the 1914 creation of New Zealand Breweries. After building up a significant business in New Zealand the company looked to Australia for growth, with expansion taking a major step forward in 1990 with the purchases of Tooheys Brewery and Castlemain Perkins. Since then they have further extended their... ...Read more »

Kirin Holdings has received approval from Lion Nathan shareholders for a multi-billion dollar takeover that will create the largest food and beverage group in Australia. Australia’s second-largest brewer will join National Foods and Dairy Farmers as recent acquisitions by Kirin in Australia as the Japanese firm looks to boost profits while their home market remains in a rut. A meeting with shareholders was held today with 98.75 per cent of votes cast in favour of the scheme. Pending final court... ...Read more »

Kirin Holdings and Suntory have sought approval from the competition watchdog in Japan for their merger plan despite being yet to announce a final agreement on a deal, according to reports from Japan. The merger would create one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies – ranking in the top five globally, with a major presence here in Australia. Together, Suntory and Kirin would combine to create a powerhouse in the beverage industry in Australia; with Kirin having recently purchased... ...Read more »

Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings has reported a 16 per cent drop in operating profit as the exchange rate hurts their Australian operations and Japanese consumption remains subdued. Despite the drop in profit, the owner of National Foods consolidated Dairy Farmers into their Australian fruit juice and dairy business with better-than-expected results and has now raised their profit expectations for the full year. Kirin said that Lion Nathan, which they are currently seeking to buy (they currently own... ...Read more »

Kirin’s Australian operations will soon be renamed Lion Nathan National Foods Pty Ltd, provided shareholders of brewer Lion Nathan accept their takeover proposal. The Japanese brewer’s plans have been outlined today in the Scheme Booklet released by Lion Nathan. It shows that their large food and beverage operation in Australia – National Foods – will be united with Lion Nathan, while the management team will largely be drawn from Lion. The only part of their Australian operation... ...Read more »

Suntory, the owner of Frucor and one of Japan’s larger brewers, is still considering the option of a merger with Kirin Holdings – which would create a food and beverage firm of an equivalent size to PepsiCo. Analysts believe such a merger will give them the ability to take price leadership in their stagnant home market, while also allowing them to speed up their overseas expansion plans – which have largely centred on Australia to date. “If a merger is realized, that would... ...Read more »

Kirin Holdings is planning to commit to a merger with Suntory in the near future in a bid to become the leading player in the food and beverage sectors in Asia and Oceania, according to a report published today. “We aim to be a leading company in Asia and Oceania,” Kirin Holdings Co. president Kazuyasu Kato told the Nikkei economic daily. “We’ll bolster our business strength and accelerate our expansion in overseas growth markets” by integrating operations with Suntory... ...Read more »

Australia’s second largest brewer has seen their Australian beer division offset headwinds in wine and New Zealand, upon reaffirming guidance for the full year. Lion Nathan, which is likely to be acquired by major shareholder Kirin Holdings later in the year, said that volumes grew 3 per cent in the nine months to the end of June. Their Australian beer sector led the way, with robust volume growth of 5 per cent. The strength of brands XXXX Gold, Tooheys, Hahn Super Dry and Boag’s Draught... ...Read more »