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 »

ASX-listed wine businesses Constellation Brands and Australian Vintage have applied for informal merger clearance from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission as talks continue for a possible tie-up between the two firms. The companies advised that talks ”may result in a possible combining of part of CBI’s Australian and U.K. wine operations with AVL in exchange for a non-controlling, 50% equity interest in the combined entity” but warned that there is no certainty... ...Read more »

Australian Vintage announced today that it is in discussions with Constellation Brands “which may result in a possible combining of part of CBI’s Australian and UK wine operations with AVL in exchange for a substantial, but noncontrolling, interest in the combined entity”. The winemaker said that the difficult trading conditions were the impetus for the discussions. “This potential combination would create synergies between the two companies, better positioning both for success... ...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 »

PepsiCo, one of the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers, has announced an improved takeover offer has been accepted by the Boards of their two largest bottlers. Pepsi Bottling Group and Pepsi Americas, who both operate in Europe, North America and Central America, entered into definitive merger agreements with PepsiCo after initially rejecting the approaches of their major shareholder. This forced PepsiCo to offer just under a quarter more than their initial proposal to reap back... ...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 »

Kirin Holdings has announced that it is discussing the prospect of a $51 billion merger with Suntory that would create the world’s fifth largest food and beverage firm and potentially shake-up the beverage sector in Australia. In their statement to the market yesterday Kirin stressed the Suntory discussions were at an “initial stage”. “Nothing has been resolved or reached an agreement at this stage,” they advised. “Kirin will make immediate announcement once anything... ...Read more »

Food and beverage firms Kirin Holdings and Suntory are reportedly in talks regarding a potential multi-billion dollar merger, which could have ramifications on the beverage landscape in Australia. Nikkei English News, citing unidentified people, said the Japanese companies were hoping to reach an agreement by year’s end, with talks between the leaders of the two companies progressing since the end of 2008. Both companies have recently been looking overseas to diversify their portfolios and... ...Read more »