Carlsberg has chosen not to comment on reports this week claiming that discussions are underway with Japanese brewer & conglomerate Sapporo Holdings regarding the divestment of unspecified assets in Asia.
Citing unnamed “people familiar with the matter”, Bloomberg made the claim in a report that was published on Monday (17 November). The negotiations centre around the consideration of a sale by Carlsberg of “a potential minority stake in its Asia business”.
The Copenhagen-headquartered group oversees 34 breweries across the region, with China its biggest market in sales terms. Based in Hong Kong and employing around 12,000, Carlsberg Asia operates in eight markets – Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.
The Bloomberg report did not contain more specific details on what assets Carlsberg deems surplus to requirements in Asia.
When contacted by Global Drinks Intel, a spokesperson for Carlsberg declined to comment on what they called “market speculation”. The claim comes almost exactly three months after the group inaugurated a US$90m expansion of The Phu Bai Brewery in the central Vietnamese city of Hué that made the facility its largest production site in Asia.
Almost exactly two years ago, Carlsberg’s division in Malaysia commenced a licence and distribution agreement with the Sapporo Breweries business for Sapporo Premium Beer in Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore. The production, sales, marketing and distribution arrangement has three more years to run with a renewal of a further three years, “unless either party provides written notice of non-renewal”.
In mid-2022, Sapporo bought San Diego’s Stone Brewing through its US division, a move that led to the brewing of Sapporo Premium Beer for the domestic market shifting to Stone Brewing’s two production facilities in the country.
