Asahi Mulls Bid for SABMiller's Peroni, Grolsch Brands in Europe
- Japanese beermaker seeks overseas deals amid domestic slump
- SABMiller selling units to smooth way for takeover by AB InBev
Bottles of Wilkinson sparkling water move along the production line of the Asahi Soft Drinks Co. Mount Fuji factory in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on Wednesday, March 19, 2014. Asahi Soft Drinks Co. is a unit of Asahi Group Holdings Ltd., Japan's second-largest beermaker.
Photographer: Akio Kon/BloombergAsahi Group Holdings Ltd. is considering making an offer for SABMiller Plc’s Peroni and Grolsch brands in Europe, among other deals, as the largest Japanese beermaker seeks overseas growth amid a stagnating domestic market.
The European beer brands named in recent media reports are among the targets Asahi is considering capital tie-ups, Asahi said in a statement Tuesday, without naming the targets. The brewer of Asahi Super Dry plans to make an offer for Peroni and Grolsch in a transaction that may be valued at as much as 400 billion yen ($3.4 billion), Yomiuri Shimbun reported Saturday, without citing anyone.