Asahi Group Holdings Ltd

Asahi Group Holdings announced on the 14th that net profit for the interim consolidated results for the period ending June 2026 rose 68.8 percent year on year to 99.1 billion yen, setting a new record for interim results. In addition to strong overseas operations helped by the weaker yen, the booking of a gain of about 34 billion yen from the sale of land at the Asahi Breweries Hakata plant also contributed. Revenue rose 7.7 percent to 1.4639 trillion yen, with Japan and East Asia, which were affected by a system failure, falling 2.2 percent, while Europe and other regions posted substantial revenue growth thanks to the weaker yen. Overseas, growth in the mainstay Asahi Super Dry stood out.

The growth strategies of Japan's four major domestic brewers are splitting into two paths: Sapporo Breweries and Asahi Group Holdings are expanding their traditional alcohol business into overseas markets, while Kirin Holdings and Suntory Holdings are pursuing overseas growth in the health science field. Sapporo has formed a capital and business alliance with Denmark's Carlsberg, and will expand sales of Sapporo Premium Beer in Southeast Asia through a joint venture in Singapore. Asahi has acquired the East African business of Britain's Diageo for approximately 465.4 billion yen, aiming for growth by leveraging its high market share in Kenya and Tanzania. Kirin expects its health science business to turn profitable for the first time in the fiscal year ending December 2025, targeting revenue of 500 billion yen by 2035, and is also eyeing entry into the North American market. Suntory has acquired Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare, and plans to roughly double its health segment revenue from the current 200 billion yen scale to around 400 billion yen by 2035, through synergies between brands like Loxonin and Lulu and its own health foods and beverages.

Asahi Group Holdings announced its consolidated earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending December 2026 on the 8th, projecting revenue of 3.22 trillion yen, up 11.2% from the previous year, and net profit of 194 billion yen, up 59.6%. The company faced severe shipment restrictions due to a system failure last September, but resumed shipments of all products this April and expects a recovery in performance.

Asahi Group Holdings has signed a franchise agreement with Varun Beverages Limited to launch its CALPIS brand in India, marking its first entry into the country's non-alcohol and non-carbonated beverage market. A ready-to-drink dairy-based product under the CALPIS name will be introduced in the second half of 2026 or later, with two flavors: Original and Mango. Under the alliance, Asahi will handle product development and technical support while its local subsidiary manages marketing and brand management, and Varun Beverages will oversee manufacturing, distribution, and sales. India's non-alcohol beverage market has grown roughly 2.3 times in volume over the past decade through 2025, driven by a population exceeding 1.4 billion and rising health consciousness. Varun Beverages is the second-largest PepsiCo franchisee outside the United States, operating 53 production facilities across India and international markets.