Mirroring China's record economic growth, mergers and acquisitions
activity has boomed to record levels this year. According to
PricewaterhouseCoopers M&A activitity in both Hong Kong and
China grew 168 per cent in the first...
US ingredients giant ADM saw double-digit sales growth for the year
but overall profits were dragged down by a volatile soybean market
in China. The company said that many cancelled orders from soy meal
buyers there had particularly...
The Philippines-based San Miguel Corporation has broken ground on a
non-alcoholic beverage facility in South Vietnam. The move comes as
part of the company's plans to increase its operations outside the
domestic market - aims...
Loders Croklaan, part of the Malaysian IOI Group and a world leader
in the production of palm oil based products for food use, has
confirmed the intended purchase of Malaysian palm oil specialties
company Soctek in an attempt to extend...
The Thai government has announced a series of planned investments
by Chinese companies, one of which includes a THB 500 million
(€10m) aimed at a leading Thai cooking oil business.
In Indonesia Nestlé and Coca Cola have announced the creation of a 50:50 joint venture, Water Partners Bottling (WPB). The new business is being used as a platform to acquire a 65 per cent share of PT AdeS Alfindo Putrasetia (AAPS), the number two player...
French drinks group Rémy Cointreau has reported double-digit growth
in the first quarter of 2004, driven by strong gains in Asia and
the US, but continued weakness in its domestic market took a toll
on Champagne sales.
Although the Chinese economy is showing definite signs of slowing,
experts have said that it is not about to overheat. Investment,
particularly in the food and beverage sector, is continuing apace,
but this being coutnerbalanced by...
Carlsberg
and the Danish Industrialization Fund for Developing Countries
(IFU) have drawn up an agreement with Lanzhou Huanghe Enterprise
Group to acquire 50 per cent of the LanzhouHuanghe Brewery's
operations in the Gansu...
Yields of the Asian staple rice are plummeting at twice the rate
modellers had predicted due to the increasing effects of global
warnings, according to a report from the Philippines-based International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI)....
Australia's biggest wine producer, Southcorp, has announced an
extensive restructuring designed to counteract the affects of a
downturn in the US economy and a weakened Australian dollar. The
AUS93 million (€53.7m) package involves...
Philippine-based food and beverage giant San Miguel has reported
that consolidated net profits in the five months to May of this
year rose 32 per cent to PHP3.29 billion (€47.98m), due mainly to
higher operating income from increased...
A Hong Kong stock Exchange disclosure has revealed that investment
company Castlerigg International has bought a strategic 10.01 per
cent stake in China's Harbin Brewery, a move that looks likely to
put more pressure on international...
The managers of Singapore-listed People's Food have moved to quash
speculation over a profit warning, following rumours that the
company was about to be downgraded by analysts.
Joint ventures (JVs) are rapidly falling out of favour as the
preferred way of establishing a foothold in the China food market,
according to new research. Persistent problems with intellectual
property are highlighted as the core...
PT Indofood Sukses Makmur, the Indonesian wheat flour producer and
food company, has said it is expecting up to 5 per cent growth in
sales for 2004 in the same week that it launches a further bond
offering on the Surabaya Stock Exchange...
China's food and beverage industry continues to be a focus of long
term investment hopes for the multinationals, but as demands on
both ingredients and commodities put pressures on food prices a
report by Deloitte Touche stresses...
A recent report from the Australian National University indicates
that food and beverage companies in the Asia Pacific region will
continue to benefit from strong economic growth in 2004, but that
growth is set to fall back next year.
South Korea's largest liquor maker, Jinro, has moved one step
closer to a sale after a number of investment banks acknowledged
that they were prepared to advise on the matter.
SABMiller has confirmed that it will not proceed with its €500
million offer for Harbin Brewery, in a move that cedes control of
the key China brewer to rival Anheuser-Busch.
Two of Europe's major retail chains, Carrefour and Metro, have
announced plans to expand their operations in China, while a third,
Tesco, is still on the hunt for a partner to enable it to enter the
country's market.
Plans for China's biggest milk producer to float on the Hong Kong
stock exchange were dealt with a blow last week, as Hong Kong's
Hang Seng Index fell to its lowest rate in almost eight months.
Czech Republic brewer Budejovicky Budvar has claimed to have won a
legal victory over global beer giant Anheuser-Busch after it was
granted sole use of its trademark by a South Korean high court,
following an appeal.
Anheuser-Busch has announced the completion of a deal to purchase
around 29 per cent of Chinese brewer Harbin, which is currently
subject to a hostile takeover bid by SABMiller.
Harbin, the leading Chinese brewery, has advised shareholders to
resist SABMiller's takeover bid for the company. The bid was
influenced by Ancheuser-Busch's 29 per cent acquisition of the
company earlier in the week. SABMiller...
The Philippines-based San Miguel Corporation has announced a
regional expansion programme in an effort to increase its market
share outside of the saturated domestic market it now clearly
dominates. In the next six months the food,...
Trade in food and beverage products is expected to grow
significantly on the back of an agreement made between China and
Vietnam which will end tariffs on nearly 500 seafood and
agricultural products during the course of the next...
