Asahi Group Holdings posted another fall in alcohol sales in December as the business continues to grapple with the effects of the cyberattack last year.
Sales in the Japanese company’s Asahi Breweries division dropped by more than a fifth in December compared to the same month in 2024.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
In a statement today (15 January), the Nikka whisky owner said the business unit’s preliminary revenue in December “was in the upper 70% year-on-year”.
Sales between October and December were also down by a similar level, with the group confirming preliminary revenue “was in the low 80%” of the amount booked in the same period in 2024.
The Super Dry brewer was hit by a cyberattack at the end of September. At the time, the business reported a “systems failure” linked to the attack, which affected production and distribution across its domestic business. Asahi’s factories in Japan resumed operations a week later.
In its statement to investors today, Asahi said it planned to announce the full sales performance figures for its Japanese operations “once the systems are fully restored”.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataAsahi’s soft drinks unit, which produces brands like Calpis and Wanda, also saw sales decline by more than 20% in December year-on-year, with preliminary revenue being “in the upper 70%” compared to the same month the year prior.
Sales in this division slightly improved in the month compared to November, when the unit’s sales were “in the mid 70%” of the level generated in November 2024.
The group’s food business in Japan saw sales in December sit “in the mid 90%” of the level recorded in December the previous year.
In November, the Peroni beer brand owner said nearly two million people could have had personal data leaked in connection with the cyberattack in Japan.
Around 1.5 million of the potentially affected group included customers who contacted customer service centres at the company’s Asahi Breweries, Asahi Soft Drinks and Asahi Group Foods unit, all of which are based in Japan and supply the domestic market.
Just Drinks has asked Asahi to confirm whether the estimated number of people affected has now changed.
