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Sapporo Holdings

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This month, we welcome a new beer commentator to just-drinks. In his first outing, Stephen Beaumont considers whether Asia's brewers are best placed to feast on the scraps from Anheuser-Busch InBev's table as it devours SABMiller.

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Japan's major drinks companies have been hit hard by the aftermath of the earthquake, but their core strategies remain unshaken.

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M&A activity within the beer sector this year has been limited to just the one big transaction, in Mexico. Larry Nelson believes, however, that 2010 could have served as the calm before the storm, with the next wave of consolidation expected to break soon. Indeed, according to some, that wave could even be a tsunami, the size of which the world's brewers have never seen before.

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The latest sales figures to emerge from Japan's largest brewers have underlined that they must either dive into overseas markets or face stagnation and decay at home.

It is 40 years since Tsutomu Kamijo walked in the door at Sapporo, but he remembers it like it was yesterday.

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Sapporo Holdings is one of Japan's biggest alcohol and soft drinks producers and the country's oldest brewer. This month, Andy Morton met with its president, Tsutomu Kamijo, to discuss why he'd like to get his hands on Anheuser-Busch InBev's Pilsner Urquell, the state of play in Vietnam and why even BrewDog's founder gets excited about Sapporo's beer.

Japan's domestic beer shipments fell to a record low for the fifth first-half-year in a row, as all three segments of the category declined amid tax changes, according to local reports.

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Fresh talks between Sapporo and workers at one of its Canadian factories have failed to resolve an ongoing strike.

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Sapporo’s Canadian beer unit, Sleeman Breweries, has said it is seeking a quick end to a factory dispute after 80 workers went on strike.

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Japanese brewer Sapporo has appointed Yoshihito Kuzuhara as the new head of its US unit.

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Sapporo Holdings' renewed focus on beer is paying off as profits last year surged on the back of fresh domestic growth for its core lager brands.

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Domestic beer volumes in Japan fell by 3% last year as shipments from all five major brewers declined, according to local reports.

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Sapporo Holdings is keen to acquire Czech brewer Pilsner Urquell, its president has told just-drinks, but only if the unit is separated from Anheuser-Busch InBev's other former SABMiller assets.

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Sapporo Holdings has its domestic alcohol unit to thank for year-to-date figures that struggled with sliding sales overseas.

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Sapporo Holdings aims to more than double its international profits by 2020 as part of ambitious new growth targets.

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Sapporo has lined up a US-specific dark lager under its namesake beer brand.

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A sharp decline in domestic sales for Kirin Brewery dragged down the Japanese beer market in the first quarter of the year as rival brewers posted growth, according to a report.

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Consumers in Ontario are now allowed to buy beer from grocery stores, as the state government continues to relax alcohol monopoly laws.

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Canadian province Ontario is to allow 60 grocery stores to sell beer as it continues plans to relax alcohol monopoly laws for the benefit of small brewers.

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Here's a look at what was happening on this day in...

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Here's a round-up of this week's highlights in the global beer category. We are also running similar round-ups for soft drinks & bottled water and spirits & wine.

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Sapporo has protested a decision to refuse it an JPY11.5bn (US$92.7m) tax rebate, according to a report.

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Here's a look at what was happening on this day in...

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Here's a look at what was happening on this day in...

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Here's a look at what was happening on this day in...

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Here's a look at what was happening on this day in...

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Here's a look at what was happening on this day in...

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Sapporo International has launched a North American TV campaign for its namesake beer.

To celebrate its 250th anniversary, Cognac brand Hennessy is trumpeting a virtual time capsule, making a parallel between it and a barrel of Cognac.