Sapporo Breweries Limited

Sapporo Breweries' profit attributable to owners of the parent for the first half of the fiscal year ending December 2026 surged to 295.4 billion yen. In the same period a year earlier, the figure was 1.7 billion yen, with the main factor being the recognition of a 315 billion yen gain from loss of control of a subsidiary in the first closing accompanying the introduction of outside capital into the real estate business. Operating profit was a loss of 5.8 billion yen due to impairment losses in the vending machine business and structural reform costs, but business profit rose 37.2 percent year on year to 6.7 billion yen. Full-year forecasts remain unchanged, with revenue of 505 billion yen, operating profit of 6 billion yen, and profit for the period of 296 billion yen.

Japan's three major beer companies have released their consolidated results for the first half of the fiscal year ending June 2026, with Suntory Holdings, Sapporo Breweries, and Kirin Holdings all reporting higher revenue. Kirin Holdings raised its full-year forecast, with revenue reaching a record high. At Suntory Holdings, core domestic brands and the new product Guilty Carbonated NOPE contributed to growth, but inflation in the United States led to sluggish consumption among low- and middle-income earners, causing overseas alcoholic beverage operating profit to fall 24.6 percent year on year. Sapporo Breweries saw strong beer sales both at home and abroad, with particularly notable growth in Asian markets.

Sapporo Breweries announced on the 7th its medium-term management plan covering fiscal 2027 through 2030, revealing plans for share buybacks totaling approximately 170 billion yen by fiscal 2030 as a shareholder return measure. Total dividends during the new medium-term plan period are expected to be around 80 billion yen, with a financial target of return on equity of 8.0% or higher. The company also established a separate growth investment framework of roughly 400 billion yen, indicating plans to expand beer production capacity in North America and Vietnam. Consolidated results for the January–June 2026 period, released the same day, showed net profit surging to 295.4 billion yen from 1.7 billion yen a year earlier, driven by the sale of its real estate business.

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.

Sapporo Breweries announced on the 6th that it will form a capital and business alliance with Danish beer giant Carlsberg. They will establish a joint venture in Singapore to strengthen sales of Sapporo brand beer in rapidly growing Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. Sapporo will invest about 643 million dollars and hold a 25 percent stake.

Sapporo Breweries announced on the 6th that it will form a capital and business alliance with Danish brewing giant Carlsberg. The announcement was made by Sapporo President Hiroshi Tokimatsu at a press conference held that afternoon in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.