Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd.

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.

Kirin Holdings announced on the 7th that it will acquire all outstanding shares of Canadian supplement giant Jamieson Wellness, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. The acquisition price is 1.898 billion Canadian dollars, or approximately 218.3 billion yen, with the share acquisition expected to take place from October onward following domestic procedures in Canada. As Japan's beer market shrinks, Kirin Holdings aims for growth in health-related businesses and is focusing on products using its proprietary ingredient, plasma lactic acid bacteria. In the health food sector, it has already acquired Fancl and Australia's Blackmores to strengthen its business in the Asia-Oceania region, and this acquisition is intended to further accelerate growth.

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.