Asahi’s Australian division to hit the gas on growth
JAPANESE beverage giant Asahi has given the blessing for its Australian arm to push the accelerator on growth, whether by acquisition or further investment in its manufacturing capabilities, with local chief executive Robert Iervasi enthusiastically taking up the challenge to extend his drinks portfolio across the sector.
Mr Iervasi said Asahi in Australia, which recently bought leading coffee business Allpress Espresso, had also not delayed major projects or investments because of the uncertainty around Covid-19, and would keep its capital expenditure for 2021 steady around $100m.
“The position we are in at the moment as we emerge out of the Covid pandemic, which is really encouraging, is that we are on track to deliver strong sales and profit growth across Oceania in 2020. And there has been no pausing from a material investment perspective,” said Mr Iervasi, chief executive for Asahi Beverages Oceania region.
“We make up one of three regions for Asahi globally – there is Japan, Europe and Oceania – and we are considered one of the growth engines for the global organisation.”
Asahi has been investing in the region since it acquired the Schweppes soft drinks business in 2009 for $1.2bn, followed by one of the biggest corporate deals in recent years with the 2019 agreement to buy Carlton United Breweries for $16bn. Along the way there have also been more bite-size deals such as in the craft beer market.
In Australia and New Zealand Mr Iervasi now oversees 17 manufacturing sites, across alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic drinks and coffee and wants to be the “multi-beverage provider of choice”.