Latest news with #Kirin
Japan Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Beaujolais Nouveau's fanbase finally dries up in Japan
Kirin Holdings' wine unit will stop selling Beaujolais Nouveau in Japan, in a sign of soaring costs and changing tastes in what had been a holdout export market. The wine producer and importer Mercian, a unit of Kirin, will halt sales of the early-release wine from this autumn, a spokesperson said. The company said it made the decision on rising freight costs and the shifting preferences of wine drinkers in Japan. Beaujolais Nouveau has clung on to popularity in Japan, even after its global boom in the 1980s waned. As recently as 2021, Japan was its largest export market, accounting for around 3.6 million bottles — more than twice that of the next-biggest market, the U.S. As the weather cools and Nouveau season begins, importers such as Suntory's spirits unit and Vinos Yamazaki still hold tasting events. One hot spring resort in the holiday town of Hakone even offers an annual opportunity to bathe in the wine from eastern France. But imports have been declining. According to estimates by Suntory of total Beaujolais imports, demand in 2024 fell far below the recent peak of 2004, when Japan took in over 12 million bottles. In 2024, Asahi narrowed its Beaujolais Nouveau sales to be offered only through an upmarket subsidiary, Enoteca, while Suntory will continue the sale of the wine this year. Kirin will continue some sales of Beaujolais Nouveau through a group company. "We imagine that the way our customers choose and enjoy their wine will continue to diversify with time,' the company's spokesperson said.
Nikkei Asia
10-07-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Japan's Kirin to expand drinks sales in Taiwan and South Korea
Kirin Brewery President Hideki Horiguchi speaks during an interview on July 4 in Tokyo. A full-scale rollout of the Harekaze beer brand in Taiwan is planned if a three-month trial proves satisfactory, he said. (Photo by Yukinori Okamura) YURIKA YONEDA TOKYO -- Kirin Brewery rolled out a trial of a recently-developed beer brand in Taiwan on Wednesday, as the Japanese drinks group tries to expand beyond its home market which is in decline as the population shrinks. Taiwan will be the first market outside Japan to sell Harekaze beer, a brand launched in April 2024 that Kirin says is popular with consumers who do not normally drink beer.
Mint
26-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Bira beer maker raises ₹85 cr in rights issue, cuts workforce to rein in costs
New Delhi/Mumbai: B9 Beverages has already raised ₹85 crore by selling fresh shares to existing investors at a massive discount, as the maker of Bira beer shrinks its workforce and restructures its operations to focus on fewer markets to cut costs, people close to the development said. The company, founded by Ankur Jain in 2015, is raising a total ₹100 crore in a rights issue for working capital requirements, and the remainder ₹15 crore is expected to be raised by the middle of July, the people cited earlier said on the condition of anonymity. These shares are being sold at ₹325 apiece, a substantial discount of 55% from a previous round when Japanese beer maker Kirin came in at over ₹700 per share. B9 currently has about 6,500 private investors, and a large family office is also likely to now come in as a first-time investor. The people cited earlier also said B9 has now reworked its arrangements with four breweries, which will no longer manufacture exclusively for them. This is being done to control costs. Read more: India's liquor stocks are on a high—what's fuelling the rally, and what could derail it It is also in the midst of raising an ₹800 crore round through which some of its early backers may look to cash out. A rights issue is a mechanism to raise funds, in which a company offers its existing shareholders the chance to buy more shares typically at a discounted price, in proportion to their holdings. Workforce shrink "A huge amount of shares have come up for sale in the last two years largely because of an exodus of employees in the last two years who sold their employee stock options (Esops). The company has also pruned its employee base from 975-odd employees to 500 or so, some of these corporate employees had stock options. Interestingly the number of shareholders is more than what restaurant aggregator Zomato had itself before its IPO," said a company official, who is close to the development. Beer production is a capital-intensive industry, with states claiming nearly two-thirds of its revenues. It also has high freight costs, which reduces profitability. As per B9 Beverages' most recent filings with the ministry of corporate affairs, its operating revenue slumped to ₹638.5 crore in FY24 from ₹824.3 crore in FY23. Losses also widened significantly, rising to ₹748.8 crore in FY24 compared to ₹445.4 crore in FY23. The company, which had earlier planned to go public in 2026, has now put it off to 2028. Mint has also learnt that the company has multiple share classes, with equity holders owning only a small portion of the shares as of 16 June, when part of the rights issue closed. Other passive shareholders will also participate and the window will close by the middle of next month. So far, it has already received commitments for about 85% of the right's issue amount and the aggregate number of investors participating so far is over 300, which includes the large family office, which is expected to come for the first time. "It's definitely a big discount from the last time when the Japanese beer maker came in at ₹718 per share. From that, this is a 55% discount, that's why a lot of employees have participated. It's a good price. While my investment could go either way, most investors and myself believe this could go up because it's strengthening its position in many markets again, one of which is Delhi," the official cited earlier added. Shifting focus The company, according to its latest investor relations report accessed by Mint, has now reduced its focus from 25-30 big markets to just the bigger metros and four tier-II cities. Queries sent to Ankur Jain, the company's founder, remained unanswered till press time. Read more: India is the world's fastest-growing alcohol market when global demand cools In FY23, Japan's Kirin Global (the makers of Kirin Ichiban beer) invested $70 million to become the largest shareholder in B9 Beverages. In FY24, Tokyo-based Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group invested $10 million in the company, which subsequently secured an additional $50 million in external commercial borrowing from Kirin and Tiger Pacific Capital. In February, Mint also reported that B9 was facing troubles with tax authorities in various states with huge pending liabilities not just to states but also to employees who had not been receiving salaries on time. However, a bulk of its employee dues from the last financial year have now been settled, said two company insiders. It has also worked on changing its sales and supply chain models in an attempt to turn the company around. It is now largely focusing on distributing its beer instead of manufacturing it, much like what other brands in the FMCG sector do, easing up its requirements for fixed and working capital. It has now reworked its business model with four breweries to move to contract manufacturing. Just two breweries—in Gwalior and Nagpur—will continue to exclusively produce for them. The beer company, in its investor deck, added that it was streamlining operations to focus on Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra—which now account for 55% of its revenue. It said it cut its manufacturing footprint by 40%, reducing capacity from 25 million to 15 million cases to improve utilisation to 58% by FY26 and slash factory overheads by nearly 50%. A shift to contract manufacturing at four breweries will save it as much as ₹600 crore annually, it added. With this, its margins could rise to 66% in FY26 from 63% in FY24. Fixed costs, too, it said, had dropped by ₹2,000 crore versus FY24, driven by a 40% reduction in headcount and tighter control over marketing, with spends now focused on in-store promotions. Read more: India's liquor makers are having a party. And it's not going to end soon According to industry body Brewers Association of India, 400 million beer cases were sold in FY23 and about 430 million in FY25. Three large brands command an 86% share of the overall market, including Kingfisher, Carlsberg and Budweiser maker Ab InBev (in no particular order). According to Bira's investor deck for May 2025, it is the country's fourth-largest beer company with a manufacturing capacity of 2.1 million hectolitres or 25 million cases per annum.
Phone Arena
19-05-2025
- Phone Arena
Huawei's brand-new MateBook Fold laptop has both an 18-inch and a 13-inch display
It has a top display, it has a bottom display – it's the new laptop from Huawei, called the MateBook Fold Ultimate first foldable PC marks a new entry into the foldable computing segment years after Lenovo debuted the world's first foldable PC. This device is also one of the earliest Huawei PCs to run on HarmonyOS 1.16 kg, the new MateBook Fold measures 7.3 mm when unfolded and 14.9 mm when folded. My flagship phone is barely thinner than that!The computer uses a custom water drop hinge designed for foldable devices, allowing the screen to maintain angles between 30° and 150°. An integrated kickstand supports landscape use without additional an 18-inch tandem OLED LTPO display that folds into a compact 13-inch form factor. It offers a 3.3K resolution (3296 x 2472 pixels), a 92% screen-to-body ratio, peak brightness up to 1600 nits, 1440Hz PWM dimming, and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Image by Huawei Internally, the MateBook Fold comes with 32 GB of RAM and offers either 1 TB or 2 TB SSD storage options. While Huawei hasn't confirmed the processor, it is likely to feature a Kirin chip similar to other recent Huawei laptops. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi, two USB-C ports, and a fingerprint scanner built into the power button. It also has an 8MP front camera, six speakers, four microphones, and a 74.69Wh battery. A 74.69Wh battery is considered solid for a lightweight, portable laptop. Rather than measuring in milliamp-hours (mAh) like smartphones, watt-hours (Wh) is the preferred metric for laptops, as it reflects the total energy capacity regardless of general, a battery over 70Wh suggests decent endurance, especially for ultrabooks or foldable devices designed for mobility. Depending on the processor and power management of HarmonyOS 5, this battery could offer several hours of use on a single charge. Huawei hasn't specified expected runtime, but similar laptops with this capacity often last 8 to 12 hours under moderate foldable PC supports both a virtual keyboard and a bundled physical keyboard. The detachable keyboard includes a touchpad, 1.5 mm key travel, and weighs 290 grams. It is 5 mm thin and can last up to 24 days on a single charge. Users can also pair external Bluetooth keyboards and also includes a range of accessories: a 140W charger, braided USB-C cable, screen cleaning cloth, a large carrying bag, and a smaller pouch for accessories. It's the kind of accessory that makes me smile!Available in Black, Blue, and White, the MateBook Fold is priced at CNY 23,999 (~$3,300 when directly converted) for the 1 TB model and ~$3,700 (when directly converted) for the 2 TB version. That's substantially more expensive than Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Fold 16, which launched at $2,899. The MateBook Fold will officially launch on June 6, but is already available for pre-order!
The Advertiser
18-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Why this Tokyo-Sydney business-class flight is worth every yen
Like so many travellers right now, I am having a love affair with Japan. Reluctant to give up the nation's charm and eloquence when I leave, I decide to prolong the experience by snaffling a discounted business-class ticket on ANA's Friday night service from Tokyo to Sydney. CHECKING IN: There is no check-in because I am transiting from a London-Tokyo flight, but last time I checked in for NH879 it was a 10-minute breeze, and there are always super polite ANA staff to help. I have a very generous 64kg checked-in luggage allowance (2x 32kg bags) and 10kg of carry-on. I paid for a third checked suitcase (at $110, cheaper than air-freight). In the vast ANA business lounge I book a shower in one of the spacious, spotless bathrooms, then find delicious katsu curry, great Japanese whiskies and Kirin beer from robotic taps. THE FLIGHT: My flight, on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, is delayed, leaving closer to 1am on Saturday rather than the scheduled 10.45pm on Friday. Not ideal but champagne, shochu and a truly delicious Japanese banquet numb the pain. I get a solid six-hour sleep. We land two hours late and ANA almost immediately emails me telling me how to apply for 3000 yen in compensation: about $32 but it's better than nothing. THE CLASS: I'm in 1A in business. There are 40 business-class seats in a 1-2-1 layout; each has direct aisle access and reclines to a fully flat 189cm long, 49cm wide bed. I have a universal plug socket, USB port, headphone port, reading light, 18-inch touchscreen, pillow, blanket and mattress, which looks flimsy but is actually very comfortable. Window seats in even-numbered rows offer more privacy as they are separated from the aisle by a side table. FOOD & DRINKS: One of the best in-flight meals I've had in years. I order the Japanese "washoku" meal (there's a Western alternative) and enjoy a selection of small starters including shrimp fish cake and cherry blossom tofu with crab, with a glass of Drappier champagne, then ocean perch with an aromatic Kawagoe sweet potato shochu. It's a delicious riot of flavours and all beautifully presented. You can get snacks after the main service, including a moreish corn soup. ENTERTAINMENT: The range of films, TV and audio is OK but nothing special. I watch a Japanese film without subtitles to see if I can get the plot; I fail but the scenery is beautiful. The TV series are not complete sets; season one of Veep has only the first three episodes (out of eight). THE SERVICE: ANA business-class service on this flight is as good as it gets and everything works first time. I call the attendants only once, to get a shochu top-up, and they arrive in seconds. IN A NUTSHELL: ANA is fast becoming my airline of choice and this flight proves why, despite the delay: impeccable service, great food, comfy flat-bed seat and a clean-as-a-whistle cabin. The writer flew at his own expense Like so many travellers right now, I am having a love affair with Japan. Reluctant to give up the nation's charm and eloquence when I leave, I decide to prolong the experience by snaffling a discounted business-class ticket on ANA's Friday night service from Tokyo to Sydney. CHECKING IN: There is no check-in because I am transiting from a London-Tokyo flight, but last time I checked in for NH879 it was a 10-minute breeze, and there are always super polite ANA staff to help. I have a very generous 64kg checked-in luggage allowance (2x 32kg bags) and 10kg of carry-on. I paid for a third checked suitcase (at $110, cheaper than air-freight). In the vast ANA business lounge I book a shower in one of the spacious, spotless bathrooms, then find delicious katsu curry, great Japanese whiskies and Kirin beer from robotic taps. THE FLIGHT: My flight, on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, is delayed, leaving closer to 1am on Saturday rather than the scheduled 10.45pm on Friday. Not ideal but champagne, shochu and a truly delicious Japanese banquet numb the pain. I get a solid six-hour sleep. We land two hours late and ANA almost immediately emails me telling me how to apply for 3000 yen in compensation: about $32 but it's better than nothing. THE CLASS: I'm in 1A in business. There are 40 business-class seats in a 1-2-1 layout; each has direct aisle access and reclines to a fully flat 189cm long, 49cm wide bed. I have a universal plug socket, USB port, headphone port, reading light, 18-inch touchscreen, pillow, blanket and mattress, which looks flimsy but is actually very comfortable. Window seats in even-numbered rows offer more privacy as they are separated from the aisle by a side table. FOOD & DRINKS: One of the best in-flight meals I've had in years. I order the Japanese "washoku" meal (there's a Western alternative) and enjoy a selection of small starters including shrimp fish cake and cherry blossom tofu with crab, with a glass of Drappier champagne, then ocean perch with an aromatic Kawagoe sweet potato shochu. It's a delicious riot of flavours and all beautifully presented. You can get snacks after the main service, including a moreish corn soup. ENTERTAINMENT: The range of films, TV and audio is OK but nothing special. I watch a Japanese film without subtitles to see if I can get the plot; I fail but the scenery is beautiful. The TV series are not complete sets; season one of Veep has only the first three episodes (out of eight). THE SERVICE: ANA business-class service on this flight is as good as it gets and everything works first time. I call the attendants only once, to get a shochu top-up, and they arrive in seconds. IN A NUTSHELL: ANA is fast becoming my airline of choice and this flight proves why, despite the delay: impeccable service, great food, comfy flat-bed seat and a clean-as-a-whistle cabin. The writer flew at his own expense Like so many travellers right now, I am having a love affair with Japan. Reluctant to give up the nation's charm and eloquence when I leave, I decide to prolong the experience by snaffling a discounted business-class ticket on ANA's Friday night service from Tokyo to Sydney. CHECKING IN: There is no check-in because I am transiting from a London-Tokyo flight, but last time I checked in for NH879 it was a 10-minute breeze, and there are always super polite ANA staff to help. I have a very generous 64kg checked-in luggage allowance (2x 32kg bags) and 10kg of carry-on. I paid for a third checked suitcase (at $110, cheaper than air-freight). In the vast ANA business lounge I book a shower in one of the spacious, spotless bathrooms, then find delicious katsu curry, great Japanese whiskies and Kirin beer from robotic taps. THE FLIGHT: My flight, on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, is delayed, leaving closer to 1am on Saturday rather than the scheduled 10.45pm on Friday. Not ideal but champagne, shochu and a truly delicious Japanese banquet numb the pain. I get a solid six-hour sleep. We land two hours late and ANA almost immediately emails me telling me how to apply for 3000 yen in compensation: about $32 but it's better than nothing. THE CLASS: I'm in 1A in business. There are 40 business-class seats in a 1-2-1 layout; each has direct aisle access and reclines to a fully flat 189cm long, 49cm wide bed. I have a universal plug socket, USB port, headphone port, reading light, 18-inch touchscreen, pillow, blanket and mattress, which looks flimsy but is actually very comfortable. Window seats in even-numbered rows offer more privacy as they are separated from the aisle by a side table. FOOD & DRINKS: One of the best in-flight meals I've had in years. I order the Japanese "washoku" meal (there's a Western alternative) and enjoy a selection of small starters including shrimp fish cake and cherry blossom tofu with crab, with a glass of Drappier champagne, then ocean perch with an aromatic Kawagoe sweet potato shochu. It's a delicious riot of flavours and all beautifully presented. You can get snacks after the main service, including a moreish corn soup. ENTERTAINMENT: The range of films, TV and audio is OK but nothing special. I watch a Japanese film without subtitles to see if I can get the plot; I fail but the scenery is beautiful. The TV series are not complete sets; season one of Veep has only the first three episodes (out of eight). THE SERVICE: ANA business-class service on this flight is as good as it gets and everything works first time. I call the attendants only once, to get a shochu top-up, and they arrive in seconds. IN A NUTSHELL: ANA is fast becoming my airline of choice and this flight proves why, despite the delay: impeccable service, great food, comfy flat-bed seat and a clean-as-a-whistle cabin. The writer flew at his own expense Like so many travellers right now, I am having a love affair with Japan. Reluctant to give up the nation's charm and eloquence when I leave, I decide to prolong the experience by snaffling a discounted business-class ticket on ANA's Friday night service from Tokyo to Sydney. CHECKING IN: There is no check-in because I am transiting from a London-Tokyo flight, but last time I checked in for NH879 it was a 10-minute breeze, and there are always super polite ANA staff to help. I have a very generous 64kg checked-in luggage allowance (2x 32kg bags) and 10kg of carry-on. I paid for a third checked suitcase (at $110, cheaper than air-freight). In the vast ANA business lounge I book a shower in one of the spacious, spotless bathrooms, then find delicious katsu curry, great Japanese whiskies and Kirin beer from robotic taps. THE FLIGHT: My flight, on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, is delayed, leaving closer to 1am on Saturday rather than the scheduled 10.45pm on Friday. Not ideal but champagne, shochu and a truly delicious Japanese banquet numb the pain. I get a solid six-hour sleep. We land two hours late and ANA almost immediately emails me telling me how to apply for 3000 yen in compensation: about $32 but it's better than nothing. THE CLASS: I'm in 1A in business. There are 40 business-class seats in a 1-2-1 layout; each has direct aisle access and reclines to a fully flat 189cm long, 49cm wide bed. I have a universal plug socket, USB port, headphone port, reading light, 18-inch touchscreen, pillow, blanket and mattress, which looks flimsy but is actually very comfortable. Window seats in even-numbered rows offer more privacy as they are separated from the aisle by a side table. FOOD & DRINKS: One of the best in-flight meals I've had in years. I order the Japanese "washoku" meal (there's a Western alternative) and enjoy a selection of small starters including shrimp fish cake and cherry blossom tofu with crab, with a glass of Drappier champagne, then ocean perch with an aromatic Kawagoe sweet potato shochu. It's a delicious riot of flavours and all beautifully presented. You can get snacks after the main service, including a moreish corn soup. ENTERTAINMENT: The range of films, TV and audio is OK but nothing special. I watch a Japanese film without subtitles to see if I can get the plot; I fail but the scenery is beautiful. The TV series are not complete sets; season one of Veep has only the first three episodes (out of eight). THE SERVICE: ANA business-class service on this flight is as good as it gets and everything works first time. I call the attendants only once, to get a shochu top-up, and they arrive in seconds. IN A NUTSHELL: ANA is fast becoming my airline of choice and this flight proves why, despite the delay: impeccable service, great food, comfy flat-bed seat and a clean-as-a-whistle cabin. The writer flew at his own expense
