Australia | What has taken the competition authority ACCC so long? More than eight months after the deal’s announcement, the ACCC gave Asahi the go-ahead to take over the country’s leading brewer CUB from AB-InBev.

Australia | Observers have been baffled by the whole process of getting Asahi’s takeover of Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) okayed by the authorities. The USD 11.3 billion deal with AB-InBev was announced in July 2019 and only in April 2020 did the competition watchdog relent.

Australia | The Independent Brewers Association (IBA) is not happy with the approval of Asahi buying Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), as it will lead to further restriction in consumer choice in the on-premise.

Australia | With the 2020 harvest underway, it came as a relief to 2500 wine businesses and 6000 grape growers that their industry has been classed as an essential service during the covid-19 pandemic.

Australia | What is taking the regulator so long to vet Asahi’s purchase of CUB? In an effort to speed things up, Asahi has now proposed to ditch some brands.

Australia | Melbourne-based hospitality entrepreneurs Brad Harris and James Sinclair have acquired the All Hands Brewing House in Darling Harbour for AUD 20 million (USD 13 million), media reported on 18 February 2020.

Australia | The founder of vanguard craft brewer Matilda Bay, Phil Sexton, has been announced as the keynote speaker at the IBD Asia Pacific Convention in Perth this month.

China | People come first. While analysts worry that the Chinese government’s measures to stop the virus from spreading will hamper beer sales, Carlsberg’s CEO Cees ´t Hart showed above all sympathy for China’s citizens. He called the current situation “very sad for China and its people.”

Vietnam | Beer sales in January are estimated to have dropped by at least 25 percent, as the authorities have cracked down on driving under the influence. Analysts say the new measures could drive down beer sales this year by 5 percent.

Australia | Price competition in a crowded beer market, combined with higher costs, have eaten into the profit of Coopers, Australia’s major independent brewer. Total beer sales rose 2 percent to nearly 770,000 hl, but pre-tax profit dropped 33 percent to AUD 23.1 million.