NEWS ON JAPAN


Top Japanese brewer Asahi Group Holdings is taking a gamble amid a new wave of global consolidation.
 
Asahi is poised to submit a bid to buy Grolsch and Peroni, two brands of beer owned by U.K.-based SABMiller. A deal could be worth around 400 billion yen ($3.37 billion).

But Asahi's bid for the two European brands could fizzle; investment funds and major European brewers are also believed to be considering whether to throw their hats into the ring.

Asahi's bid for Grolsch and Peroni comes about two months after Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's top beer producer, based in Belgium, announced its acquisition of second-ranked SABMiller.

Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller have a combined global market share of over 30%.