Suntory, the Japanese alcoholic beverage giant, has taken over the US company Beam, owner, among other things, of the well-known bourbon brand Jim Beam. The value of the maxi acquisition, the result of an agreement signed in the first half of January, is 16 billion dollars, of which 13,6 in cash and the rest to cover the debts of the US-made company. The operation decrees the birth of the world's third largest producer of high-end spirits.
According to analysts, the new company – which will be called SuntoryBeam – will allow the Japanese holding to diversify its activities (today 90% in Japan), launching a decisive "path of growth abroad".
Suntory has been involved in the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan since 1899, has diversified net sales of $4,6 billion and, above all, a product portfolio in which Yamazaki whiskey stands out. The managing director of the new group, specifies the note, will be Matt Shattock, CEO of Suntory since 2009.
Together, the Japanese company and Beam (whose shares have traded independently on the NYSE since October 2011, when the company exited the Fortune Brands conglomerate) are counting on combined sales of $4,6 billion in 2013.
