Asahi Breweries Sales Down 10 Pct after Cyberattack

Tokyo, Nov. 13 (Jiji Press)–Asahi Breweries Ltd. said Thursday that its sales dropped by nearly 10 pct in October from a year earlier, after parent Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. was hit by a cyberattack on Sept. 29 that caused a computer system failure. But the dent in sales was smaller than that of nonalcoholic beverages and foods sold by the Asahi group as the brewer resumed shipments of its flagship Super Dry brand relatively early. Asahi Soft Drinks Co. posted a roughly 40 pct drop in sales in October. Sales by the Asahi Group unit were slower to recover than those by the brewer as it has several major products, including the Calpis lactic drink and the Mitsuya Cider sweet carbonated drink. Sales at Asahi Group Foods Ltd. fell by almost 30 pct. Since the system failure, the Asahi group has resumed shipments of about 80 pct of its alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages in terms of value. For food, the group is focusing its efforts on resuming shipments of high-demand goods, such as powdered milk and baby food. It is uncertain when shipments will fully return to normal across the entire Asahi group. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]