Asahi Group’s Net Profit Hits Record in Jan.-June

Tokyo, Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)–Asahi Group Holdings Ltd. said Friday that its consolidated net profit in January-June jumped 68.8 pct from a year before to 99.1 billion yen, hitting a first-half record high, thanks to a weaker yen and the sale of a factory site. The group’s first-half sales increased 7.7 pct to 1,463.9 billion yen. Sales in Japan and East Asia fell 2.2 pct due to a system failure caused by a cyberattack, but the weaker yen boosted sales in Europe and other regions. Overseas sales of its flagship Super Dry beer showed remarkable growth. “We’ll promote efforts to differentiate our brand in the market and raise our publicity,” Chief Financial Officer Kaoru Sakita said at a press conference. The group’s profit was partly driven by the sale of Asahi Breweries Ltd.’s Hakata plant site. In September last year, Asahi Group temporarily suspended all orders and shipments due to the cyberattack. Its logistics system was normalized this spring. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]