Japanese drinks giant Kirin said Thursday it has agreed to a buyout of its shares in a Myanmar joint venture with a military-linked conglomerate, completing its exit from the market over the 2021 military takeover. But it struggled to disentangle itself from the secretive conglomerate and contested a bid by MEHPCL to dissolve the joint […]
Unfair taxes, illegal border trade stifle Carlsberg’s Myanmar plan
June 15, 2018 by
Michael Jensen, managing director of Carlsberg Myanmar, didn’t bother to hide his frustration at the environment in which his brewery has been forced to do business in the country. “We are faced with a tax regime that is completely unfair, incredibly bothersome bureaucratic procedures and illegal trading of beer across the Thai and China borders,” […]
Kirin to brew 60% more beer in thirsty Myanmar
May 7, 2018 by
TOKYO — Kirin Holdings will expand a brewery in Myanmar into one of the Japanese beer purveyor’s largest in the world as the emerging Southeast Asian market shows promise. The Tokyo-based group will spend several billion yen (1 billion yen equals $9.1 million) to scale up a factory in Yangon operated by Myanmar Brewery, in […]
Military controlled UMEHL Among 29 Firms Changing to be Normal Companies
February 28, 2017 by
Some 29 firms accepted as special companies under two old laws have been allowed to change to just be companies under the 1914 Myanmar Companies Act, the Ministry of Planning and Finance has said. The firms include the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (UMEHL) – the Tatmadaw’s economic arm – plus subsidiaries […]
Kirin Jumps Headlong Into Myanmar Beer Market
December 6, 2016 by
TOKYO — With beer consumption shrinking in China and other major markets, Southeast Asia has become a key growth target for the beer industry. In 2015, Japan’s Kirin Holdings seized the chance to acquire Myanmar Brewery, which holds an 80% share of the country’s market. Hajime Kobayashi, deputy director of the brewer’s corporate strategy, recently told The Nikkei about the […]
Military Conglomerate Hoping for More JVs
November 23, 2016 by
U Hla Moe, general manager of the planning department for the military conglomerate Myanma Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL), spoke to The Myanmar Times for an exclusive interview on operating as a public company, the outlook for joint ventures with foreign firms and competing on a level playing field in Myanmar’s new economy. The military established Myanmar Economic […]
Post-Sanctions Myanmar the New Frontier for Global Business
October 14, 2016 by
YANGON/TOKYO — The end of long-standing U.S. sanctions on Myanmar companies linked to the former military government is cause for celebration in both countries, opening up a slew of previously off-limits business and investment opportunities. The U.S. Treasury Department lifted all financial sanctions on the Southeast Asian nation Friday after months of dogged appeals by […]
Kirin adding Ichiban beer to store shelves in Myanmar
June 27, 2016 by
TOKYO — Kirin Holdings will sell its signature beer Ichiban to Myanmar consumers starting this month. The Japanese company has offered Ichiban as draft beer in upscale restaurants in the country, but will now target households directly by selling retail versions. Kirin will produce canned and bottled Ichiban with Myanmar Brewery, the country’s market leader, which it […]
Myanmar Brewery to boost beer output to slake domestic thirst
May 19, 2016 by
TOKYO — Myanmar Brewery will ramp up its beer production capacity by about 10% to keep up with increasing local consumption amid economic growth. The group member of Japan’s Kirin Holdings will spend hundreds of millions of yen (100 million yen equals $917,200) to add equipment such as fermentation tanks, a key component in beer […]
Kirin Ichiban beer coming to Myanmar this month
March 28, 2016 by
Japanese beverage manufacturer Kirin Holdings will distribute its products in the Myanmar market beginning this month, according to a company spokesperson. Kirin Holdings will produce its beer at a factory owned by Myanmar Brewery. Initially, the Kirin will distribute Kirin Ichiban beer mainly to Japanese restaurants and other restaurants. Then, it will distribute to retail […]
