27/04/2009 - Australia's second largest brewer Lion Nathan has agreed to a $6.5 billion takeover deal with Japanese beer maker Kirin Holdings
Lion Nathan's board has agreed to the deal which will see Kirin Holdings buy all the shares in the company that it does not already own.
- Lion Nathan says the offer is worth $12.22 a share.
- The offer is subject to approval by the Foreign Investment Review Board and non-Kirin shareholders.
- The deal is expected to be finalised by September.
- Lion Nathan's beer brands include XXXX, Tooheys and James Boags.
Lion Nathan chairman Geoff Ricketts says it is a full and fair offer which will ensure the Australian brewer is a success into the future. "Lion Nathan will remain an Australasian-based business, employing over 3,000 Australians and New Zealanders and producing some of the region’s best-loved brands with locally-sourced ingredients," he said.
Mr Ricketts expects a smooth change in ownership. "I think August, September is when we'll get a certain outcome," "We don't anticipate any great difficulties."
18/03/2009 - National Binge Drinking Strategy
The Rudd Government last year announced a new national strategy to address the binge drinking epidemic among young Australians.
This national strategy will begin with three new practical measures to help reduce alcohol misuse and binge drinking among young Australians:
- $14.4 million to invest in community level initiatives to confront the culture of binge drinking, particularly in sporting organisations
- $19.1 million to intervene earlier to assist young people and ensure that they assume personal responsibility for their binge drinking
- $20 million to fund advertising that confronts young people with the costs and consequences of binge drinking
- Binge drinking among young people is a community wide problem that demands a community wide response, including a new emphasis on young people taking greater personal responsibility for their behaviour
The three new practical measures announced today will be funded by reprioritising existing government spending.
Our View
At The Beer Factory, we believe our beers are too good to be wasted on drinking too much. Please drink responsibly at all times and continue to enjoy the incredible flavours of our beers. If you are concerned about the amount you are drinking, please don’t hesitate to talk to our staff. In moderation, there are a number of very positive aspects of enjoying beer, (unfortunately something that doesn’t get a lot of coverage in the media) great relaxed times with friends and family, and a number of reported health benefits. Just don’t go too far!
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16/02/2009 - The Beer Factory Pricing
Despite our continued efforts to maintain prices as low as possible (our last increase was almost 18 months ago), we have had to pass on a small increase. During this time, our ingredients have risen in cost considerably due to a combination of lower Australian dollar, drought and global supply shortages. For example, some of our hops have increased from $35 per kilo to over $110 per kilo. Our malts have also increased on an average by 40% and we have had four excise increases during this time.
Despite all this, we have held the increase to only $10 per brew (that's about $1.60 per carton). As you can see from the graph below, brewing at The Beer Factory will still be considerably cheaper than buying commercial beer (and you get a MUCH better product as well as the pride in drinking your personal brew!)
Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, if you drink a carton of full strength beer per week, that's an extra $770 a year in your pocket by brewing at The Beer Factory (much more for Premium Beers) - think of it as our very own Economic Stimulus Package!
