World: Asahi Group ready to spend �billions of dollars� more on acquisitions

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd is ready to spend �billions of dollars� more on acquisitions, after having recently spent $11 billion to acquire beer brands across Europe from Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, a top company executive said.

Akiyoshi Koji, president of the largest beer maker in Japan, did not give any further details on how much Asahi was looking to spend on acquisitions.

�If there are big investment opportunities, we can make big investments,� he told Reuters in an interview on September 21.

On possible targets, he said �bolt-on� acquisitions to boost the company�s European businesses, including beer makers and distributors, were a high priority. He did not give names.

In Asia, global beer companies are closely watching Vietnam�s plan to sell a majority stake in beer makers Sabeco and Habeco.

Koji said Asahi has been studying Sabeco but declined to comment further: �As a growth market, Vietnam is attractive, but our judgement will be based on whether the market fits our premium beer strategy.�