C&C Group acquires Asahi UK's wholesale distribution business

By Jed Nykolle Harme

September 15, 2026

Photo Credits: Asahi Super Dry

C&C Group and Asahi Group Holdings have announced that C&C has agreed to acquire Asahi UK's wholesale interests for nominal consideration, with completion expected in early October. It matters because C&C is buying customer relationships and operational infrastructure rather than paying for the underlying business value, converting a competitor's distribution assets directly into scale for its own wholesale arm at minimal cost.

C&C Group is an Irish-listed drinks manufacturer and distributor behind Bulmers, Magners and Tennent's, operating its Matthew Clark Bibendum wholesale and distribution business across the UK.

Asahi Group Holdings is a Japanese brewing group whose UK arm includes Nectar Imports and direct distribution operations serving on-trade customers, alongside its Griffin Brewery site in west London.

The deal covers Asahi UK's Nectar Imports business and direct distribution operations, transferring customer and supplier relationships, intellectual property, a leased depot in Hindon, Wiltshire, and assets including vehicles and stock to Matthew Clark Bibendum.

Matthew Clark Bibendum will also enter a long-term business partnership tied to Asahi's UK brands, and will assume supply arrangements for the Fuller, Smith & Turner on-trade estate, with Asahi ending direct distribution from its Griffin Brewery site.

C&C chief executive Roger White said: "This move represents an attractive opportunity to provide a significant number of new customers with MCB's market-leading service and range proposition whilst simultaneously delivering immediate scale and efficiency into the Group's operations, in line with our strategy."

White added: "We expect the majority of the customer and supplier transitions to be completed in the coming weeks, and for the acquisition to make a small positive contribution to the overall financial performance of MCB in FY27."

The deal follows a trading update showing group net revenue down 3 per cent for the six months to 31 August, with a 2 per cent rise in branded revenue offset by a 4 per cent decline in distribution turnover, tied to the planned exit of lower-margin customer business.

For the sector, structuring an acquisition around nominal consideration for customer relationships and operational assets, rather than paying for standalone business value, signals that wholesale consolidation in UK drinks distribution increasingly rewards whoever already has the infrastructure to absorb volume cheaply.

Source: Yahoo Finance / RTÉ / Just Drinks / Sharecast