| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Alcoholic beverages |
| Founded | 1923 New Zealand Breweries 1977 Lion Breweries 1988 Lion Nathan 2009 Lion Nathan National Foods |
| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
| Key people | Chairman, Geoff Ricketts; CEO, Rob Murray |
| Products | Beer, wine, RTDs and spirits |
| Owner(s) | Kirin Holdings Company, Limited |
| Employees | Around 1,800 in Australia and 1,400 in New Zealand |
| Website | www.lionco.com |
Lion is a beverage and food company that operates in Australia and New Zealand and produces and markets a range of beer, wine, RTDs and spirits. Lion was formed in October 2009 under the name ‘Lion Nathan National Foods’, when Kirin Holdings Company Limited (and consequently the Mitsubishi Group) purchased brewer Lion Nathan [1] and merged the business with National Foods which it owned since 2007. In 2011, it changed its name to Lion. The company employs around 1,800 Australians and 1,400 New Zealanders.
The company was formed in 1988 with the merger of LD Nathan & Co and Lion Breweries,[2] and was listed on both the Australian and New Zealand Stock Exchanges under the symbol LNN. On 17 September 2009, Lion Nathan shareholders overwhelmingly voted to accept a 100% takeover offer by Kirin.[3][4][5] The takeover was implemented on 21 October 2009, and the company was delisted.[6]
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The original forerunner of the company was Brown Campbell & Co, the company of John Logan Campbell and William Brown who established the Hobson Bridge Brewery in Auckland in 1840. It merged with the Albert Brewery, bought by Louis Ehrenfried in 1878, to form Campbell and Ehrenfried in 1898. The new company was managed by Arthur Myers, Ehrenfried's nephew. In 1914 Campbell and Ehrenfried merged with the Great Northern Brewery, which owned the Lion brand. In 1923 ten breweries amalgamated to form New Zealand Breweries. Campbell and Ehrenfried merged its breweries into New Zealand Breweries but remained a separate company. Douglas Myers, grandson of Arthur Myers, became CEO of Campbell and Ehrenfried in 1965.[2][7]
The northern division of New Zealand Breweries adopted the name Lion Breweries in 1977. Campbell and Ehrenfried bought 19.9 per cent of Lion Breweries in 1981. By the late 1980s, New Zealand Breweries had developed into one of New Zealand's largest companies. In 1988 Lion Breweries took over LD Nathan & Co, New Zealand's largest retailer, to form Lion Nathan. In 1990 it became an Australasian business when it established a major presence in Australia by securing management control of Bond Corporation’s brewing assets, including the Tooheys Brewery in Sydney and Castlemaine Perkins in Brisbane. In 1998 Douglas Myers sold most of his 16 percent share in Lion Nathan to Kirin Brewery Company of Japan.[2][7]
In 2005, Lion Nathan made a takeover bid for the independent South Australian Coopers Brewery. The takeover was strongly opposed by Coopers' management, and was rejected at an Extraordinary General Meeting when 93.4% of the shareholders voted in favour of permanently removing the "3rd tier purchasing rights" of Lion Nathan, effectively preventing any current or future takeover bid.
By 2009, the company was 46% owned by Kirin with the difference made up by Australian and New Zealand share funds.[8] In September 2009, shareholders voted in favour of a complete takeover by Kirin Holdings.[3][4][5][6][9]
Lion Nathan and Foster's Group together control 95% of the Australian beer market.
| Type | Holding Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fast-Moving Consumer Goods |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
| Key people | Chairman, Geoff Ricketts; CEO, Rob Murray |
| Products | Beer, wine, RTDs, spirits, dairy, juice |
| Owner(s) | Kirin Holdings Company, Limited |
| Employees | ~8000 |
| Subsidiaries | Lion Nathan, National Foods, Dairy Farmers |
| Website | www.lnnf.com |
Lion Nathan National Foods is the parent company created in October 2009, into which Lion Nathan and National Foods were merged. It is fully owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited. The holding company operates out of Lion Nathan's head office in Sydney, although they maintain a secondary base at National Foods' head office in Melbourne, and an additional base at Dairy Farmers' former head office at Sydney Olympic Park.
The company owns a number of breweries and contract bottling plants in Australia and New Zealand.[10]
and in Sydney:
South Island:
North Island:
Located in Brisbane. Castlemaine's signature beer, XXXX Bitter, was introduced in 1924. The XXXX had been used for a sparkling ale since 1878.
Located in Perth. The brewery produces local brands such as Swan and Emu, as well as national brands Tooheys and Hahn.
The South Australian Brewing Company was founded in 1859. There were two breweries, one in the West End of the Adelaide city centre (producing "West End" beers), and the other at Thebarton (pronounced Theb-a-ton) on the banks of the River Torrens north-west of the city centre (producing "Southwark" beers - pronounced Su-thik). The West End brewery was closed between the wars, and the operations consolidated with the Southwark brewery operations at the Thebarton site.
According to legend, the black and red colours of the SA Brewing Company came about after the West Adelaide Football Club (who's colours are black and red) defeated Port Adelaide in the 1909 SANFL Australian rules football Grand Final. The legend states that, had West Adelaide not won the match, the brewery's colours would have become the black and white of Port Adelaide.
Until the 1990s, West End Draught was the largest selling beer in South Australia. West End Draught is a currently a 4.6% abv pale lager, first brewed in 1859.[12] The brand is actively involved with the SANFL, was the original sponsor of the "Showdown" in the Australian Football League and is one of the sponsors of the "Slowdown" charity football match. The tradition of painting the Thebarton brewery chimney with the team colours of the SANFL premiership finalists began in 1954.[13]
Other beers brewed under the West End brand are West End Export, West End Gold and West End Light.
Prior to the acquisition of the brewing assets by Lion Nathan in 1993, SA Brewing split its brewing assets into "SA Brewing Holdings", and its diversified operations were formed into a new listed company named Southcorp. One of Southcorp's major assets was "Southcorp Wines", (acquired from the Adelaide Steamship Company in 1990), and subsequently acquired by Lion Nathan's main Australian rival, the Foster's Group.
James Squire is produced by the Malt Shovel Brewery in Sydney. The beer is named after the convict brewer James Squire, who is claimed to have created Australia's first commercial brewery.
The brewery has won various awards including: Champion Australasian Brewery, 2000 and 2003 (Australian International Beer Awards),[14] and Best Bohemian-Style Pilsener, 2008 (World Beer Cup).[15]
Regular Brews
As of September 2011[update], the Malt Shovel Brewery produces seven main brews under the James Squire brand:
Speciality Brews
Occasionally, the brewery creates seasonal speciality brews which are typically sold as limited-release products, produced in much smaller quantities than the regular brews. Past seasonals include :
Seasonal Beers
Beers no longer in production
Despite their descriptions, all Speight's beers are lagers.
Limited and seasonal release beers:
Mac's also produce home brewing kits to make:
Canterbury Draught is a 4% abv pale lager. When it was first brewed in 1854 it was called Ward's Beer after the brewer James Hamilton Ward. It was rebranded as Canterbury Draught in 1990, but the Ward's Beer name has been retained on the label.
The Canterbury Draught brand is associated with the Canterbury Cricket Association and the Canterbury Cup horse race through advertising sponsorship by Lion Nathan.[22]
In 2001 the Lion Nathan Wine group[24] purchased a controlling interest in Australian wine companies Petaluma and Banksia, adding New Zealand wine company Wither Hills in 2002.
The company also has distribution arrangements with some wine brands through Fine Wine Partners in Australia and Distinguished Beverages in New Zealand.
Lion Nathan-owned wine brands include:[25]