FACTBOX-Top 5 Asia drinks sector M&A deals this year

SINGAPORE, July 13 - Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings Co <2503.T> and smaller unlisted rival Suntory holdings are in talks to merge and create one of the world's largest beverage and food firms, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday. [ID:nT16825]

Asia's drinks industry has seen a wave of M&A activity in the first half of 2009, as Japan's major brewers, faced with mature markets at home, look overseas to reposition themselves.

The value of all deals in the sector in the first half stands at about $8.5 billion, overtaking the 2008 total of around $5.1 billion.

Top 5 acquisitions in the first half.

AMOUNT ACQUIRER TARGET DATE 1 $2.5 bln Kirin Lion Nathan pending [ID:nSYD119790] 2 $1.8 bln KKR [KKR.UL] Oriental Brewery pending [ID:nHKG270104] 3 $1.4 bln *Kirin San Miguel PS> Feb 23 2009 [ID:nT11680] 4 $667 mln Asahi <2502.T> Tsingtao <0168.HK> Apr 30 2009 [ID:nSP213217] 5 $386 mln Lotte Doosan Corp Feb 24 2009 [ID:nSEO16163]

**TOTAL: $6.8 billion

Source: Thomson Reuters data.

* As part of the deal, Kirin separately sold a 20 percent stake in parent San Miguel Corp for about $820 million to investment management firm Q-Tech Alliance.

** This table does not include Asahi's purchase of Cadbury's Schweppes Australia business for about $936 million. The deal was announced late last year and completed in April.