Tokyo: Japan is confronting shortages of Asahi products, including beer and bottled tea, after a major cyber-attack disrupted the operations of the country’s leading beverage company.
Most of Asahi Group’s factories in Japan have been at a standstill, as the attack affected its ordering and delivery systems, the company confirmed. Major Japanese retailers, including 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, and Life Cooperation, have warned customers to expect limited availability of Asahi products.
FamilyMart stated that orders and shipments of Asahi products have been temporarily suspended with ‘no prospect of resumption’ at present. The retailer highlighted that its Famimaru range of bottled teas, manufactured by Asahi, is expected to be in short supply or entirely out of stock. The company apologized for the inconvenience and said it is collaborating with Asahi to resume sales as soon as possible.
7-Eleven, the Japanese-owned global convenience store chain, has also halted shipments of Asahi products in Japan, including its popular Super Dry beer. A spokesperson for the chain said stores have been advised to anticipate shortages.
Asahi shortage only in Japan
Lawson indicated that some Asahi products are likely to be in short supply and plans to stock alternative products to reduce the impact on customers. Similarly, Japanese supermarket chain Life Cooperation warned that Asahi items may soon run out.
Asahi is the largest brewer in Japan and owns Fuller’s in the UK, along with global brands including Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, and Grolsch. Japan accounts for roughly half of the company’s total sales. Besides beer, Asahi produces soft drinks, food products, and private-label items for retailers such as FamilyMart.
Earlier this week, Asahi confirmed that the system failure is limited to its operations in Japan and that its European business remains unaffected. The company also stated that there has been no confirmed leakage of personal customer data.
“We are actively investigating the cause and working to restore operations; however, there is currently no estimated timeline for recovery,” the company added.
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