Asahi Group’s UK subsidiary has agreed the sell its wholesale business Nectar Imports to C&C Group.

The deal will result in the Asahi UK operations being fully integrated into the group’s Matthew Clark Bibendum (MCB) operations. In addition, MCB will enter into a long-term business partnership associated with Asahi brands in the UK.

The agreement also means that Asahi UK will cease direct distribution services currently managed from the Griffin Brewery site in London’s Chiswick.

The group will assume all customer and supplier relationships and agreements alongside the intellectual property, a leased depot, and certain assets including vehicles and stock.

The agreement also includes the full transfer of supply arrangements to what the company called the prestigious Fuller, Smith & Turner on-trade estate.

Roger White, Chief Executive Officer of C&C Group, commented: “This move represents an attractive opportunity to provide a significant number of new customers with MCB market leading service and range proposition whilst simultaneously delivering immediate scale and efficiency into the Group’s operations, in line with our strategy.

“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.”