The Better Drinks Co, which includes New Zealand assets bought by Japanese brewer Asahi Group during an acquisition spree in 2011, has taken a $42.3 million impairment to write off all of its goodwill, resulting in an annual loss.
Better Drinks includes Charlie's Group, which Asahi acquired in 2011 for 44 cents a share, valuing the listed juice maker at $129 million. The price amounted to a 57 per cent premium to Charlie's stock before the deal was announced that year.
The New Zealand company, whose brands include Charlie's, Phoenix, Juicy Lucy Ti Tonics, Real Iced Tea and Stash Tea, recorded sales of $31.3 million in calendar 2015, down 0.5 per cent from 2014, its financial statements show. Gross profit fell 11 per cent to $12.8 million but its operating result included the goodwill write-off, resulting in a net loss of $43 million from a 2014 profit of $134,000.
Notes to the accounts say the impairment test include assumptions about earnings growth, synergy and cost-saving initiatives and represented "management's assessment of future trends in the industry". The fair value of goodwill was determined on a 'fair value less costs of disposal basis' which showed the carrying amount of the group exceeded its recoverable amount.
While buying Charlie's in 2011, Asahi also agreed to buy Independent Liquor Group for $1.5 billion from shareholders, including buyout firms Pacific Equity Partners, Unitas Capital and the widow of company founder Michael Erceg.
