Global drinks maker Suntory aims to sell local to avoid levies

TOKYO: Japanese drinks maker Suntory is looking to shift where it markets its spirits to best dodge the globe as it girds for a potential trade war, its new president said yesterday.

- 

Nobuhiro Torii, great-grandson of the company's founder, takes the helm this month at a fraught time, with new US tariffs poised to affect everything from Toyota's sedans to Suntory's aged whiskies.

The company's soft drinks are mainly produced within destination markets, so tariffs on such acquisitions may be made in specific locations and are more vulnerable to excise duties, Mr Torii said.

That means making bourbon for the American market in the United States, and Japanese whisky domestically for consumption at home.

"We will produce and try to sell locally," said Mr Torii, who took over as president at the closely held consumer conglomerate on March 22. "That's the key strategy when it comes to tariffs."

US President Donald Trump revealed on Wednesday a broad set of new tariffs on trading partners, including a larger than anticipated 25% levy on Japanese goods.