Champion Breweries highlights importance of acquisition

Champion Breweries Plc has provided additional context on the strategic importance of its acquisition of the Bullet brand portfolio.

The company’s N42 billion public offer of ordinary shares at N16 per share continues and remains open until January 21, 2026.

The public offer forms the second leg of Champion’s N58 billion capital-raising programme and complements the earlier rights issue.

Proceeds from the rights issue and public offer would be used to support the Bullet acquisition and strengthen working capital for operations, innovation, and market expansion.

The Bullet transaction accelerates Champion’s growth strategy. Structured as an asset carve-out, the acquisition transfers ownership of Bullet’s brands, trademarks, product formulas, packaging rights, and commercial IP, together with distribution agreements across 14 African markets, without the acquisition of a manufacturing facility.

This gives Champion, which is part of the enJOYcorp Group, a consumer brands platform focused on scaling African products into regional and global markets, immediate access to a pan-African route-to-market that would take years to build organically.

The portfolio includes Bullet Black, Nigeria’s No. 1 Ready-To-Drink (RTD) alcoholic beverage, and Bullet Blue, a leading caffeine-free energy drink. Production will continue through Bullet’s existing European manufacturing partner, enabling immediate integration while allowing for phased localisation of production in Nigeria over time.

Commenting on the transaction, Managing Director of Champion Breweries Plc., Dr. Inalegwu Adoga, said: “The Bullet acquisition is strategically important because it adds proven brands, regional scale, and foreign-currency earnings through an asset-light structure. It strengthens Champion’s platform for long-term growth.”

Group Managing Director, enJOYcorp, David Butler, added: “Bullet brings together brands, demand, and distribution that are already established across multiple markets. This allows Champion to scale efficiently and compete more effectively across Africa.”

The Company, in a statement which was made available to The Nation, over the weekend, stated that the Nigerian energy segment of the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector represents one of the most dynamic markets for energy drinks in Africa.

This market, the statement added, is projected to grow faster than the African market at approximately 14.53 per cent annually through to 2030 with significant white space opportunities for growth.

This growth is driven by several factors, including increasing urbanization, which is reshaping consumption patterns as well as the emergence of a fitness-oriented culture, boosting demand for performance-focused beverages.

Through Bullet’s established pan-African footprint and FX-linked revenues, the acquisition expands Champion’s scale, diversifies earnings, and strengthens long-term financial resilience.

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Furthermore, the acquisition positions Champion as a multi-category, multi-market beverage company, by expanding the Company from a single-category brewer into high-growth RTD/energy beverages, whilst enhancing mix with higher-margin, trend-led products.

Champion has delivered consistent operational and financial improvement in recent years. In its most recent nine-month 2025 results, Champion increased its revenue by 53 per cent from N14 billion in the year to N21 billion, with net income simultaneously increasing by 95x from N21 million to N2 billion, resulting in earnings per share increasing from N0.24 to N22.86.

This achievement could only be delivered through execution discipline, economies of scale resulting in revenue growth strongly outpacing cost growth and operational excellence.