Major beverage producer Pokka Corp. plans to relist its stock on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, possibly this spring, to expedite fundraising and push further into overseas markets, company sources said Friday.
The Nagoya-based company believes the time is ripe to become a publicly traded company again now that it has strengthened its earnings power through its tieups since 2008 with confectionary maker Meiji Seika Kaisha Ltd. and brewer Sapporo Holdings Ltd.
The decision is in line with the trend among major food producers to go on the market to raise funds for expanding abroad as the domestic market is shrinking due to the decline in the population. Drug and food maker Otsuka Holdings Co. went public last year and snack maker Calbee Inc. is considering following suit.