Tokyo, Japan — A significant cyber-attack has plunged Asahi Group, one of Japan’s largest beverage companies, into operational chaos, prompting warnings of impending shortages of popular products like beer and bottled tea across the nation. The disruption began Monday when the attack targeted Asahi’s ordering and delivery systems, leading to prolonged shutdowns at most of its manufacturing facilities.

Asahi, renowned for its extensive portfolio that includes alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, has acknowledged that half of its sales derive from operations within Japan. Major retailers, including convenience giants 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, have alerted customers to anticipate limited availability of Asahi products as the company works to resolve the issue.

In an update released Friday, Asahi officials stated they could not provide a definitive timeline for restoring full operations but noted they had initiated “partial manual” processing for orders and shipments. The attack has hampered not only the automated systems for ordering and shipping but has also blocked incoming emails from external sources.

“Our top priority is to ensure product supply for our customers, and we have begun to implement alternative processes,” the company’s statement detailed. Asahi is preparing to reopen its customer call center next week to further assist with the situation.

The company’s president and CEO, Atsushi Katsuki, expressed regret for the disruption, highlighting the firm’s commitment to restoring the systems as swiftly as possible while ensuring continued availability of their products. Retailers affected by the outage have similarly extended apologies to consumers and reassured them they are collaborating with Asahi to mitigate shortages.

FamilyMart, a major convenience store operator in Japan, reported that its Famimaru brand bottled teas—produced by Asahi—might be in limited supply. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven has stopped the distribution of Asahi products, including its highly sought-after Super Dry beer, as staff brace for scarcity.

Lawson, another leading retailer, has also indicated potential shortages of Asahi offerings starting Friday, aiming to stock alternative products to lessen the impact on shoppers. Life Cooperation, a prominent supermarket chain, has joined the list of retailers warning that Asahi beverages could soon become hard to find.

As Asahi works diligently to address the fallout from the cyber-attack, both retailers and consumers are left grappling with the immediate consequences, reminding everyone of the complexities involved in today’s interconnected supply chains.