The Spot Left by the Ban on Japanese Beer Was Filled by the Dutch 'Heineken'

Dutch Beer Imports Increase by 149.3% Year-on-Year
Heineken Tops Convenience Store Sales, Surpassing Asahi to Claim 1st Place

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] As the boycott against Japanese products intensifies and Japanese beer is virtually phased out in South Korea, Dutch beer 'Heineken' has filled the gap and claimed the top spot in imported beer sales.

According to the liquor industry on the 12th, while domestic sales of the Japanese beer 'Asahi,' which had consistently been the number one product in distribution channels, sharply declined, the sales and ranking of Heineken, which had been in second and third place, surged significantly.

The top-selling imported beer at convenience store CU this year is Heineken cans. In the first half of last year, the Japanese beer Asahi held the number one spot, but due to the boycott movement, it was virtually phased out and did not even make the top three. In contrast, Heineken, which ranked third in sales last year, rose to first place. The second place was Tsingtao cans, and third place was 1664 Blanc cans.

At GS25 as well, Heineken cans were the top-selling imported beer last month. Asahi cans were number one in the same period last year, but due to the boycott, Heineken, which was second last year, surged to first place. Similar to CU, Tsingtao cans and 1664 Blanc cans ranked second and third in sales.

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Customs Service's provisional export-import data for June, imports of Dutch beer represented by Heineken (accounting for 16.8%) increased by 149.3% compared to the previous year. Heineken Korea explained, "The popularity factors are analyzed to include diversifying product types (sizes) to meet various consumer drinking situations and target demands, marketing activities reflecting millennial consumers' beer drinking trends such as the rise in home camping, home parties, and draft beer popularity."

In fact, Heineken Korea launched a 150ml 'Heineken Mini Can' in the second half of last year and introduced 5ℓ keg products, diversifying sizes. They also released package products suitable for camping, gaining popularity on social networking services (SNS).

Meanwhile, sales of Asahi, the leading brand in the imported beer market, are plummeting. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), Asahi beer sales in May dropped by as much as 95% compared to the same month last year.

At CU, sales of Japanese beer in the first half of this year decreased by 97.1% compared to the previous year. At GS, sales of Japanese beer based on 500ml cans in the first half of this year fell by 95.7%.

A convenience store official said, "Due to the NoNoJapan movement, sales of Japanese beer have drastically decreased, and since there are hardly any customers looking for it, store owners have also reduced orders." He added, "Since there are naturally no products being stocked in stores, there are almost no consumers looking for them." He continued, "At first, some people would complain and ask why such products were being sold when they saw Japanese beer, but now you can't even find such reactions."

Following Dutch beer, imports of American beer (accounting for 19.5%) also increased by 114.5%, expanding their presence in the domestic market. An OB Beer official stated, "We are importing American beers such as Miller and Goose Island, and with Japanese beer out of the market, sales are steadily growing due to substitution demand."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.