Alcohol Market Buzzing for Spring... PET Beer and Soju Also 'Jumping'

PET beer products displayed on a supermarket shelf. Photo by Song Seung-yoon

[Asia Economy Reporters Seungyoon Song and Jinyoung Jeon] As the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted with the arrival of the full spring season, expectations in the alcoholic beverage industry are rising. With warmer weather leading to increased outdoor activities, sales of PET-packaged beer and soju are also on the rise.

According to the industry on the 27th, HiteJinro's sales of PET-packaged beer and soju products increased by about 10% compared to the same period last year, both last month and so far this month. While outdoor activities were limited last spring due to social distancing, the recent lifting of these restrictions and the resulting increase in outdoor activities have led to higher sales, especially for products that are convenient to carry during outings.

In fact, at one point, all PET-packaged products from the brands Chamisul, Jinro, and Cheoeumcheoreom sold out at convenience stores, causing a temporary halt in orders due to stock shortages. Lotte Chilsung Beverage also saw sales of PET-packaged soju and beer products increase by more than 20% compared to the same period last year, both last month and this month.

Sales of PET-packaged products are also increasing at convenience stores. At GS25, PET beer sales rose 20.3% from the previous month during the week of the 13th to the 19th of this month, while soju product sales increased by 14.8%. During the same period, CU saw PET beer sales increase by 5% and soju product sales grow by 4.3%. Emart24 recorded increases of 1.5% and 4.5% respectively for the same categories, and Seven Eleven saw rises of 3% and 1%.

An industry insider said, "With spring and the lifting of social distancing, people have started engaging in outdoor activities and gatherings in earnest, leading to growth in PET-packaged alcoholic beverage sales. This trend is expected to continue for the time being, but as the market gradually shifts from home consumption to entertainment venues, the popularity of PET-packaged products may decline."

Alcohol consumption is expected to focus on the entertainment market for some time after the spring season, prompting companies to launch aggressive marketing campaigns. HiteJinro plans collaborations with various popular brands favored by the MZ (Millennial + Generation Z) generation, including marketing using the bottle opener 'Terra Spooner,' which once caused a sell-out. Lotte Chilsung Beverage also plans to enter a full-scale marketing battle by expanding its product lineup. Recently, they unveiled a new advertisement for the beer brand 'Cloud,' featuring actress Jun Ji-hyun as the model. OB Beer is also preparing various marketing activities, including offline events targeting customers, which have been scarce until now.

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