E-Malt.com News article: 2097

Japanese brewing force Asahi Breweries, Ltd. has recently announced that in 2004 it will pursue renewed growth as a comprehensive alcoholic beverage major. 2004 targets for beer and happoshu (low-malt beer) sales are of 205 million cases: 141.5 million cases of beer and 63.5 million cases of happoshu. (1 case = 633ml x 20 bottles) In 2003 Asahi Breweries’ sales volumes amounted to 149.8 million cases for beer (-7.8% ytd), and 54.2 million cases for happoshu (+15.3% ytd), for total beer and happoshu sales of 204.0 million cases (-2.6% YoY).

Overall, the market for alcoholic beverages remained unfavorable during 2003, as domestic demand continued to be negatively affected by weak economic conditions and tax increases, resulting in the second consecutive year of declining sales volumes, Asahi Breweries said. The core of the alcoholic beverage market, beer and “happoshu” (low-malt beer), was negatively affected by tax increases of happoshu and an unusually cool summer, resulting in the first decline in the happoshu market, and the second year of declines in the combined beer and happoshu market.

In 2003 the core beer brand, “Asahi Super Dry ”, recorded year-on-year declines in sales volumes against the backdrop of the prolonged weakness in the beer market, but faired better than the industry as a whole, and continued to expand its brand presence in the market place. In the happoshu segment, strategies to further cultivate and expand the Honnama brand, such as the introduction of Asahi Honnama Aqua Blue in July, helped to drive two-digit growth in sales volumes of happoshu, which was the highest growth recorded in the industry.

In 2004 the Company aims to revitalize the beer market segment with compelling new products that will draw consumers, following the staple of our beer business, the flagship “Asahi Super Dry” brand. For “Asahi Super Dry”, the Company is working to maximize the product's potential by detailed market segmentation sales promotion strategies in both the home-use and the bar and restaurant-use markets.

In 2004 Asahi Breweries intends to successively introduce innovative new products that leverage the attractiveness of Happoshu, and to further strengthen the market position of the popular Honnama brand.


27 January, 2004