“No Japan” 2 years, Korean beer replaces Japanese brand

Seoul [South Korea], August 17 (ANI / World Economy): Sales of canned beer at convenience stores changed due to the boycott of Japanese products that began in July 2019 under the export control of the Japanese government.

Even now, two years after the boycott, sales of Japanese beer continue to decline in the convenience store industry, and orders are almost cut off.

The industry analyzed that it was not because of the boycott, but because of the popularity of Korean domestic craft beer, which targets the consumption trends of young people.

According to the convenience store industry on the 15th, sales of Japanese beer are declining every year at GS25. In the first half of 2020, it was -90.2% year-on-year, and in the first half it was -USD 91.2.

A GS25 official said, “Ordering trends are similar to sales trends. Japanese beer orders have dropped significantly.” CU’s Japanese beer sales fell 1.3% year-on-year in the first half of 2019. Before the boycott, monthly sales declined in the second half of 2019. It dropped significantly to -88.5% in August 2019, -92.2% in September, -91.7% in October, -93.1% in November, and -93.8% in December 2019.

In the first half of 2020, it was -96.1% compared to the previous year, but in the first half of this year, it continued to decrease to -13.1%. However, overall sales of imported beer increased 3.8 percent, 25.4 percent and 18.4 percent, respectively, from 2019 to the first half of 2021, showing a clear difference.

The decline in Japanese beer was triggered by a boycott, but it is analyzed that it was caused by overlooking the demand and consumption trends of young people, who are the main consumers.

In 2017, Seven-Eleven’s beer sales accounted for 47.2% of Korean beer and 52.8% of imported products. In 2018, the difference in sales between Korean beer (42.7%) and imported beer (57.3%) widened. It shows an important preference for foreign products.

In 2019, when the boycott of Japanese products began, the gap narrowed to 45.6% for Korean beer and 54.4% for imported beer.

In 2020, Korean beer (55.1%) exceeded imported products (44.9%), and the gap widened in the first half of this year, with Korean beer (57.7%) significantly exceeding imported beer (42.3%). ).

This is due to the growth of domestic craft beer, which far exceeded the sales of Japanese beer.

Sales of Seven-Eleven Korean beer surged 6.5 times (550.6%) and 3.8 times (285.6%) year-on-year in the first half of this year. Sales in 2018 were only 2.5%, but exceeded 15% from January to July this year.

The trend is the same for other companies. At CU, sales of Korean craft beer increased 2.1 times (117.1%) from the first half of 2019, 4.9 times (390.8%) in the first half of 2020, and 3.4 times (240.5%) in the first half of 2020. Year.

At GS25, sales of Korean beer also surged 4.8 times (381.4%) and 3.4 times (244%) from last year and the first half of this year, respectively.

The overall liquor industry is the same. According to the Korea Customs Service’s trade statistics, beer imports in the first half of this year were $ 16.47 million (about 122.6 billion won), down 5.4% from the previous year. South Korea’s beer imports reached their lowest since reaching US $ 79.41 million in 2016.

According to the trade statistics of the Korea Craft Beer Association, last year’s domestic craft beer sales were 118 billion won. Compared to 2017 (43 billion won), it has grown 2.7 times in three years. (ANI / World Economy)