Japan: Beer shipments down 2.6% to record low in 2017
Beer and quasi-beer shipments in Japan in 2017 fell 2.6 percent from a year before, hitting a record low for the 13th straight year, data from five major brewers showed on January 16.
Shipments totaled 404.07 million cases. Each case contains the equivalent of 20 633-milliliter bottles.
The slump mainly reflected higher retail prices due to tightened regulations on excessive discounts since June last year, according to industry sources. Other negative factors included unstable summer weather and brisk sales of lower-priced other alcoholic drinks, such as canned chuhai spirits, the sources said.
Beer shipments fell 2.9 percent to 204.59 million cases, down for the second consecutive year. Shipments of happoshu low-malt quasi-beer dropped 4.0 percent to 54.99 million cases, also marking the second consecutive year of decline.
Shipments of so-called third-segment beer-like beverages declined 1.5 percent to 144.49 million cases, down for the fourth consecutive year.
It was the second year in a row that shipments incurred year-on-year drops in all three beer product categories.
Asahi Breweries Ltd. had the largest market share of 39.1 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from the previous year, followed by Kirin Brewery Co. with 31.8 percent, down 0.6 point, Suntory Beer Ltd. with 16.0 percent, up 0.3 point, and Sapporo Breweries Ltd. with 12.1 percent, up 0.1 point. Orion Breweries Ltd.’s market share remained unchanged at 0.9 percent.
Asahi and Suntory enjoyed growth in shipments of third-segment beer-like beverages, while Sapporo boosted beer sales. Kirin suffered declines in all three product categories.
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