South Korea: AB InBev’s Oriental Brewery to continue efforts to expand overseas

Oriental Brewery Co., a wholly owned unit of global beer giant AB InBev, will continue efforts to expand its overseas business, CEO Bruno Cosentino was quoted as saying by the Yonhap News on April 26.

Cosentino made the remark in a meeting with reporters in Seoul, the first since his inauguration in January, to publicize the firm's marketing strategy for the upcoming World Cup in Russia.

Oriental Brewery is planning to launch a special edition of its flagship lager beer brand Cass, including a 740-milliliter canned product, as an official sponsor of the international sports event.

While the World Cup campaign is focused on the domestic market, Cosentino said exports are a very important part of the company's business, adding the brewery will continue to expand Cass' presence abroad.

"We really bet that Cass can continue to expand its efforts overseas, not only to Russia," Cosentino said. "We are ready for several different countries, such as Hong Kong, China, Iraq, the United States and so many other markets," he said.

The company currently exports some 40 beer brands to 30 countries, according to its website.

"(Cass) is a brand that we believe can really win overseas and keep representing Korea in the beer industry, as many other brands are representing Korea in other categories," Cosentino said.

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