Japan: Asahi’s beer sales continue falling in January – October this year

Japan’s Asahi Breweries said on November, 11 its total domestic beer sales decreased by 3.1% to 1,747,350 kl in January - October 2010. In October alone, beer sales dropped by 7.6% to 160,501 kl.

Low-malt happoshu beer saw the biggest decrease in demand – minus 19.4% in October and minus 28.1% in January - October this year. Sales of ordinary beer fell by 8.8% last month and by 3.9% in January – October this year, whereas new genre malt-based beer enjoyed a 4.4% growth last month and a 21.4% growth in the first ten months of 2010.

Sales of Clear Asahi increased by 13.0% both in October and by 11.1% in the January – October period of 2010. Sales of Style Free declined by 4.9% last month, Super Dry - by 8.4% as compared to the same month in 2009, and sales of Asahi Off grew by 7.3%. Super Dry and Style Free registered lower sales in January – October, whereas Asahi Off saw a 57.7% increase in demand during the reporting period.

17 November, 2010