Taiwan’s beer market may be set for a reshuffle as sales of imports are increasing at an accelerating rate, according to sources familiar with the issue.
Statistics obtained by Taiwan Today Sept. 6 from the state-owned Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp. showed that, for the first six months of 2010, total sales of beer in Taiwan inched up by 1 percent from last year to 231.41 million liters, with the TTL accounting for the lion’s share of the NT$22-billion (US$688 million) market at 71 percent.
While the TTL remains the commanding leader with its Taiwan Beer brand, its dominance is being increasingly challenged by imported beverages. In the first six months of the year, its share of the market has fallen by 2.38 percentage points compared to the same period last year, for instance.
The hypermart chain A.mart said growth in the sales of imports at its outlets during the past two months was twice that of local beers, while convenience-store chain 7-11 saw its sales of foreign beers jump by more than 30 percent during the same period of time.
In particular, Dutch beer Heineken, the No. 2 brand in Taiwan with a 13-percent market share, recorded summer sales twice the amount from a year ago, thanks to its successful marketing campaigns in an increasingly fragmented market, sources pointed out.
In a bid to defend its leadership, TTL said it will continue to introduce new flavors to target different consumer groups. The firm will also venture into the higher end of the market with its own premier brands.
In related news, according to Kirin Institute of Food and Lifestyle, which is owned by Japan’s Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd., beer production by Asian breweries surpassed their European counterparts for the first time in 2009, with the former making up 32.4 percent of global output, and the latter’s share sliding to 30.5 percent. (HZW)
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw