HiteJinro's Wine Sales Up 30% in H1... "Driving Growth of Premium Brands"

HiteJinro's wine business is sailing smoothly thanks to the success of its premium brands.

Super Premium Wine Officially Imported by HiteJinro
[Photo by HiteJinro]

HiteJinro announced on the 11th that its premium wine sales in the first half of this year increased by about 30% compared to the same period last year. It is analyzed that HiteJinro's unique differentiation strategy for premium wines, such as discovering hidden wine brands and launching wines from small family-run wineries, has been effective.

HiteJinro has established a stable position in the domestic wine market by growing brands like ‘Taittinger’, ‘Silver Oak’, and ‘Tarapaca’ into steady sellers. Following this, under the premium brand expansion strategy, the company leveraged its 99 years of accumulated liquor sales know-how and strengths, with brand managers personally scouting to discover hidden wines. In particular, after long-term persuasion, they secured sales rights for wineries that sell only through allocation systems, allowing these wines to be introduced domestically.

As a result of focusing on building mutually cooperative relationships with wineries, HiteJinro has rapidly emerged as a leader in the premium wine market by introducing over 100 varieties domestically in the past two years, including super-premium wines like ‘Domaine Leroy’ and ‘Clos Rougeard’, as well as premium wines like ‘Clos des Lunes’.

In the first half of this year, HiteJinro launched 61 types of premium wines from 14 brands, mainly from France, Italy, and Spain. Among them, the notable super-premium wine Clos Rougeard sold out early, especially in hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, as wine enthusiasts who had eagerly awaited its domestic release placed a flood of orders.

HiteJinro plans to continue expanding its premium wine portfolio in the second half of the year. Yutaeyoung, Executive Director of HiteJinro, stated, “HiteJinro is strengthening its competitiveness in the wine business and solidifying its position in the premium market. As a leading comprehensive liquor company in Korea, we plan to continuously launch premium wines.”

HiteJinro imports about 1,000 types of wines from 100 brands, ranging from reasonably priced daily wines to collectible cult wines and premium wines. Last year, wine sales reached 52.6 billion KRW, up about 20% from the previous year, maintaining double-digit growth annually for five years.