Tokyo’s Ginza Comes to Seongsu... The Surge of Japanese Beer

Sapporo Beer Opens First Overseas Store in Seongsu-dong
Asahi Beer Selects 'BLACKPINK' as Brand Ambassador
Expanding Sales Network Beyond Home Channel to Dining and Nightlife Venues

Exterior view of Sapporo Premium Beer Stand, Sapporo Beer’s first overseas store, opening on the 12th of this month in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.

Sapporo Beer has introduced the concept of the "Sapporo Premium Beer Stand," opening on July 12 in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, by directly adopting the concept of the "Sapporo Draft Beer Black Label The Bar" from Ginza, Tokyo, for the Korean market. This is Sapporo Beer’s first overseas store.

This new location operates as a stand bar in the Japanese "tachinomi" style, where customers enjoy their drinks standing rather than sitting. It will be open 365 days a year with no holidays, aiming to establish itself as a draft beer hotspot in Seongsu-dong.

Sapporo Beer’s First Overseas Store in Seongsu... Asahi Beer Launches BLACKPINK Marketing

According to Sapporo Beer on July 11, the most distinctive feature of the Beer Stand is that it offers the same beer served in two different ways, providing a differentiated taste experience. The first method is the "Perfect Pour," which uses a thin 1.1mm glass exclusive to the store, with a professional tapper pouring the beer to create a 7:3 ratio of beer to foam. The beer is poured slowly, and a delicate foam is added separately on top. The second method is the "Classic Pour," known for its refreshing and crisp finish. This method, which has been used in Japan for over 100 years, involves pouring the beer all at once to emphasize its refreshing qualities.

Sapporo Beer intends to use this store as the front line for communicating its philosophy of quality and direction to consumers. The company aims to provide an experience where customers can enjoy beer in perfect condition, not just by producing high-quality beer, but also through the serving environment, facilities, and glassware. An official from M’s Beverage, the importer and distributor of Sapporo Beer, stated, "We opened this store with the intention of presenting Korean consumers with a space that completes the philosophy of the best glass of beer, which has continued since 1876." He added, "We will continue to carry out various activities so that more consumers can enjoy the value and appeal of Sapporo Beer."

Lotte Asahi Liquor, which led the resurgence of Japanese beer in the domestic market and returned it to the top of the imported beer market, is also ramping up its marketing efforts. Lotte Asahi Liquor recently announced that it has collaborated with Asahi Group companies across East Asia to select the girl group BLACKPINK as the brand ambassador for Asahi Super Dry. This is the first time Asahi Super Dry has conducted a unified promotion across all of East Asia, and it is also the first time BLACKPINK has served as a brand ambassador for a beer brand.

Asahi Beer decided to pursue star marketing because it believes BLACKPINK’s broad recognition and extensive fan base both domestically and internationally will allow the brand to expand its influence not only in Korea and other Asian regions, but also in global markets such as Europe and the United States. In fact, Asahi Beer plans to actively conduct consumer campaigns and large-scale advertising activities in various countries, and in Korea, it will sequentially launch TV commercials, digital ads, and outdoor advertisements starting this month.

BLACKPINK will serve as the brand ambassador for Asahi Super Dry starting this month.

Convenience Stores Are Not Enough... Expanding Sales Network to General Restaurants

Japanese beer continues to grow on its own. In 2019, due to the Japanese government's export restrictions against Korea, a boycott of Japanese products spread, causing the import value of Japanese beer to plunge to $5.67 million (about 7.8 billion KRW) in 2020. However, as the "No Japan" sentiment subsided, both imports and sales began to recover, and last year, Japanese beer essentially returned to pre-boycott levels, ushering in a second heyday.

This year as well, by May, imports reached 35,326 tons and $28.17 million (about 3.9 billion KRW), representing increases of 11.7% and 7.7%, respectively, compared to the same period last year, putting the market on track to set new all-time records.

The continued growth of Japanese beer in the domestic market in recent years is driven by aggressive marketing and sales efforts. For example, before appointing BLACKPINK as ambassador, Asahi Beer operated a pop-up store called "Asahi Travel Bar" in Seongsu-dong, themed around world travel. The store featured brand zones and lounge bars inspired by the atmospheres of Japan, France, Australia, the United Kingdom, and other countries, providing spaces for consumers to experience Asahi beverages and expand engagement. Sapporo Beer has also strengthened its marketing, launching "Sapporo Draft Beer 70" last year ahead of opening its offline store, and running TV commercials?something rare for imported beers.

In addition to marketing activities aimed at increasing brand awareness, Japanese beer companies are also strengthening their sales efforts to expand distribution channels from the traditional home channel to dining and nightlife channels. For years, convenience stores have been the largest sales channel in the domestic imported beer market. However, as numerous companies and brands compete for limited shelf space, the balance of power between suppliers and retailers has collapsed, and the profit margins for beer manufacturers and importers, who have become dependent on distribution channels, have declined every year.

To address the distribution structure that is overly concentrated on convenience stores, Japanese beer manufacturers and importers have recently strengthened their sales activities not only in the home channel but also in pubs and general restaurants within the dining and nightlife channels. One of the representative strategies they have actively employed is the so-called "startup support fund." This involves offering a type of loan to prospective business owners under the condition that they exclusively sell the company’s beer.

An industry official explained, "For example, through franchise headquarters, support is provided in the range of 20 million to 30 million KRW, and up to 100 million KRW, depending on sales volume. This method is already widely known in the industry." He added, "Although it is a loan, for those who need initial capital to start a business, it serves as an incentive." He continued, "In the Japanese alcoholic beverage industry, it is customary for each establishment to exclusively supply a single beer brand, and this practice is being continued in Korea. This approach not only ensures the placement of their own brand in stores, but also excludes competitors' products, making it a kind of winner-takes-all strategy that can effectively increase market share."