[THE INVESTOR] Beer sales are soaring this summer as a heat wave has gripped the Korean Peninsula for weeks, industry data showed on Aug. 12.

Local drinkers have shown particular enthusiasm towards imported beers this year due to the options of various flavors and a flurry of discount events, they said.

Discount and convenience stores nationwide reported a steep jump in sales of imported beers, compared with far slower sales growth of mostly lager-dominated domestic beers.

E-mart, the nation’s largest discount chain, said sales of foreign beer brands soared 27.2 percent on-year in July, marking double-digit growth this year except May. 



Their growth far surpassed those of other alcoholic beverages, including domestic beers (9.8 percent), imported spirits (11.3 percent), soju (9.3 percent), and wine (1.6 percent).

Homegrown brands have seen sales dropping in the first five months of this year and rebounding in June, though they still lagged behind growth of foreign beers, E-mart said.

“More consumers prefer various kinds of imported beer, thinking domestic beers are not delicious,” an industry official said. “Imported beers’ discounts have also reduced price gaps with domestic beers.”

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)