Hitejinro catching up with top-ranked OB in beer market
A delivery driver carries a crate of Terra beer into a restaurant in Seoul, Feb. 20. NewsisBy Kim Jae-heunOriental Brewery (OB), Korea's leading brewer, faces increasing competition in the local beer market from long-time rival Hitejinro, which has been catching up quickly due to soaring sales of its popular lager beer, Terra, at restaurants, bars and nightclubs, according to industry officials Monday.Hitejinro lost its No. 1 status in 2012 to OB, owned by the world's largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), and has been unable to reclaim the top spot.According to Hitejinro, Terra sales increased 11 percent year-on-year in 2022 to more than 1 billion 330-milliliter bottles for the first time. This is an 86 percent jump in sales volume compared to the first year Terra was introduced.HiteJinro said sales of the popular lager beer soared last year thanks to the lifting of coronavirus social distancing measures in the country.Sales of Terra at restaurants and bars increased 33 percent year-on-year and jumped 85 percent at pubs and clubs in 2022.“It's hard to assess the overa
Mar 27, 2023By Kim Jae-heun