Hitejinro expands marketing for soju in UK

People wait in line to participate in a game at Hitejinro's soju marketing event during the All Point East Festival at Victoria Park, London, Sunday. Courtesy of Hitejinro

By Kim Jae-heun

Hitejinro is expanding its marketing activities for soju, a Korean distilled spirit, in the United Kingdom amid growing demand from British consumers, company officials said Tuesday.

The liquor company recently sponsored “All Point East Festival” (APEF) held in Victoria Park, London, to promote its soju products. It established an exclusive Jinro booth and sold original Chamiseul soju as well as its five different fruit flavors there. Jinro is a soju of Hitejinro.

“APEF is one of the largest music festivals in the U.K. Some 230,000 people are said to have visited the event this year and about 23 percent of them were MZ generation. We have provided various promotional events including a photo zone and lucky draw at the APEF to increase the brand awareness of Jinro,” a Hitejinro official said.

The company also collaborated with local restaurant franchises such as “Yard Sale Pizza” and “Wing Wing” in London to launch its peach flavor soju and slushy liquor beverage, respectively.

“We have seen a notable increase of soju sales in Europe based on local consumers. We are planning to promote various marketing events to provide opportunities to experience our liquor beverages, not only to U.K. consumers but also those of Europe,” the company official said.

Meanwhile, Hitejinro's exports of soju to the U.K. have been increasing every year, with an average annual growth rate of about 42 percent over the past four years. In particular, exports grew 43 percent, year-on-year, in the first half of this year and 63 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.

Last year, local consumers accounted for 77 percent of Hitejinro's soju sales, according to the company.