Pilsner Urquell Celebrated Entry into the Chinese Market in Beijing
19.10.2018 / 05:44 | Aktualizováno: 03.06.2019 / 07:38
The day has finally come. The world-famous Pilsner Urquell beer has entered the local market. On this occasion Asahi, the owner of the Pilsen Brewery, organized a reception at the Czech embassy in Beijing. Pilsner Urquell’s entry into the Chinese market follows the great success it achieved in Japan and South Korea. Together with Pilsner Urquell, many other Czech breweries are gaining popularity in China, and many of them are successfully expanding to other Asian countries.
China is the largest beer market in the world with an annual consumption of over 45 billion liters. This is twice the consumption rate of the United States and five times larger than that of Germany. Beer accounts for 75% of all alcohol consumption in China. Beer imports to China have increased in recent years at a double-digit rate. Last year, the value of beer imported to the Chinese market reached a value of 750 million US dollars. About three-quarters of these beers were imported from Europe.
In recent years, many Czech beers such as Budweiser Budvar, Litovel, Primátor, Holba, BrouCzech or Dalešice have become staples in China. Pilsner Urquell started its expansion to the Chinese market in the first half of 2018. This beer belongs to the category of premium brands and targets affluent customers, including the growing Chinese middle class. The Embassy in Beijing has been cooperating with Pilsner Urquell since its entry to the Chinese market not only on the promotion of Pilsner beer but presenting the qualities of Czech brewing at joint events.
The sales rates of Pilsner Urquell and other Czech beers in China is steadily growing. Moreover, other small breweries are gaining popularity across the Chinese cities also offering traditional Czech cuisine.
The habits of the Chinese bear consumers have also changed in recent years. China’s beer lovers are more demanding than ever before. They no longer regard foreign brands as an automatic mark of quality, instead look at the product itself in comparison to its competitors, prices and related product services.
Among the five largest beer exporters to China are four EU countries (Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal). After the successful entry of Pilsner Urquell to the Chinese market, the Czech Republic has an excellent opportunity to get caught up with leading beer exporting countries. The pronunciation of the word "Urquell" usually gets better after having consumed two or more beers. Now we can only believe that the number of consumers eager to improve their pronunciation skills will continue to grow in China.
Lukáš Opatrný, Head of Economic Section, Embassy of the Czech Republic in Beijing