Hitejinro claims it’s catching up with OB in S. Korean beer market

Hitejinro says it is fast catching up with South Korea's leading brewer, Oriental Brewery (OB), with the soaring sales of its lager beer, Terra, at restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.

OB, owned by the world's largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), unseated Hitejinro as the leading brewer in 2012 and has been maintained the top spot.

Terra sales increased 11 percent year-on-year in 2022 to more than 1 billion 330-milliliter bottles for the first time after the lifting of coronavirus social distancing measures in South Korea.

This is an 86 percent jump in sales volume compared to the first year Terra was introduced.

Sales of Terra at restaurants and bars increased 33 percent year-on-year and jumped 85 percent at pubs and clubs in 2022.

A Hitejinro official admitted that they are still behind OB but insisted they are catching up fast.
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According to market research firm Nielsen Korea, OB's Cass beer topped the domestic beer market with a 43 percent share as of January this year, while Terra took up 18.6 percent.