The President of Kirin Koichi Matsuzawa complained publicly stating that the design of the label for a new beer without alcohol produced by Asahi Breweries looked like too much to that of Super Dry, his business flagship beer.
“Its external appearance is so similar to the Super Dry that people might buy it by mistake”, said Koichi Matsuzawa at a press conference on 11 January.
Asahi had announced the previous day that his new beer – called Dry Zero – will be released in February.
This new beer cans will be silver with inscriptions in black, while the model in the bottle will have one similar and square label and another around the neck. The Japanese word meaning “without alcohol” appears on the labels, but the leader of Kirin believes that consumers associate logo of Asahi Super Dry design centre.
Asahi replied that both products are different and did not pay attention to the warning of Kirin.
Sales of beer without alcohol began to take off at the Japan in 2008 and 2011 sales figures should certainly add 29 million past cases, each case containing 24 bottles of 250 ml. This represents a multiplication of sales by 12 from 2008, according to the industry.
Kirin was the first of four Japanese Brewers of the “Big Four” to realize the opportunities of the sector of beer without alcohol and launched Kirin Free in April 2009.
First the company had set a target of annual sales of 630.000 crates of 20 633 ml bottles. This figure was brought in October to 3.5 million cases.
Another brewer, Suntory Liquors Ltd., has released a new beer without alcohol in October but, seeing that the sales of its Nonaru Kibun walked so well, increased its sales goals to 1 million of funds for the first three months of its marketing – sales 70% higher than the initial forecast.
There are many reasons of the unexpected popularity of the beer without alcohol in a country where the inhabitants are known to love a drink. A recent crackdown by the police for drunk driving and the increase in the number of people admitting to not like the effects of alcohol but who still want to have a social life make part.
The Brewers also take to export their products abroad, Kirin having launch in October Kirin Free in the US for a trial period.
