HCM City (VNS/VNA) -With over one month to go for the 2019 Lunar New Year (Tet), the beermarket is becoming active with supermarkets and retailers starting to makepreparations for breweries sales campaigns.

A spokesperson for MM Mega Market told VietnamNews that preparations are completed for Tet buying. Thewholesaler is striving to keep prices at the same levels as a year ago, hesaid.

Volumes could increase by 5 percent this yearwith domestic products dominating the market though MM Mega Market would be thesole distributor of some foreign beers in the country, he said.

A Lotte spokesperson said the Korean supermarketexpects to sell 250,000 cases of beer in the first two months of next year.

Prices would remain unchanged except Heinekenand Tiger, whose prices have increased since the third quarter, the supermarketsaid. Some 97-98 percent would be local products, it said.

E-commerce platforms said there has been a sharprise in the search for beer brands since the beginning of November.

Many online shopping companies have introducednew beers for Tet with information about price and quality.

At that time, online-shopping companies said,companies start seeking for products to present their partners while retailersstart their stockpile.

In downtown areas like District 1 and District3, large retail shops are preparing for Tet by stocking up onforeign beers like Desperados, Kaiserin, Royal Dutch, Budweiser and Hoegaarden.

According to retailers, beers from Asiancountries like Laos, Cambodia and Thailand like Singha, Chang, Leo, Angkor andBeer Lao will be in high demand though their prices are slightly high. Thesehave come into the market in the past two or three years.

Nguyen Van Bom, a retailer in Binh Chanh district,told Nguoi Lao Dong (The Labourer) newspaper that several newbrands are coming to the market every year.

They are sold in large retail shops andsupermarkets and often bought for gifting, he said, adding that the main salescome from certain local brands.

Some breweries have already launched salesprogrammes and promotions for the Lunar New Year.

Mikio Masawaki, general director of SapporoVietnam, told Vietnam News that his company’s prices have notchanged though in the retail channel they could be a bit inconsistent.

He said the products his company would marketthis Lunar New Year are Sapporo Premium both in a bottle and can, draft beerand Blue Cap 330ml.

The company has said there would be a newdesign so that they could be given as gifts. Sapporo Vietnamestimates sales this year to be similar to last year.

Habeco has launched a promotion for Tet, offeringcustomers the chance to win prizes worth a total of 23.1 billion VND (1 millionUSD). 

According to the HCM City Department of Industryand Trade, 42.2 million litres of beer will be consumed during Tet nextyear, 30 percent higher than normal days.

Breweries are not expected to hikeprices.-VNS/VNA