With two months to go for the 2019 Lunar New Year (Tet), the beer market is becoming active with supermarkets and retailers starting to make preparations for breweries sales campaigns.

A spokesperson for MM Mega Market told Viet Nam News preparations are complete for Tet buying.

The wholesaler is striving to keep prices at the same levels as a year ago, he said.

Volumes could increase by 5 per cent this year with domestic products dominating the market though MM Mega Market would be the sole distributor of some foreign beers in the country, he said.

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

Prices would remain unchanged except Heineken and Tiger, whose prices have increased since the third quarter, the supermarket said.

Some 97-98 per cent would be local products, it said.

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

Many online shopping companies have introduced new 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 retailers start their stockpile.

In downtown areas like District 1 and District 3, large retail shops are preparing for Tet by stocking up on foreign beers like Desperados, Kaiserin, Royal Dutch, Budweiser and Hoegaarden.

According to retailers, beers from Asian countries like Laos, Cambodia and Thailand like Singha, Chang, Leo, Angkor and Beer Lao will be in high demand though their prices are slightly high.

These have 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 new brands are coming to the market every year.

They are sold in large retail shops and supermarkets and often bought for gifting, he said.

But the main sales come from certain local brands, he said.

Some breweries have already launched sales programme and promotions for Lunar New Year.

Mikio Masawaki, general director of Sapporo Vietnam, told Viet Nam News that his company’s prices have not changed though in the retail channel they could be a bit inconsistent.

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

The company has said there would be a new design so that they could be given as gifts.

Sapporo Vietnam estimates sales this year to be similar to last year.

Habeco has launched a promotion for Tet, offering customers the chance to win prizes worth a total of VND23.1 billion (US$1 million).

According to the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade, 42.2 million litres of beer will be consumed during Tet next year, 30 per cent higher than normal days.

Breweries are not expected to hike prices. — VNS