'Pitcher Beer Is a Thing of the Past'... Koreans Who Used to Drink in Large Quantities Now Choose One Can at a Time

[Financial News] The scene of several people sharing large PET bottles of beer is disappearing quickly. Once a symbol of group drinking, pitcher beer has become unfamiliar to younger consumers. As alcohol consumption declines and a culture of casually choosing one’s preferred drink takes hold, convenience store shelves are also being reshaped around canned beer, non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks, and premium liquor.■ Even as people bought alcohol less often, they spent more per purchaseAccording to the National Tax Service Statistics Portal (TASIS) on the 26th, domestic alcohol shipments last year totaled 2.988 million kiloliters, falling below 3 million kiloliters for the first time in 27 years since 1998. That was down 21.5% from 2015. Beer and diluted soju have declined for three straight years, while takju has fallen for five consecutive years. The trend is being attributed to growing health concerns, an aging population, a shrinking population, and changing after-work drinking culture. As the overall liquor market contracted, alcohol, a key product category for convenience stores, also lost momentum. CU’s overall alcohol sales growth slowed from 13.7% in 2024 to 8.0% last year and 4.3% in the January-July period this year.
As drinking frequency and volume decline, large-format beer is being pushed out first. At GS25, sales of PET beer and bottled beer from January to July this year fell 5% and 9%, respectively, from a year earlier. By contrast, sales of imported canned beer rose 10%.
The shift reflects the growing preference among one- and two-person households, as well as solo and home drinking, for choosing individual canned beers rather than sharing one product. Easy storage and the chance to try a wide range of domestic and imported products one can at a time have also boosted demand.
Although people are buying alcohol less often at convenience stores, they are spending more each time they do. At 7-Eleven, the number of alcohol purchases fell 5% in the January-July period this year from a year earlier, while spending per transaction rose 6%. At 7-Eleven, soju sales, with an average price of 6,907 won, fell 2% in the same period. In contrast, traditional liquor, which costs more than twice as much on average as soju, rose 50%, and wine, which is more than seven times more expensive on average, increased 20%. Whiskey sales, which fall into the spirits category and have an average selling price of 65,211 won, more than nine times the price of soju, also rose 12%. Analysts say consumers are increasingly choosing drinks that match their tastes, even if they are more expensive, rather than drinking often and in large amounts, which has pushed up spending per transaction.■ Either drink less, or choose more carefullyThe space left by familiar mass-market drinks such as pitcher beer and soju is being filled by non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages, as well as premium liquor. At GS25, sales of non-alcoholic beer and cocktail soju rose 107.9% and 44.0%, respectively, in the January-July period this year from a year earlier. At CU, sales of non-alcoholic beer and highballs increased 50.7% and 20.6%, respectively.
Demand for drinks that emphasize taste and quality, even in smaller amounts, is also growing. At GS25, spirits sales rose 11.3%, while at CU, sales of sake and distilled soju increased 29.2% and 18.6%, respectively. Whiskey and wine also grew 13.3% and 12.4%.
Traditional liquor has emerged as a preference-driven category popular with younger consumers and foreigners. At 7-Eleven, sales of traditional liquor this year increased 55% from a year earlier and were seven times higher than in 2021. The share of customers in their 20s and 30s rose to 36%, up 8 percentage points from five years ago, while sales to foreigners also climbed 48% this year.
Convenience stores are expanding their selection of low-alcohol and premium traditional liquors. 7-Eleven's 'Yoon Nam-no Bokdamju' reached No. 1 in traditional liquor sales just one week after launch, and CU will introduce the premium distilled spirit 'Shillaju' on the 26th.
An official from the convenience store industry said, "Recently, more consumers are choosing drinks that let them enjoy the mood lightly rather than get drunk, or selecting beverages that match their tastes and quality even if they drink less."
[email protected] Lee Jeong-hwa Reporter