Carlsberg sees Asia as next alcohol-free beer opportunity

On February 8, Carlsberg will continue to promote the development of non-alcoholic beer, with the goal of more than doubling its sales, with a special focus on the development of the non-alcoholic beer market in Asia.

The Danish beer giant has been boosting its alcohol-free beer sales over the past few years: Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, alcohol-free sales rose 11% in 2020 (down 3.8% in total) and 17% in 2021.

For now, growth is being driven by Europe: Central and Eastern Europe saw the biggest growth, where Carlsberg non-alcoholic beer sales rose 19% in 2021. Russia and Ukraine are Carlsberg’s largest non-alcoholic beer markets.

Carlsberg sees an opportunity in the non-alcoholic beer market in Asia, where the company recently launched several non-alcoholic beverages.
Commenting on alcohol-free beers on the 2021 earnings call this week, Carlsberg CEO Cees ‘t Hart said: “We aim to continue our strong growth momentum. We will further expand our Portfolio of alcohol-free beers in Central and Eastern Europe and launching the category in Asia, leveraging our strong local strength brands, our international premium brands to achieve this. We aim to more than double our alcohol-free sales .”

Carlsberg has taken the first steps towards building its Asian alcohol-free portfolio with the launch of Chongqing Beer non-alcoholic beer in China and Carlsberg non-alcoholic beer in Singapore and Hong Kong.
In Singapore, it has launched two alcohol-free versions under the Carlsberg brand to cater to consumers with different taste preferences, with Carlsberg No-Alcohol Pearson and Carlsberg No-Alcohol Wheat beers both containing less than 0.5% alcohol.
The drivers for non-alcoholic beer in Asia are the same as in Europe. The pre-pandemic non-alcoholic beer category was already growing amid growing health awareness during the Covid-19 pandemic, a trend that applies globally. Consumers buy quality products and they are looking for beverage options that fit their lifestyle.
Carlsberg said the desire to be alcohol-free was the driving force behind the myth of a regular beer alternative, positioning it as a positive option.