No.8881   2004. 8. 25

“KYOGETSU” Claims No.1 Market Share of Korean Shochu in Japan

“KYOGETSU” claims to have obtained the No.1 market share of Korean Shochu in Japan, having accounted for more than a majority of the total imported Korean shochu during the period of January to June, 2004.

In recent years, Korean shochu have demonstrated increased popularity among people in Japan. In particular, “KYOGETSU” has received customers' support and favor since its release in 1996, due to its loyal quality that has been attained by using natural mineral water from “Mountain Seorak”, a well-known water source. According to Doosan Japan Co., Ltd which imports “KYOGETSU”, the total amount of “KYOGETSU” that passed the clearance of imported goods was 20,012kl (up 125% over the previous year) during the period of January to June, 2004. The total amount of distilled liquor from Korea including shochu, whisky and brandy which passed the clearance was 38,059kl during the same period (source: foreign trade statistics by Ministry of Finance). This means that “KYOGETSU” accounted for around 53% market share, more than the majority of the total imported Korean shochu. For the first time in the past 9 years, “KYOGETSU” claims to hold the No.1 market share of Korean shochu. This is purely due to the product's quality which managed to receive the customers' support and favor.

Additionally, “KYOGETSU” has achieved its outstanding sales of 2,250,000 cases (up 125% over the previous year) during the period of January to June, 2004. This outstripped the total market of Korean shochu when it had been expected that the market would only grow by 108%.

Suntory will continue its various activities to accelerate its sales growth and to increase its customers from now on.

▽ For more information, please contact:
　 Suntory Customer Center Toll free number: 0120-139-310
　 (Osaka) Dojimahama 2-1-40, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-8203, Japan
　 (Tokyo) Moto-Akasaka 1-2-3, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8430, Japan
　 Suntory HP: http://www.suntory.co.jp/