OSAKA -- While four major domestic brewers are engaged in fierce competition to take the biggest share of the virtually zero-growth domestic beer market, the maker of Carlsberg is trying to find its own "suitable and profitable niche."
Michael Iuul, the Danish brewer's chief executive officer, said the firm will focus on increasing the visibility and penetration of its brand as a premium beer among Japanese consumers, especially among trend-setting young people. Japan is a "very mature, very developed" market with a yearly growth of less than 1 percent, making it difficult for Carlsberg to increase its share in it, Iuul said, adding that there is more potential in other parts of Asia, such as China and Thailand.
"(But) if we want to have a profile in Asia, we have to be in Japan as well," he said during a recent visit to Osaka. Iuul pointed out that very few foreign products, especially consumer goods, have been successful in the Japanese market because of the high quality of Japanese products and the trust and loyalty that Japanese consumers give them.