Harbin Beer in China
Harbin Beer: Chinese beer expert
Being founded by a Russian businessman in 1900, Harbin Brewery Group Ltd is one of the eldest beer companies in China. After the foundation of the PRC, Harbin beer got some governmental financial aid, and became one of the beer giants in northeast China. In 2004, Harbin Brewery was bought by Anheuser-Busch.
Ever since its birth, Harbin Brewery focused on beer producing, and has not done other business ever, but there are different varieties of beer. Now it is the expert brand in producing beers. Harbin Brewery has 13 breweries in cities like Harbin(哈尔滨 ), Songjiang(松江), Jiamusi(佳木斯), Mudanjiang(牡丹江), Hailun(海伦), Daqing(大庆), Hegang(鹤岗), Changchun(长春), Jilin(吉林), Yanji(延吉), Shenyang(沈阳 ), Jinzhou(锦州 ) and Tangshan(唐山), mainly in northeast China. The American brewing company Anheuser-Busch, who then had 13 breweries operating around America. In 2008, Anheuser-Busch was bought by InBev NV, and Harbin Brewery since then has been a subsidiary of InBev NV.
In 2011, Harbin Brewery had a market share of 5%, following China Resources, Tsingtao and Yanjing.
Harbin Beer: expansion in China
Now Harbin Brewery is facing fierce competition in the beer market, but it is continuously making efforts to develop itself from a regional brand to a national brand. While still keeping its dominant position in northeast China market , it is increasingly popular in other markets, particularly in the market of east China, where its light, cool and fresh taste was widely welcomed.
Also, in southwest China, Harbin Beer had its Ziyang(资阳) brewery in year 2011, which marks another big step in its expansion. Also, Harbin Beer is planning to have its production line in mid China，which we may see in the near future.
Harbin Beer: making a fame in international market
Harbin Beer pays a lot of attention to its brand image, and has effective market strategies in increasing its popularity. In 2009 it as appointed the official partner of the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa. This greatly improved its popularity and influence in the international market. It is the first Chinese beer brand to sponsor a world famous event. All audiences could see the advertisement of Harbin Beer around the football field. Also， Harbin became NBA’s cooperator in China market in March， 2012， which again promotes its popularity a lot.
Harbin Beer not only attracts people in China, but also all over the world. Now, Harbin Beer is exported to over 30 major countries like England, America, Russia，Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Although Harbin Beer keeps innovating in its products, it lags behind its competitors in the frequency of product launching. This may bea disadvantage for its development into a national and international brand.
Edited by Amy Wang from Daxue Consultant China
Credit Photo: Sccnn
