Here's to Tihar!

Liquor market booming, Nepali drinkers surges all time high

SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, NOV 02 -
Quaffing alcoholic beverages is a major part of any celebration; and with the start of Tihar, shoppers have been thronging the bazaar to stock up their bars with their favourite beer, brandy, whisky and wine. And like other merchants, liquor dealers have been luring customers with special festival offers.

However, traders said that they did not expect sales to surge like during Dashain. "Retail sales of alcohol are lower than during Dashain," said Bal Krishna Thapaliya, marketing manager of Green Line Centre, an authorized dealer of almost all the local and international brands of alcoholic beverages.

Even then sales have increased to over Rs. 150,000 per day from the normal daily sales of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000, Thapaliya added.

Among domestic whisky brands, Signature is the most popular followed by Royal Stag, Bagpiper and McDowell. Daily sales at Green Line Centre amount to 20-25, 15-20, 10-12 and 10-12 cases respectively, said Thapaliya.

However, sales of the once most preferred whisky of Nepalis, Johnnie Walker Red Label, have shrunk due to the absence of company support in Nepal, Thapaliya said. "We are selling only two-three cases daily compared to 10-12 cases before."

Meanwhile, sales of Chivas Regal are swelling as the company has been providing different schemes such as buy one get one free and other promotional programmes.

With regard to beer, Carlsberg and Tuborg occupy the largest market followed by Henkel. Green Line Centre sells 80-90 cases of Carlsberg and Tuborg beer daily while sales of Henkel beer amount to 50-55 cases.

Gorkha Brewery leads the beer brands with the highest-selling products like Tuborg, San Miguel, Carlsberg and Gorkha.

Gorkha Brewery said business had been good and that Tihar sales were expected to rise. Sales during the festive season increase by 20 percent compared to normal days.

According to local distilleries and breweries, the beer market currently stands at six million cartons per year. That means 6,000,000 bottles are consumed each month.

Of the total sales of Gorkha Brewery, Tuborg accounts for about 55 percent. The company holds a 75 percent share of the beer market.

Meanwhile, local wines like Hinwa, Grapple, Nettlange and Himali Ramble are also becoming popular in Nepal.

"The share of the market of Nepali wines has grown to 10 percent as people have realized that they are organic and more hygienic," said Ram Thapa, proprietor of Sankata Wine Store and authorized dealer of all the local wines.

Thapa added that over 1,300 cases of local wines were sold during the Dashain festival. However, with demand picking up for local products, there is a shortage of local wines in the market.

"Hinwa is preferred by customers," he said. "We are aiming to sell 1,000 cases during Tihar," he added.

Hinwa is manufactured by Makalu Wine Industries at Sankhuwasabha. Manufacturing Hinwa started in 1995 with the production of around 90 cases. At present, its production has increased to 700 cases monthly for Kathmandu only.

Grapple is another popular wine made of black grapes imported from India and apples from Mustang. Nettlange too is a fast-selling brand of wine. It is made of nettles and oranges. Similarly, Himali Ramble wine has been designed for health conscious people. It is manufactured by Shree Ram Laxmi Distillery at Marpha.