Asahi Breweries Ltd. regained the lead in Japanese beer sales from Kirin Holdings Co. as demand in the nation fell for a sixth straight year in 2010.
Asahi had a 37.5 percent share of shipments for standard beer, low-malt and no-malt beer last year, ahead of Kirin's 36.7 percent, the Tokyo-based brewers said Monday in separate statements. Industrywide sales dropped 2.8 percent to 459 million cases, the lowest since records began in 1992.
Kirin's share dropped from 37.7 percent in 2009, when it surpassed Asahi for the first time in nine years, as sales of its Lager brand fell 8.9 percent last year. Asahi said demand for its Super Dry and Clear Asahi brands helped maintain the company's market share unchanged from 2009.
Asahi, Suntory Holdings Ltd. and Sapporo Holdings Ltd. forecast beer demand in their home market will drop by 2 percent to 3 percent this year, partly because of an aging and shrinking population, they said earlier this month.