進口高端啤酒在華走紅 啤酒巨頭瞄準新商機
HONG KONG — When Jin Xin first started selling imported premium beer a decade ago, his bar manager predicted that it would take a month or two just to sell a single case. But within a few years business picked up, and soon customers started frequenting the bar for its India pale ales and other European beers.
香港——金鑫十年前剛開始銷售進口優質啤酒的時候，他的酒吧經理預計或許一、兩個月才能賣出一箱。但過了幾年，酒吧生意就興旺了起來，顧客很快開始在這裏流連，飲用印度淡啤酒和其他歐洲啤酒。
Now, one of Mr. Jin’s bars, NBeerPub, tucked away in a laid-back part of Beijing’s old town, buzzes with young Chinese customers ordering imports like Delirium Tremens, Lindemans Framboise and Brewdog Punk IPA. Mr. Jin even sold a bottle of Brewmeister Snake Venom, a high-alcohol barleywine-style beer from Scotland, for about 2,700 renminbi, or more than $420.
金鑫的一個酒吧牛啤堂(NBeerPub)坐落在北京老城區裏的一塊休閒之處，現在有很多中國年輕人光顧這裏，飲用Delirium Tremens、Lindemans Framboise和Brewdog Punk IPA之類的進口啤酒。金鑫甚至把蘇格蘭釀造的高度數麥芽啤酒Brewmeister Snake Venom賣到了大約2700元人民幣一瓶。
“Slowly, Chinese people have more money in their pocket,” Mr. Jin, 43, said in his apartment, where over 6,000 bottles from more than 60 countries filled the shelves. “After they have money, some want something better in terms of taste as well as lifestyle, especially young people.”
“慢慢的，中國人口袋裏錢多了，”43歲的金鑫在他的公寓裏說，酒架上擺放着6000多瓶來自世界60多個國家的酒。“有了錢之後，有的人就嚮往更好的口味，更好生活方式，尤其是年輕人。”
As tastes rapidly change, Chinese consumers are swapping mass-produced local beers for imports and local craft beers.
中國消費者的口味迅速變化，他們正在從大規模生產的本地啤酒轉向國內外的精釀啤酒。
It is the type of opportunity that is at the heart of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s $106 billion deal to buy SABMiller, its rival global brewer. While major markets in Europe and the United States have been sluggish, developing markets like China offer a growing customer base and the potential for a stronger profit.
百威英博(Anheuser-Busch InBev)斥資1060億美元收購對手南非米勒(SABMiller)啤酒公司，就是看準了這樣的機遇。雖然在歐美主要市場一直低迷，但像中國這樣的發展中市場爲他們提供了不斷擴大的顧客羣和較強的盈利潛力。
The Chinese middle class is swelling with young, affluent professionals who are more willing to spend money on brands and who are experienced travelers looking for a taste of other countries back home. And in China, most beer is still considered affordable. So sales have held up relatively well even as wine, the Chinese spirit baijiu and other more expensive liquors have been hit by the country’s anticorruption crackdown and the slowing economy.
中國中產階級的規模正在蓬勃壯大，年輕富裕的專業人士更願意把錢花在品牌上，經驗豐富的旅行者回到國內後也想追尋其他國家的滋味。而在中國，人們仍然認爲大多數啤酒的價格很親民。因此，雖然像葡萄酒、白酒和其他比較昂貴的酒類受到了中國反腐行動和經濟放緩的衝擊，但啤酒的銷售形勢相對較好。
“It’s an escape route from maturity in the West,” said Spiros Malandrakis, a senior analyst of alcoholic drinks at the research firm Euromonitor International, referring to the established markets of the United States and Europe.
“這是逃離西方成熟市場的一條出路，”酒精飲料研究機構歐睿國際(Euromonitor International)的高級分析師斯皮羅斯·馬蘭拉基思(Spiros Malandrakis)說，他指的是美國和歐洲的成熟市場。
In China, Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller are betting on premium products.
在中國，百威英博和南非米勒把賭注押在了高端產品上。
The two beer behemoths were among the first international entrants into China in the 1990s and initially teamed with local brewers. At the time, domestic breweries produced beer of inconsistent quality, but they were quickly multiplying, and consumption was soaring along with disposable incomes.
這兩家啤酒巨頭都屬於1990年代進入中國，與本地釀酒商合作的第一批跨國公司。當時，中國國內的釀酒廠生產的啤酒質量很不穩定，但產量很快就成倍增長，銷量也隨着民衆可支配收入的提高而飆升。
SABMiller took a 49 percent stake in a joint venture that makes Snow, which is now China’s best-selling beer brand. Anheuser-Busch InBev has since bought Harbin and Sedrin, two other top domestic brands. Together, the international brewers account for about one-third of the overall beer market in China.
雪花啤酒是目前中國銷量最大的啤酒品牌，南非米勒持有這家合資公司49%的股份。百威英博後來收購了中國的另外兩個頂級品牌哈爾濱啤酒和雪津啤酒(Sedrin)。整體來說，國際釀酒商佔據了中國啤酒市場的大約三分之一。
As they pursue a merger, given their dominance, Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller are expected to prune their portfolio in China to keep regulators happy, though it remains unclear where the trimming will be done. Some analysts think they would be able financially to justify the sale of a big domestic brand like Snow, since the market is moving toward premium offerings.
鑑於百威英博和南非米勒的市場支配地位，雙方在尋求兼併的時候，可能會削減在中國持有的資產，以免引起管理機構的不滿，不過目前還不清楚具體將如何調整。一些分析人士認爲，從財務角度看，它們出售像雪花啤酒這樣的中國大品牌是合理的，因爲市場正朝着高端產品遷移。
“They might be forced to divest, but it might not be the end of the world for them, because Snow is not necessarily the price point for them,” said Shaun Rein, founder of China Market Research in Shanghai. “Consumers are looking for better quality.”
“它們可能會被迫撤資，但這或許不是世界末日，因爲雪花啤酒對它們來說未必就是價值點，”市場研究機構上海CMR集團的創始人雷小山(Shaun Rein)說。“消費者正在尋求更高的品質。”
When the deal was announced, Anheuser-Busch InBev said it would “promptly and proactively” resolve any regulatory issues in China.
兼併交易宣佈的時候，百威英博表示，將“迅速而積極”地解決中國的任何監管問題。
The focus follows the shift in the market in recent years.
對於中國的關注源於近幾年市場的變化。
Imports have swiftly grown to 1.4 billion renminbi in 2013, or around $220 million, from 335 million renminbi in 2009. But the total volume of beer sales in China has dipped of late.
啤酒進口額從2009年的3.35億元人民幣迅速增長至2013年的14億元，但啤酒在中國的總體銷售量最近有所下降。
Homegrown craft beers are gaining favor. Beijing is home to about half a dozen microbreweries, and others have popped up in cities across China.
本土精釀啤酒正受到人們的青睞。北京本地有大約六家小型精釀啤酒商，中國其他城市也紛紛涌現出這樣的啤酒商。
At the Jing-A Brewing Taproom in Beijing, the owners, transplants from Connecticut and Toronto, serve American-inspired beers with local flair, including Worker’s Pale Ale, Airpocalypse Double IPA and Mandarin Wheat.
北京的京A啤酒釀造作坊的老闆來自美國康涅狄格州和加拿大多倫多，他們將美國風味與本地特色結合起來，供應工人淡色啤酒、空氣大爆表雙IPA和京城特白小麥啤酒。
Ji Chen, a banker, developed a taste for fine beer as a student in Belgium. When he returned to China, Mr. Chen, now 28, started buying imported beer at the supermarket and hanging out at brew pubs.
現年28歲的紀晨在銀行工作，他在比利時留學的時候喜歡上了精釀啤酒。回到中國後，紀晨開始購買超市的進口啤酒，流連於精釀啤酒酒吧。
“I don’t think it’s expensive,” he said, sipping the Flying Fist IPA at Jing-A. “If you go out to drink at a bar, you would have to spend this much for any drink you get. And craft beers here are of good quality.”
“我覺得不貴，”紀晨在京A酒吧抿了一口飛拳IPA說。“你去任何一家酒吧，買什麼酒都得花這些錢。這裏的精釀啤酒質量非常好。”
The high-end varieties can fatten a company’s bottom line.
高端產品可以提升企業的利潤。
“All of this premiumization and trading up is the biggest revenue driver of our industry,” Jean Jereissati, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s China president, said at an investor seminar in September. “And it is very relevant for our company.”
“這種產品高端化和消費升級是我們行業最大的營收動力，”百威英博中國區總裁讓·熱雷薩蒂(Jean Jereissati)去年9月參加投資者研討會時說。“這與我們公司密切相關。”
Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller are digging deep into their cooler of longtime brands in the hope of attracting more discerning customers. In part, they are promoting the provenance of their brands.
百威英博和南非米勒都在深挖公司旗下歷史悠久的品牌，希望吸引更多目光挑剔的顧客。它們的部分策略是宣傳品牌的起源。
When Budweiser Supreme was introduced, the company projected a video detailing the recipe’s origins and ingredients onto a giant bottle in various Chinese cities. Against a striking soundtrack, the company described how the beer had the “rich aroma of wheat malt flavor and aristocratic bearing.”
在中國多座城市推廣百威金樽啤酒(Budweiser Supreme)時，該公司把一段視頻映在了巨大的瓶子上，視頻詳細講述了配方的起源和原料的選擇。伴隨着令人扣人心絃的音樂，該公司介紹道，這款啤酒“有香濃麥味，貴族的氣質”。
Lifestyle, too, is major selling point.
生活方式也是一個重要的賣點。
Other advertisements featured Budweiser Supreme being poured in a restaurant by a waiter wearing white gloves. In the summer, women in their 20s, wearing dresses with Corona or Budweiser logos and sometimes long white boots, were often seen milling around the bars and chatting with customers in the upscale Sanlitun area of Beijing.
其他廣告展示了戴着白手套的服務員在餐廳爲客人倒百威金樽啤酒的場景。夏天的時候，經常會在消費水平較高的北京三里屯看到一些20多歲的女性，身穿印有科羅娜(Corona)或百威商標的裙子，有時還穿着白色長靴，穿梭於各個酒吧與顧客聊天。
“They put a lot of money into the marketing, the heritage — all those things make consumers pay more for it,” said Jonny Forsyth, a global drinks analyst at Mintel, a research firm. “That’s what’s been missing in China. Younger people are more receptive to it.”
“他們花了很多錢營銷，宣傳品牌傳承，促使顧客花更多錢消費，”市場調研機構明特爾(Mintel)全球飲品行業分析師容尼·福賽思(Jonny Forsyth)說。“這是中國缺乏的東西，年輕人更容易接受。”
The message is getting through to consumers, who are increasingly willing to pay for beer.
這種理念已在消費者當中傳開，他們愈發願意爲啤酒花錢。
At Heaven Supermarket, a store and bar with a backpacker vibe, Chen Jing, 30, browsed through the imported beer with her boyfriend, both of them clutching beers that cost about 50 renminbi each, or nearly $8. A bottle of Snow from the grocery store next door cost just 1.9 renminbi, or about 30 cents.
在有着揹包客氣質的酒鋪兼酒吧天堂超市，30歲的陳晶和男朋友在瀏覽各種進口啤酒，兩人都拿了每瓶價格大約50元的啤酒。而隔壁小賣部的雪花啤酒每瓶才賣1.9元。
Most of the bottles going through the checkout at Heaven are overseas varieties like Hoegaarden, Corona and Budweiser, selling for 15 renminbi. And the store, across the road from a Rolls-Royce and Bentley dealership, is not short of people perusing more expensive beers, which can cost up to 100 renminbi, or about $15.
天堂超市銷量最高的品類是福佳(Hoegaarden)、科羅娜和百威等進口啤酒，每瓶售價15元人民幣。這家位於勞斯萊斯和賓利專賣店對面的商店並不缺少購買昂貴啤酒的顧客，這些啤酒的價格會高達100元人民幣一瓶。
Ms. Chen started drinking foreign beer after vacationing around China and Southeast Asia. She has taken such a liking to the beer culture that she is planning a holiday in Belgium.
陳晶在中國及東南亞旅行之後便開始喝外國啤酒了。她深愛啤酒文化，正在計劃去比利時度假。
“I would rather be spending money on few quality beers than buying lots of cheap beers and feeling full and headachy,” she said. “It’s more about the lifestyle I choose than simply drinking.”
“我寧願花錢買幾瓶好酒，也不願意買一堆便宜貨，喝完了感覺很脹，還頭疼，”她說。“這不只是喝酒的問題，更多的是我選擇的生活方式。”
