The latest data released shows that Budweiser’s beer sales in China in the second quarter of this year decreased by 9.7%, with revenue dropping by 8.6%. This marks the twelfth consecutive quarter of declining sales for the company in the Chinese market.
According to a report by the “China Business News” on August 22, in the first half of this year, Budweiser’s sales and revenue in the Chinese market both declined by 6.0% and 6.4% respectively, with revenue per hectoliter dropping by 0.4% compared to the same period last year.
According to the statistics of Pu Yin International (Puyin International Holdings Limited), from the third quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2026, Budweiser’s sales in the Chinese market have shown a continuous decline of 0.1%, 3.1%, 6.2%, 10.3%, 14.2%, 18.9%, 9.2%, 7.4%, 11.4%, 3.9%, 1.5%, 9.7%. This demonstrates a twelve-quarter consecutive decline in sales for the company in the Chinese market since the third quarter of 2023.
Although Budweiser attributes the revenue decline in the first half of the year to unfavorable weather conditions and the continued sluggishness of on-the-go channels, the “China Business News” cited beer marketing expert Fang Gang’s analysis, stating that external environmental changes are only part of the reason. The larger issues lie within Budweiser itself: over-reliance on nightlife channels and an excessive focus on the high-end market segment, causing them to miss out on the 8-10 yuan mass market price range.
Several industry insiders have also pointed out that for many years, Budweiser has been concentrating its competitiveness on the high-end and ultra-high-end products.
Top-level design expert Sun Wei commented that in recent years, the nighttime economy and the high-end dining sector have been in decline. At the same time, Budweiser’s main channels cover first and second-tier large and medium-sized cities, with insufficient coverage in fourth and fifth-tier cities. Their product line pricing also fails to match the mid-to low-end market, resulting in a continuous decline in sales.
Zhang Yi, CEO of iMedia Consulting, believes, “More and more cases confirm that the global marketing framework is not adapting well to the Chinese market. Budweiser should strengthen localized collaboration, new marketing strategies, and real-time retail, to establish a more lightweight and locally focused marketing system that resonates with Chinese consumers.”
Regarding Budweiser’s sales prospects in China this year, Pu Yin International holds a relatively pessimistic view on the sales performance in the third quarter of 2026 in the Chinese market.
Public records show that Budweiser is an American beer brand founded by Adolphus Busch in St. Louis, Missouri in 1876, and is currently owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Budweiser (China) Sales Co., Ltd. was established on April 26, 2005.