As the end of this year’s National Day holiday approaches, the sales of baijiu, a popular liquor in previous years, have been disappointing, with many distributors lamenting the poor business performance, even during the holiday season.
September and October (known as the “Golden September and Silver October”) are peak sales seasons for many goods in China, including the baijiu industry. The National Day holiday period is a time when Chinese people visit family and friends, and gather with friends. Baijiu is a must-have on Chinese dining tables, so this period is usually a peak sales season for baijiu. However, this year’s market has been unexpectedly quiet, with declining sales, presenting a situation of a “peak season that’s not so peak.”
According to a report from “Times Finance” on October 4th, a sales manager at a southern soy sauce and liquor brand, Zhang Teng (pseudonym), said, “Distributors generally reflect that their business is not doing well this year, with a noticeable decline in sales.”
In the baijiu retail market, many baijiu brands are offering discounts and promotions. In Guangzhou, before the National Day holiday, the prices of baijiu products in many supermarkets and tobacco and liquor shops have generally been reduced. National famous baijiu brands such as Luzhou Laojiao, Yanghe, Langjiu, and Bai Nian Hutu have offered various degrees of price discounts.
At the same time, Zhang Teng also revealed that the best-selling baijiu products during this year’s National Day holiday period have dropped from over a thousand yuan last year to 300-500 yuan this year. Products priced at 300-500 yuan with high cost performance are more popular.
A staff member at a Guangzhou supermarket also told the media that during the National Day holiday, consumers are focusing more on cost performance rather than high-priced purchases, with the main consumption range being between 300 and 500 yuan.
Several tobacco and liquor shop owners stated that sales of high-end baijiu before the National Day holiday eve were not as optimistic as in previous years. According to analysis by CMB Securities, baijiu sales feedback during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day double holidays was weak.
Zhang Teng revealed that due to weak sales, many liquor factories have reduced the sales targets for distributors. For example, in the Jining area of Shandong Province, the monthly total sales target has been lowered to a minimum of 1 million yuan, a decrease of 30% to 40% compared to last year.
Regarding the poor sales of baijiu in the market this year, many internet users expressed that it may be due to financial constraints, leading to a focus on saving money.
Some comments from internet users:
– “Myth” said: “It’s true that there’s no money, so save where you can, and if you can avoid drinking, then don’t drink.”
– “wuliao24” commented: “When survival is tough, non-essential items will definitely not sell.”
– “Starting from scratch, tomorrow will be better” thought: “If even eating is a problem, then drinking alcohol is out of the question.”
– “North Wind Ice Love” put it bluntly: Downgrading of consumption leads to declining sales volume!