The financial results of the beer giants Asahi Group Holdings and Suntory Holdings for the past year were severe due to the impact of the new coronavirus.
Demand for commercial beer, such as izakaya, has fallen, and final profits have fallen by about 30% from the previous year.
According to the announcement, Suntory's sales decreased 7.8% from the previous year to 2,367.6 billion yen, and the final profit decreased 28.8% to 100.4 billion yen.
Sales of Asahi decreased by 2.9% from the previous year to 2,027.7 billion yen, and final profit decreased by 34.7% to 92.8 billion yen.
Demand for commercial beer, such as for izakaya, has fallen sharply due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection.
In the overseas business as well, sales declined, especially in regions where commercial alcohol is handled frequently.
Takeshi Niinami, president of Suntory Holdings, said, "The current situation is severe, but we expect that demand for eating out will return from around the summer when vaccination progresses. Consumers are becoming more health conscious, so we adjusted to that. I want to disseminate products, "he said, and expressed his intention to launch products that capture changes in consumers' lifestyles.