BEVERAGE
ThaiBev consolidates all beers into Chang Classic to shake up market
Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn
The Nation


Edmond Neo Kim Soon

BANGKOK: -- Thai Beverage (ThaiBev) has consolidated all its beers under the Chang Classic brand in line with its vision to become a "sustainable leader" in the beer and non-alcoholic beverages market in Asean by 2020.

"We are able to make a perfect liquid for consumers. So, we would like to contribute a single-minded focus actually on one single brand," Edmond Neo Kim Soon, chief executive officer for beer in Thailand at Chang International Co, said late Wednesday.

As part of the group's 2020 vision presented by Thapana Sirivadhan-abhakdi, president and CEO of ThaiBev, to more than 2,000 Chang dealers on Wednesday evening on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of Chang beer in Thailand, the company aims to increase Chang's share of the local beer market from about 30 per cent to 45-50 per cent, making it the market leader.

The company has already given up the distribution of several beer products - Chang Light, Chang Export and Chang Draught.

The Chang Classic brand will be used for both the domestic market and export markets around the world.

"We have also launched the new look Chang Classic bottle, with a more elegant and very nice contour and good hand-feel. The new Chang Classic will be easy to drink with only a 5.5-degree alcohol level, down from 6 degrees previously.

"The new beer is in line with the company's strategy to deliver products that meet customer needs," Soon said. The bottle's colour has also been changed from amber to green to attract more premium and younger drinkers of 20-35 years of age, down from 25-44 previously. The new Chang Classic bottles come in two sizes - 320cc and 620cc - at prices of about Bt34-Bt37 and Bt53-Bt55, depending on the retail outlet.

Thailand's beer market is looking to expand 3-4 per cent to about 18 million hectolitres this year after dropping sharply by about 5 per cent last year.

"We want to grow faster than the overall beer market in Thailand," he said, adding that the companyhas launched new marketing activities and have been able to increase market share substantially in the past six months. Our market share is as high as 30 per cent currently.

Thailand is one of the very important markets for Chang. The company will focus on various issues, including those involving image and products, to strengthen its core business.

"We have a significant presence in many markets in Asean, comprising Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore and Malaysia. We are launching our Chang beer in Cambodia and also looking at the rest of Asean," he said.

Vichate Tantiwanich, senior vice president for corporate affairs at ThaiBev, said the company was fully prepared to expand its presence in Asean. The company's largest brewery in Kamphaeng Phet province is now running at only 50 per cent of capacity.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/ThaiBev-consolidates-all-beers-into-Chang-Classic--30267087.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-21

It's a sad day for this long time drinker of Chang.

I can't say I like the "new" taste at all.

Not what beer do I turn to . . . . any ideas?

Chang Classic tastes like bat urine.

Chang Classic tastes like bat urine.

I bow to your superior knowledge, never having drunk bat urine myself!

Less alcohol AND a smaller bottle? Where do I buy?

I'm one customer they've lost. Chang Export & Draught top beers in Thailand. Chang Classic - NO THANKS

New Beer Chang - Not Just For Breakfast?

They couldn't organize a pi$$ up in a brewery.....

Sound more like the company is running down as opposed to being ready to take over the world.

The little 'kick' the 6% Chang had made it interesting. The latest stuff is a bit bland. And constantly making the bottle a bit smaller for the same price is annoying enough to make me choose something else. In the UK, they are down to 300ml in many bottles now.

I look forward to this 'perfect liquid' they are able to make. I wonder why they don't.

Chang Classic tastes like bat urine.

I bow to your superior knowledge, never having drunk bat urine myself!

Funny, when I posted that I thought to myself that there would undoubtedly be some lunkhead who would post something like, "HAR HAR HAR, how do you know what bat urine tastes like, HAR HAR HAR", all the while slapping his meaty thigh and congratulating himself on his rapier-like wit. And right on cue....

"We are able to make a perfect liquid for consumers."

The new Chang Classic will be easy to drink with only a 5.5-degree alcohol level

The bottle's colour has also been changed from amber to green to attract more premium and younger drinkers

The new green bottle of lowered alcohol "liquid"

Business is booming but the biggest plant is running at 50% capacity.

Business is booming but the biggest plant is running at 50% capacity.

Yeah, along with the stealth price increase you'd have to think this is more about cutting production costs to increase profit margins.

A lot of people who enjoy drinking a beer with their meal or by the pool or while reading a book would certainly welcome this reduced alcohol content. They are only reacting to market demand. Chang has been steadily increasing market share, so they must be doing it right? For those needing a 'kick' out of the beer, the horse brand should be ok?

i will never buy Chang again...they went from 6.4 to 6.0 to 5.8 to now 5.5 ... they're a joke of a brewery... In Thailand, i will stick to Red Horse, Archa and Tiger.

When ASEAN comes, people will go for Beerlao, Myanmar beer and then Cambodian beer.

It's a sad day for this long time drinker of Chang.

I can't say I like the "new" taste at all.

Not what beer do I turn to . . . . any ideas?

Beerlao, Tiger, Archa, Red Horse, Cheers Xtra

Oh yes, Archa. The beer of kings.

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It's a sad day for this long time drinker of Chang.

I can't say I like the "new" taste at all.

Not what beer do I turn to . . . . any ideas?

I drink Red horse when i can find it, still 6% and still 640ML... tastes, like Thai beer. getting very hard to find.

Business is booming but the biggest plant is running at 50% capacity.

what is your source? I thought beer sales were down in Thailand...every time i go to a store it's all old bottles now...from april - june... LEO included...only Tiger and Red Horse are fresh.

It's a sad day for this long time drinker of Chang.

I can't say I like the "new" taste at all.

Not what beer do I turn to . . . . any ideas?

I drink Red horse when i can find it, still 6% and still 640ML... tastes, like Thai beer. getting very hard to find.

Red Horse is at Tesco, Big C, Tops, Family Mart

49 - 50baht

Oh yes, Archa. The beer of kings.

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Archa is nothing special, true, but it is cheaper and not that much different than LEO. Archa can be 40 baht a bottle if you buy a case.

Tiger is the best (excluding Beerlao), but you have to pay 53-56 baht a bottle.

i expect this story to be the biggest news of the day around here and so far i am not disappointed

When ASEAN comes, people will go for Beerlao, Myanmar beer and then Cambodian beer.

We'll all be dead before ASEAN comes.

Classic case of "If it ain't broke don't fix it"

And surely a case of throwing the baby out with the Chang water.

The original Chang was a great beer, having enough character to stand up to the devilishly spicy food of Isaan

i expect this story to be the biggest news of the day around here and so far i am not disappointed

The Bangkok bomb attack was just a diversion, so they could slip this bad news out unnoticed...

Classic case of "If it ain't broke don't fix it"

And surely a case of throwing the baby out with the Chang water.

The original Chang was a great beer, having enough character to stand up to the devilishly spicy food of Isaan

Exactly! And then they changed it like 4 times....

It's a sad day for this long time drinker of Chang.

I can't say I like the "new" taste at all.

Not what beer do I turn to . . . . any ideas?

Beerlao, Tiger, Archa, Red Horse, Cheers Xtra

Beerlao dark absolutely . . . if I was a millionaire

Red Horse certainly and Cheers Xtra as a last resort

I can't go that Tiger or Archa

These are worrying times

The reason i used to prefer Chang at 6.4% was it could be poured over ice and still taste a bit like beer, the others just got too watered down. Screw thai bev., hope this doesn't work out for them, Chang was always seen as a 'low-so" beer and that is their market share now they want to be a "hi-so' brew for the younger crowd with a diminsihed product in a new smaller bottle....

I like Leo. Big bottles (630 ml), 55 baht, fair taste, alcohol ample (5%), accepts ice cubes readily: what more could i want?