ThaiBev consolidates all beers into Chang Classic to shake up market

[clip]

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

this Edmond soon must be an idiot ? stop distributing draft Chang????? Lower alcohol percent smaller bottle <deleted>, who hired him lol???

[FloridaExport]

This is a terrible move by Chang. Most of my expat friends prefer the taste of Chang Export to any of the other swill pouring out of Thailand. I guess Leo is the next most palatable.

[bkksteve123]

Few years back I used to drink Chang beer quite a lot, but not exclusively. Since they changed it I bought one bottle and never again. Now it's mostly Leo. They really screwed up.

It's as if they didn't know what their "edge" was in the market. Obviously it was the price and high alcohol content that made them stand out, so they decided to remove both and become one among the others.....classic Thai business. Always shooting themselves in the foot because they don't understand their own market.

[jacko45k]

There is going to be some moaning and groaning around the cheaper beer bars of Pattaya tonight!

[SoiBiker]

I just knew there'd be some wailing and gnashing of teeth here about this.

I think they're doing all this just to mess with you because it's so funny!

[thaipo7]

Thank God this does not kill Leo.

[Bakseeda]

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?

Tennents Lager.... fae Scotland... !

[MZurf]

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

Actual beer?

Just kidding, but I think it's sad that all the neighboring countries make some great beer while Thai beer is.......well, not great.

[Thian]

I'm waiting for Chang whitebeer.

German and Dutch brewery's in BKK are making it but it still isn't as good as the real thing (Hoegaarden, Paulaner, Erdinger weiBenbier).

[taony]

so, give up on all your products except one, sell it in smaller bottles, with less alcohol content. Sounds like victory to me! They should be up to 80% market share in no time!!

[little mary sunshine]

Much about nothing!! After the second beer they all taste

The same. And the drunks will drink the cheapest

Stuff anyway

[SoiBiker]

If you can taste Thai beer, you're drinking it wrong. Stick more ice in it, or shell out for something imported.

[chrisinth]

When Chang first came out (1996/1997?) it was being sold for 18 baht a large bottle.

Really aggressive sales pitch by Carlsberg (at the time) to get this into the market. And aimed at the working class.

Now they want to refine it for normal people.

And most are complaining...........................

[realfunster]

I used to like Chang Light, I think I was the only one though as I haven't see it around for at least a year in my local Tesco or my regular bars.

Was up in Laos last week and really enjoyed the Beer Lao. Got some being brought to Bangkok for me this weekend [emoji4]

[circusman]

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

C. Export is my favorite beer. So sad it is going.

[newnative]

Makes about as much sense as Coca Cola consolidating all their beverages into just one. There is no 'perfect liquid' and a smart company would offer several different types of beers if they really wanted to expand market share.

[canopus1969]

We are able to make a perfect liquid for consumers.

Good news - but when are they going to start ?

[Anthony5]

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.

Actually one single brand of beer in Thailand is what they aim at, and have aimed at for years, by making retailers a better offer if they don't stock other, better, foreign beer brands. Currently they are doing the same again with Cheers, owned by Heineken, which has virtually disappeared from the shelves since they overbid Thaibev in taking control of F&N and Thai Asia pacific brewery that brews Cheers beer.

and

The new Chang Classic will be easy to drink with only a 5.5-degree alcohol level, down from 6 degrees previously.

Of course it is all to make the customer UNhappy and has nothing to do with increasing profit margins, since the price will stay the same for a lower alcohol content product.

Edited August 21, 2015 by Anthony5

[condobrit001]

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

My favorite still comes in 750ml bottles and is 40% alcohol - and you only need to drink two bottles a night for a healthy buzz. I think it comes from Scotland and has a black label.

[maingmoom]

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

I have been drinking Chang beer for the last ten years. This new 5.5% is crap. I have tried most of the other beers available in Thailand and dislike all of them. What can one do ? Pick any one from random and drink it to you get to like it.

[huangnon]

I wouldn't drink Chang even if it wasn't loaded up with additives that give you a splitting headache (the "Chang-over") in the morning. They managed to sour the deal with their then-partner Carlsberg over 10 years ago, driving another decent-ish beer out of the country.

The "Export" version of Chang tastes totally different to the domestic version. I wonder why.?

[Thunder26]

Actually I think Chang Classic with 5.5% has a good chance. I had a session of 4 large bottles the other day and surprisingly it didn't give me a hangover the next day. My choice is red horse at the moment, but the new classic is also in my books now.

[thaimelody]

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.

after 4 bottles of the stuff it's bloody impossible to walk let alone find more

[chris13f]

Thailand is one of the very important markets for Chang. Because Thais have no taste buds

[thaimelody]

Thai beer really is bad give me the tramps favorite anytime!

[JAG]

I quite like Chang, and the drop in strength really doesn't worry me as I rarely drink enough of the stuff for it to matter.

However bright green bottles and comfy grip shapes, together with smaller bottles are a turn off.

The local shop has just started stocking Arche, and I might try that.

[lujanit]

I really enjoyed Chang Export. They are getting rid of it. What stupidity. I would suggest that Chang did not do a properly conducted market survey. Putting all your eggs into one basket seems commercial suicide to me. This move explains why you could buy Export in a 2 can pack for 95 baht when a single can was 50 baht. Trying to get rid of stock. I wish BeerLao wasn't so damn expensive here, all that import tax to protect the mediocre local producers.

[RPCVguy]

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

I was surprised when Tesco in Lampang said they were discontinuing Chang Export... so I bought what inventory they had.

This is (was) a great tasting beer. I'm sorry for the decision being made to drop the product. At least I can still keep a memory via some steins I keep in the freezer so as to not dilute the 5% beer.

Chang Export - R.I. P.

[LarryBird]

As someone who will drink just about anything EXCEPT Chang Classic, this is a bit of a surprise.

[baboon]

Thai beer really is bad give me the tramps favorite anytime!

Ahh, Spesh. Now we're talking. As for the new Chang, I give it a year until they hike the price and drop the alcohol content to 5%. Time to look elsewhere...