CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) is introducing at least four new beer brands in its retail outlets to offer more choices to the consumers in its bid to boost sales.
While Tasmac has already introduced a beer named ‘Block Buster’, made by an Andhra Pradesh-based brewery, officials said three more brands will be introduced soon. ‘Black Fort’ and the wheat beer ‘Woodpecker’, both manufactured by the Madhya Pradesh-based SOM Distilleries Private Limited, are among the other three.
The move comes amid a 12% dip in the sale of beer in the first week of April, compared to the same period last year.
According to data accessed by TNIE, from April 1 to 7 this year, Tasmac sold 7.97 lakh cases of beer (each case containing 12 bottles), while it sold 10.88 lakh cases in the same period in 2024. However, Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) sales have gone up slightly by 2.24% in this period.
A Tasmac official told TNIE, “We are procuring Block Buster beer from AP. It is now available at all Tasmac outlets across TN. Usually, during the summer months (March to June), there is a rise in beer consumption as people prefer chilled drinks. We have already asked all district managers to maintain sufficient stock.
Tipplers can enjoy the other new brands, mostly from next week.”He added, “Some districts received rain in the first week of this month, which might have affected beer sales. However, we expect better sales in the coming days. Fluctuations like this are common during the season.”
Some customers in the city, meanwhile, raised concerns about the lack of variety in several retail outlets. M Suresh Babu (32) and his friends from Saidapet told TNIE, “Though Tasmac is adding new brands, many prefer private bars because they offer more variety. In most Tasmac shops, only a select few brands are available even though the official menu lists over 30 brands.”