CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has seen a significant rise in beer sales (26.55%) this May compared to the same period last year.
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Tasmac, the state’s liquor retailer, had sold 23,66,856 cases of beer (each case containing 12 bottles) from May 1 to 19 this year. This was a notable jump from 18,70,289 cases sold during the same period in 2023.
In terms of sales, Kancheepuram (North) region, which includes some of the outskirts of Chennai, led with 1,23,744 cases flying off shelves. It was followed closely by Salem with 1,20,895 cases, Tiruppur with 1,16,017 cases and Tiruvallur (East) with 1,04,171 cases.
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A senior Tasmac official told TNIE, “Of the 24 beer brands we were offering, we dropped five and added three new ones, including one with 100% malt, which has received good response across the state. Currently, Tasmac offers 22 different beer brands. Despite the rising demand this summer, we are managing to supply continuously without any issues.”
The official added an average of 23 lakh cases of beer have been sold each month from February to April this year.
Stating that Tasmac is planning to launch a few more beer brands, the official added the corporation, however, is yet to receive approval from the state government in this regard.
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Highlighting the sales of Indian Made Foreign Spirits (IMFS), another official noted, “While beer sales have surged, IMFS sales have seen a slight increase of 0.82% compared to last year.”
Moreover, IMFS sales have shown a downward trend in 18 districts across the state. Vellore and Tiruvallur (West) regions bucked this trend, with increase of 14.26% and 11.97% respectively, while other districts recorded increase of below 10%.
“Tasmac sold 32,20,461 cases of IMFS from May 1 to 19 in 2023. This year, the number increased to 32,46,752 cases,” he said.
Addressing reports of expired beer sold in Mayiladuthurai, the official explained, “A new brand was introduced for sales in Chennai alone last year. However, the product was moving slowly. Hence, we spread the stock to other outlets across the state. This inadvertently led to some expired items getting sold. The salesmen responsible have been suspended, and there is no old beer stock now”.
