Hitejinro tees up British expansion as soju hits shelves of supermarket giant

Hitejinro's fruit-flavored soju displayed at a Sainsbury's store in the U.K. [HITEJINRO]

Korean liquor company Hitejinro marked its debut in the British retail sector by securing shelf space in Sainsbury's supermarket chain as well as other online platforms.

The company announced Tuesday it started selling two of its fruit-flavored Jinro soju — Jinro Peach and Jinro Green Grape, acknowledged as the preferred choices among British consumers — at 88 stores of Sainsbury's. Sainsbury's is currently the second-largest supermarket chain in the U.K. boasting 1,400 stores, with a market share of 15.2 percent.

The two Jinro fruit soju are also available on online platforms such as Sainsbury's Online and Ocado.

Hitejinro anticipates that the presence in the UK retail distribution network will lead to an expansion in local soju demand.

The company reported a 73 percent average annual growth in U.K. exports of its soju products over the last three years. Local sales reached 77 percent in the previous year, according to data from local distributors.

"The European market, traditionally representing a lower share in sales, is currently experiencing remarkable expansion," said Hwang Jung-Ho, overseas president of Hitejinro. "The increasing prevalence of local-oriented consumption marks a stride in the globalization of soju."

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]