Seven & i announced Monday that beer made by the Suntory Holdings Ltd. unit will be sold at some 12,500 group stores dotting the nation. Seven-Eleven Japan Co. will sell single 350ml cans for 123 yen at its convenience stores, while a six pack will sell for 600 yen at Ito-Yokado Co. and other group supermarkets.

Aeon's private-label no-malt beer, Mugi no Kaori, which is made by Suntory Liquors, is unveiled by Kunihiko Hisaki, the supermarket operator's executive vice president. Dubbed The Brew, it will join the Seven Premium stable of private-brand products. The holding company eyes annual sales of around 36 million cans.

Aeon also said Monday that it will sell Mugi no Kaori no-malt beer under its Topvalu private label at roughly 3,700 group supermarkets, including Jusco. A 350ml can will carry a price tag of 100 yen and a 500ml offering will sell for 145 yen. Aeon is targeting annual sales of some 30 million cans, which will account for around 15% of no-malt beers sold by the group.

No-malt beers cost around 120 yen at supermarkets and about 140 yen at convenience stores, cheaper than other beer beverages. So, even though across-the-board beer shipments slipped 1.3% on the year in the January-May period, deliveries of no-malt offerings soared 26.8%. By undercutting prices by 10-20%, Seven & i and Aeon aim to use the beers to lure in customers.

Seven & I, Japan's biggest retailer, is reporting a similar boom in its private label brands. It expected sales of its private label items to more than double to 180 billion yen in the current business year, a spokesman said. (Nikkei News)