British Pub Enjoys Increased Beer Sales After President Xi's Visit

Nov 11, 2015 09:48 AM EST

Xi Jinping, Greene King, David Cameron, China

(Photo : Reuters/Kirsty Wigglesworth/Pool) Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (R) drinks beer with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a pub in Princess Risborough, near Chequers, England. The sale of Greene King beers in China has increased following the Chinese leader's visit.

Demand for British beer brand Greene King is rocketing across China as a result of president Xi Jinping's visit to UK. A photo taken during President Xi's trip shows him drinking a pint of Greene King IPA with the prime minister of Britain David Cameron.

Mr. Cameron reportedly took the Chinese premier for a pint at The Plough at Cadsden pub in Buckinghamshire.

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According to The drinks business, orders have gone up, and Greene King's little distribution set-up in the country is struggling to keep up

Around 6,000 bottles of Greene King IPA each month are exported to China. But due to the demand, more than 80,000 bottles will be shipped by December, the Daily Mail reported.

They observed how the beer's alcohol content was low for China, where US IPAs of 5% to 6% are the norm.

The Chinese beer market is already the largest in world, with more beer being generated and sold in the country than in the other places.

Patrick Chung, the mayor of Hong Kong's Bury, said "It is great for Greene King and hopefully Bury will acquire a big profile and benefit also."

"China is large in terms of market share, but it takes a while to get there, about a month, so they can only send over bottles, which will not be as good as draught. There has been some talk about them getting a new factory actually in China - they only have a lot of Fosters and Heineken there at the moment," he explained.

According to E-edition, a 330ml bottle of Greene King IPA sells for between £3 to £4.50 in China, where even bars are using pictures of Xi Jinping and Mr Cameron drinking together to advertise the beer.

A spokesman for Greene King said: "We are inspired that more people in the country are appreciating Greene King beers due to the recent visit by President Xi Jinping's to the UK. We are working very much with our distributors in China to meet the current demand, by raising shipments out to China"

"Our brewery in Bury, the home of Greene King, regularly welcomes Chinese visitors and we look forward to welcoming more in the days to come."

TagsGreene King, david cameron, Chinese beer market, president Xi Jinping's visit to UK