Sapporo Beer enters Tokyo
The beer industry in the late 1890s consisted of intense price wars between four major firms: Sapporo Beer, Nippon Beer, Japan Brewery Company (Kirin Beer), and Osaka Beer (Asahi Beer). In 1898, Sapporo Beer opened a Tokyo branch and was setting its sales network on a smooth course, but they could not escape the difficulties that having the brewery all the way in Sapporo imposed. The company was being beaten out by a wide margin in the Keihin region by Yebisu Beer and Kirin Beer. In June of 1899, at an extraordinary meeting of shareholders of Sapporo Beer, the company proposed building a Tokyo Brewery. The motion was approved.
Sapporo Beer becomes the industry leader
The plot for the Tokyo brewery was acquired in March 1900. The site selected was the former site of the home of the Satake clan of Akita domain. Construction began the following year. Things went smoothly, and the brewery was finished in September 1903. In advance of the brewery’s completion, Sapporo Beer opened the new beer garden to promote the brand, and it was a rousing success. In 1905, Sapporo Beer was the leader in the industry in terms of volume of beer production. Sapporo Beer’s entry into Tokyo ushered in a massive restructuring of the beer industry.