Companies

Sapporo Breweries to Launch Hub for Black Label, Yebisu Beers in Ginza in October; Company Hopes to Expand Sales as Taxes on Beer Fall

Courtesy of Sapporo Breweries Ltd.
An artist’s rendering of a new promotional hub for Black Label and Yebisu beers that Sapporo Breweries will open in Tokyo’s Ginza district in October

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:55 JST, January 21, 2026

Sapporo Breweries Ltd. has announced it will open a new hub for promoting its two main beer brands — Black Label and Yebisu — in Tokyo’s Ginza district in October.

Upcoming changes to liquor tax law will lower taxes on beer, consumption of which is expected to rise accordingly. Sapporo hopes to capitalize on this to expand its sales by using the new establishment to increase its opportunities for contact with potential customers.

The new hub will open on the fourth floor of the Ginza Lion Building, which is owned by one of Sapporo’s group companies.

In a softly lit, hideaway-like space, people will be able to enjoy experiencing the ways Black Label can taste different depending on how it is poured into a glass, as well as savoring various combinations of food and Yebisu beer.

Sapporo has previously held other sales promotions focused on offering special experiences to customers, such as opening a bar in Tokyo where people can taste Black Label beer poured in different ways and starting a brewery that offers limited-edition varieties of Yebisu beer.

“We’d like to offer a variety of experiences that can turn casual enjoyers [of our products] into avid fans,” said Soichi Sakashita, the head of the company’s marketing department. He also revealed that Sapporo plans to invest twice as much in the two brands in 2026 as it did in 2021.