JINRO Soju Accelerates UK Growth as Demand Surges Beyond Asian Market

JINRO, the world’s best-selling spirit and a leading soju brand, is experiencing exceptional growth in the UK, driven by the rising popularity of Korean culture and HiteJinro’s sustained investment in marketing over the past seven years.

Traditionally, JINRO’s UK sales were concentrated within the Asian consumer market. However, this has shifted dramatically. Today, 77% of JINRO sales come from local, non-Asian consumers, compared to just 30% in 2015, reflecting a significant broadening of appeal and rapid market penetration.

“We are incredibly proud of the growth JINRO has achieved within the UK mainstream market,” says Kyungsun Choi, Manager of the European & African Market Sales Team. “What began as a product found only in specialist Asian retailers, restaurants, and bars can now be enjoyed by consumers across the UK through major retailers including Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Costco.”

HiteJinro’s UK strategy has combined retail expansion with high-profile cultural partnerships to drive awareness and brand affinity.  JINRO has been a proud sponsor of the All Points East festival in East London for three years and has recently partnered with Taste of London, with plans to return in 2026. Ongoing collaborations with UK restaurants, bars, cultural organisations, and universities have helped build strong connections with consumers while supporting the broader Korean cultural wave.

Looking ahead to 2025/2026, JINRO will continue to expand its presence in the UK, with a focus on increasing listings with mainstream national retailers, strengthening on-trade partnerships across bars, restaurants, and hospitality venues, and maintaining consumer-facing activations to deepen brand engagement.

JINRO works closely with its UK marketing partner, specialist drinks agency Fourteen Ten, which manages warehousing and distribution to ensure reliable stock flow for marketing activations and coordinates logistics through JINRO’s key distributors for both on-trade and off-trade channels.

JINRO actively welcomes enquiries from buyers, distributors, and partners interested in introducing this iconic Korean spirit to their customers or collaborating on marketing activations.

For enquiries, please contact: jinro@fourteenten.com