Following the path of 7-Eleven, FamilyMart has decided to stop selling Chang draft beer at its two stores that offered the beer, although no one ever criticized it.
After 7-Eleven was slammed by anti-drinking groups for introducing Leo draft beer at 18 stores in Bangkok earlier this month, the giant convenience store chain had to pull the automatic beer machines from rotation on Saturday, following complaints and protests.
The drama came after a video of a Leo draft beer machine at a Chinatown branch went viral, leading the government to investigate whether the product broke laws or not.
In turned out that selling draft beer in a convenience store was ruled legal by the Office of Alcohol Control Committee. However, Thailand’s biggest convenience chain pulled the product due to public outcry about possible alcohol abuse and encouraging drunkenness. In a report today, FamilyMart said it has also stopped its draft beer sales at the Silom and Sukhumvit Soi 33 branches since Sunday.
FamilyMart started selling Chang draft beer in May of 2017 for THB49 a cup, the same price 7-Eleven was offering it for. The beer created a small buzz on the internet back then, but no groups harshly criticized or staged protests outside their stores — most people didn’t even know FamilyMart had draft beer.
According to a company statement, the decision was to show they “do not encourage drinking.”
เปิดศักราชใหม่มากแก FamilyMart มีเบียร์สดขายยยยยยยยย ฮว๊ากกกกก pic.twitter.com/ST5j6Mc4Fv
— คลบ้า 💙💙 เป็นบ้า (@tequilaonmind) May 12, 2017
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