Beer shelves full, but big brands go missing in Delhi

Walk into a liquor store in Delhi this summer and you're more likely to spot Barahsinghe, Druk or Le Chilldoz than a chilled Kingfisher or Budweiser.

- Varuni Khosla

NEW DELHI: Several well-known national and global beer brands have all but vanished from the city's shelves. In their place, lesser-known names—some locally made, others imported from Nepal and Bhutan—are rapidly gaining ground.

This quiet transformation is puzzling consumers, squeezing out long-time market leaders, and sparking concern across India's beer industry.

"Most of the city now has lesser-known brands," said Vinod Giri, director general of the Brewers Association of India (BAI), which represents firms like Heineken, AB InBev and United Breweries.