Brewer-turned-politician Taopiphop Limjittrakorn has been fighting to overhaul strict regulations for years, taking on Boon Rawd Brewery and ThaiBevHe is a member of the progressive Move Forward party, which is pushing to form the next government after winning the most seats in a May 14 general election. Iton Monday with prospective coalition partners that include measures to "abolish monopolies and promote fair competition in all industries, such as alcoholic beverages".
"Now, I'm gathering all the stakeholders in this policy to make it happen as smoothly as I can because I realise that we are not the opposition any more. We are government." If Move Forward is able to lead the government and open up the alcohol sector, the two companies may see short-term effects on their performance because of new competitors, said Damien Yeo, Consumer and Retail Analyst at research firm BMI.
ThaiBev is also the run-away leader in the spirits market with a 59.5% share, with the second-place player holding only 8% of the segment, according to Krungsri Research. In a social media post on May 19 after Move Forward's election win, Piti Bhirombhakdi, who is on the board of Boon Rawd, said he backed the liberalisation of the industry.