Aeon to sell plastic bottled Beaujolais wine at 980 yen.

TOKYO, Nov. 9 Kyodo

Supermarket chain operator Aeon Co. said Monday it will sell Beaujolais Nouveau wines, set to be released nationwide on Nov. 19 this year, in 750 milliliter plastic bottles for as little as 980 yen each at Jusco and other outlets to attract thrifty consumers.

While the French red wine from the Beaujolais region generally retails for around 2,000 to 3,000 yen per bottle in Japan, Aeon said this will be the first time it has sold the product for under 1,000 yen.

Unlike wines that come in glass bottles, the plastic bottled ones are ''light, ecological and low priced'' and their appearance is almost indistinguishable from that of glass bottles at first glance, Aeon said in a news release.

The company said it was able to cut distribution costs through weight savings attained by using plastic bottles instead of glass ones, and the lower weight also helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions as less fuel is needed for air shipment.

As the Beaujolais Nouveau market in Japan has been shrinking since its peak in 2004, the price tag has been going down in recent years. Last year, Aeon slashed its retail price to 1,280 yen a bottle, prompting rival Seiyu Ltd. to lower its price to 1,279 yen.