Supermarket chain operator Aeon Co. said June 29 that it has codeveloped with brewer Suntory Liquors Ltd. a "third-category" beerlike drink and will begin selling it for ¥100 in late July.

Rival retailer Seven & I Holdings Co. said it will introduce at around the same time a similar private brand product with Suntory priced at ¥600 for a pack of six 350-ml cans.

Experts said the entry of both retail giants into the beer market may encourage brewers like Kirin Brewery Co., which have been cautious about price cuts, to reconsider their pricing strategy.

The products, with an alcohol content of 5 percent, took about a year to develop. Aeon's will be called Topvalu Mugi No Kaori while Seven & I's will be named The Brew.