For decades, Star Lager was the face of Nigerian beer, a brand so deeply woven into the country’s social fabric that it became more than just a drink, it was an identity. Launched in 1949, Star quickly rose to dominance by Independence and became the toast of bars, parties, and festivals across the country. Its golden colour and crisp taste were backed by some of the most memorable advertising campaigns Nigeria has ever seen. From “Turn to Star” to the unforgettable “Shine Shine Bobo,” the brand attached itself to popular culture through music tours, national sports sponsorships, and mega concerts like Star Mega Jam and Star Trek. By the 1970s and 1980s, Star was not just a lager but a symbol of modern celebration. At weddings, birthdays, and football matches, a cooler filled with Star was a sign that the party had arrived. Even into the 2010s, Nigerian Breweries tried to keep the magic alive with celebrity endorsements from Burna Boy and Tiwa Savage, anniversary campaigns such as the 70th-year rebrand in 2019, and a retro look rolled out in late 2024.
Yet, in today’s Beer market, Star no longer commands that loyalty. In many bars, especially in Lagos, Enugu, or Onitsha, crates of Star now sit behind newer brands, selling only when discounted. For many drinkers, it has become their fathers’ beer, nostalgic, respected, but no longer the first choice. The reasons for this decline are layered, combining economics, competition, and culture. Nigeria’s stubbornly high inflation, which climbed beyond 30 percent in 2024, shrank disposable incomes and forced millions of consumers to make tough choices. A bottle of Star, once considered affordable, began to feel like a luxury. “Before, people asked for Star by name. Now the first question is always: ‘which one is cheaper?’” says Ibrahim Musa, who runs a small bar in Agege, Lagos. “Trophy sells faster, and customers can take three bottles of it for the price of two Star.” In this era of down-trading, when drinkers are switching to cheaper lagers or smaller pack sizes, price became the deciding factor, and Star simply could not compete.
The broader economic squeeze also hurt its positioning. Nigerian Breweries posted a staggering N105.8 billion net loss in 2023, largely driven by a N153.3 billion foreign exchange revaluation, while its cost of sales consumed nearly 70 percent of its revenue in the first nine months of 2024. Consumers felt this in higher shelf prices, and in comparison, Trophy or Hero often went for N180 when Star pushed towards N250. In a market where affordability drives loyalty, this made a huge difference.
Regional pride also played a decisive role. Trophy Lager has become the badge of choice in the South-West, so much so that in many beer parlours it outsells any national label. Goldberg, also brewed by Nigerian Breweries, has carved its place in parts of the West, while Hero and Life dominate in the East. “In Enugu, if you bring Star, the customers will laugh,” says Chika Nnaji, who runs a beer parlour in Abakpa. “They want Life or Hero. Star feels like yesterday’s drink.” In Onitsha, a commercial driver, Emeka Onyekachi, puts it more bluntly: “Here, we drink Hero because it reflects our struggle and pride. Star is like history, but Hero is identity.” In Abuja, retailers say Hero now commands about 50 percent of the market share, while Star is struggling at 5 percent. In Lagos, Trophy dominates weeknight bar sales, while in upscale Surulere or Oniru, consumers often “trade up” to Heineken or Desperados on special nights, leaving Star stranded in the middle. In Enugu, Hero and Life can command as much as 70 percent of beer sales combined, while Star struggles to cross 10 percent.
Star’s difficulties are not only external. Its own parent company, Nigerian Breweries, has in many ways weakened its flagship. The company has poured marketing resources into other labels, Goldberg, Life, Heineken, and Desperados, all of which have eaten into Star’s base. At the same time, AB InBev’s International Breweries has fought aggressively with Trophy, Hero, and Budweiser, flooding the market with cheaper alternatives and creative campaigns. “Competition is good, but it has squeezed Star into the middle,” says distributor Kunle Adesanya in Ibadan. “It is not cheap enough to compete with Trophy, and it is not premium enough to stand beside Heineken.” Industry observers argue that Star diluted its own identity further by experimenting with extensions like Star Lite, Star Radler, and Stella, while rivals stuck firmly to their cultural roots.
The fading of Star’s big cultural activations also left a hole. Properties like Star Mega Jam, Star Trek, and Star Quest once made the brand the soundtrack of Nigerian youth. Their disappearance by the mid-2010s meant Star was no longer front and centre in music or football. Meanwhile, rivals tied themselves to regional festivals, football clubs, and community events. Today, Trophy is celebrated in the South-West for its football ties, Hero is a badge of pride in the South-East, and Life is poured at every eastern burial and celebration. Star, once universal, now feels adrift. “The truth is, Star lost connection with the youth,” says Lagos promoter Tosin Oladipo. “If you ask a 22-year-old, they know Desperados because of the nightlife scene, but Star is something their parents drank.”
Consumers tell the story plainly. Blessing Ojo, a tailor in Ikotun, recalls: “It was my father’s beer, but the price kept going up. Now I drink Trophy. It is lighter, cheaper, and when you go to parties, that is what they serve. Star is rare in coolers these days.” A retailer in Oshodi, Adeola Balogun, confirms the trend: “If I buy 20 crates of Trophy today, by the weekend it is finished. Star can stay for weeks unless I slash the price. The customers are no longer asking for it.” On online forums, drinkers echo the same sentiment. As one user put it: “I don’t think it’s still the top selling beer at this point. There’s Heineken and Trophy.”
The numbers back it up. In terms of overall share, Nigerian Breweries retained leadership with 55 percent of sales in early 2024, International Breweries climbed to 25 percent, and Guinness slipped to 18.8 percent. The Nigerian beer market itself grew to about ¦ 1.9 trillion in value in 2024, but within that growth, it was Trophy, Hero, Goldberg, and Life that benefitted most, not Star. Once among the most consumed lagers in Nigeria, Star has fallen so far behind that it no longer ranks in the country’s top ten by volume.
And yet, Nigerian Breweries has not given up on its pioneer. Star continues to win quality awards, and the brewer has tried to refresh its packaging and identity. But many in the industry believe it will take more than cosmetics to win back drinkers. Analysts suggest value-led pricing in select bottle sizes, consistent re-entry into music and football sponsorships, and sharper region-specific distribution to compete with brands that already own their territories. Without such moves, Nigeria’s beer market, now divided between economy workhorses like Trophy and aspirational premiums like Heineken, will continue to squeeze Star into irrelevance.
Once the brightest star of Nigerian brewing, the lager that symbolised celebration and togetherness, the brand today is fighting to prove it still belongs in the nation’s coolers. As one weary retailer in Mushin put it: “If Star wants to shine again, it has to remind Nigerians why it was our first love. For now, people have moved on.”
By Benprince Ezeh
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