DALLAS-- 7-Eleven Inc., which introduced the Yosemite Road proprietary wine last year, yesterday officially introduced Game Day, a new store-brand premium lager beer. Game Day is available in two varietiesLight and Iceand two package sizes24-oz. singles and a 12-pack of 12-oz. cans. Suggested retail price is between $6.99 and $8.99 for a 12-pack, and $1.49 and $1.89 for a single. Prices nationwide will vary based on distribution costs and state and local alcohol beverage taxes.
The retailer said that Game Day Light and Game Day Ice are expected to be for sale in 4,200 7[image-nocss] -Eleven stores (those that sell full-strength beer) in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Texas (pending approval from the state's alcohol beverage commission), Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
Game Day Light has 110 calories per 12 oz., 3.9% alcohol by volume; Game Day Ice has 155 calories per 12 oz., 5.5% alcohol by volume.
"American beer drinkers are seeking great-tasting beer at an affordable price," said Dan Skinner, 7-Eleven category manager for alcoholic beverages. "Even more so in this tough economy, they're looking for value and ways to make their dollar go further."
Beer sales have historically been recession-proof, said 7-Eleven; however, the prolonged downturn in the economy has changed the pricing habits of many U.S. beer drinkers. According to data 7-Eleven cited from Nielsen and other industry experts, value-priced beer sales are on the rise, while sales of pricier imports and premium brands have faltered, it said.
Beer sales at 7-Eleven stores reflect that, the company said, with below-premium and budget beer now the fastest-growing segment. Premium brands still dominate the mix with volume reaching 1.5 billion cases in 2009, or half of all beer sold in the United States, but sales were down compared to 2008, 7-Eleven said.
Prices rose last year on premium brands as major brewers tried to cover increased fuel and grain costs. The higher prices proved too much for many loyal customers who began opting for lower-priced brews.
As the third largest beer retailer in the United States, 7-Eleven said it saw an opportunity to fill a niche. After finding success across multiple store categories with other value-priced private-label products sold under its 7-Select brand, 7-Eleven's merchandising team determined that creating premium-quality alcoholic beverages at value prices was a logical next step, it said.
In five months since being introduced, sales of Yosemite Road wines are now No. 1 and No. 2, ahead of bestselling branded reds and wines.
To assist in the development process, 7-Eleven partnered with the Winery Exchange and its subsidiary, World Brewsone of the leading independent producers of premium-quality beers from the United States, Latin America and Holland. World Brews tapped City Brewery, La Crosse, Wis., to create Game Day.
"Beer and sports have a natural affinity for each other," Skinner said of the Game Day name. "When it came time to brand the product, the development team realized that our customers not only like beer, they love sports."
Dallas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 8,100 7-Eleven stores in North America. Globally, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses approximately 37,900 stores in 16 countries. During 2008, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales of more than $53.7 billion.
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