NEW YORK -- The latest all-channel beverage sales data from Nielsen illustrates a tough period for several beverage categories, even in the heat of the summer.
Data from the four-week period ending Aug. 13, 2016, shows "broad softness in most categories, particularly energy," said analyst Bonnie Herzog of Wells Fargo Securities.
Here's a look at how the major beverage categories performed during the month ...
After flattening out in the first half of the year--good news considering recent trends--the carbonated-soft-drink (CSD) category saw its volume sales decline 2.2% during the four-week period, while dollar sales dipped 1.1%.
The last period shows regular CSD volume declining 1.0% and diet sodas down an eerie 5.6%--during the middle of summer!
Following on a 52-week dollar-sale increase of 6.9%, energy drinks suffered what could be the most sluggish sales period in the category's history since gaining national distribution, growing only 3.3% during the four-week period ending Aug. 13.
Red Bull volume grew 2.2% and dollar sales 1.5% during the period, while Monster Energy volume actually dipped 0.3% even as dollar sales grew 3.3%.
"[This is] the lowest sales growth we have seen [for Monster] on its toughest lap from last year, when dollar sales were up 11%," Herzog said.
Beer has been having a good go of it this year, with dollar sales up 3.8% during the past 52 weeks. That changed during this four-week period, when dollar sales were up a modest 1.8% as volume declined 1.2%.
Constellation Brands (Corona) remains a shining star in the category with dollar sales up 17.2% during the period.
So if CSDs, energy drinks and beer a dragged during the past four weeks, what were consumers drinking?
Not surprisingly, the winners during the period were:
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