CHICAGO — Within alcohol beverages, flavored malt beverages saw the most growth in the c-store channel in 2019, with case sales up 32%. Other strong performers: nonalcohol and domestic superpremium beers, both up by double-digit percentages, according to IRI.
Overall, domestic beers struggled, with c-store sales down slightly in both dollars and units. Case sales of craft beer rose modestly—by 2.6%—while cider struggled.
Spirits posted another year of double-digit growth, up about 17% in dollar and case sales. Wine also saw growth, with sparkling varieties providing the lift.
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2019
| C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total domestic beer | $13,833.2 | (0.1%) | 608.8 | (2.1%) |
| Domestic premium beer | $7,223.2 | (3.8%) | 313.2 | (5.4%) |
| Imported beer | $3,976.6 | 8.0% | 115.7 | 5.8% |
| Domestic subpremium beer | $3,433.1 | 1.1% | 202.8 | (0.9%) |
| Flavored malt beverages | $2,107.7 | 34.7% | 60.9 | 32.0% |
| Domestic superpremium beer | $1,798.1 | 12.4% | 59.3 | 10.7% |
| Craft beer | $1,378.8 | 3.4% | 33.5 | 2.6% |
| Cider | $131.3 | (5.3%) | 3.2 | (7.1%) |
| Nonalcohol beer | $13.9 | 30.1% | 0.5 | 20.3% |
| Total beer | $20,062.8 | 4.3% | 789.2 | 1.0% |
| Spirits | $1,356.1 | 17.0% | 8.2 | 17.1% |
| Table wine | $1,028.0 | 2.6% | 11.4 | 0.9% |
| Sparkling wine | $67.4 | 12.8% | 0.5 | 7.3% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Click here to review complete category sales data.
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