NEW YORK —All-channel dollar sales for total alcohol are declining, reflecting pressure from the on-premise channel opening, Goldman Sachs Managing Director Bonnie Herzog said.
All channel dollar sales for alcohol beverages during the two-week period ending on June 19 were down 6.7% year-over-year, Herzog said in a report, which analyzed data from Chicago-based research firm Nielsen. On a two-year stack basis—or the sum of the last two years of growth rates, used to smooth out volatility caused by COVID-19—all channel dollar sales were up 15.9%.
Beer, which makes up just more than half of the alcohol category, was down nearly 9% for the two weeks ending on June 19, but hard seltzers continued to show strong growth. They were up more than 10% during that same time, and make up about 10% of total beer volume, Herzog said.
The modest increase reflects “tough comps, ongoing industry-wide can shortage issues and a likely shift of some volume to the on-premise channel,” Herzog said.
Hard seltzer’s growth over a two-year stack basis, though, was 265% over the two-week period in June.
Truly, from The Boston Beer Co., continues to take share of the hard seltzer market, Herzog said. Competition is also continually increasing in the category due to new entrants like Truly Punch, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Cacti Hard Seltzer, Heineken’s Arizona Sun Rise Hard Seltzer, Ban Mixx Hard Selter, Dos Equis Ranch Water Hard Seltzer and more.
Spirits, wine and cider were all down for the two weeks ending June 19.
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