CHICAGO -- Beer sales in convenience stores declined more than 2% during the first quarter of 2018, according to Nielsen data. The data suggests the c-store channel’s sales are lagging those of the general market based on the larger message that went out from the major brewers in their first-quarter earnings reports.
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, Molson Coors Brewing Co. and Heineken NV all reported sharply lower U.S. beer volume in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, according to a Wall Street Journal report, as drinkers turn to other alcoholic beverages, such as wine or whiskey.
“Growth in wine and spirits has continued,” Gavin Hattersley, chief executive officer of MillerCoors, Chicago, told analysts after reporting its own falling sales this past week. Millennial drinkers are “shifting from beer to wine and spirits,” he said.
AB InBev sold about 1.1 billion gallons of Bud Light, America’s best-selling beer, in 2017, according to Euromonitor. That is off 16% from 2012 sales, WSJ reported. Euromonitor estimates overall beer volumes will slip 0.3% this year after a 0.6% decline in 2017.
In c-stores, meanwhile, beer sales volume declined 1.9% during the 12 weeks ending April 21 and 2.7% during the most recent four-week period, suggesting the decline is growing in 2018, according to Nielsen data shared by Wells Fargo Securities, New York.
Carlos Brito, CEO of Belgium-based AB InBev, said May 6 that he sees opportunities to get the beer industry back on track in the United States.
“In the U.S., there are many opportunities and many occasions that have been growing, like the meal occasion, like women participation in our category, like the more high energy party occasion. So many occasions that are growing in which beer tends to be either totally absent or very under-represented,” he said. “So I think now we have the tools and knowledge and insights to try to get beer to be more present.”
That will mean a “change of mindset” for the world’s biggest brewer, he said. “In the old days, we were just doing share of beer, which is a zero-sum game. For me to gain, somebody has to lose; that game will continue to be played in all markets.”
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.