Where the Gains Are
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Imports, domestic superpremium, craft and cider were bright spots in the beer and alcohol category in 2014. While the two biggest segments—domestic premium and subpremium—languished, these smaller yet more popular subcategories picked up the slack.
Spirits and wine also posted another strong year of dollar and case growth, according to IRI.
Beer
| Beer type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Domestic premium | $8,643.6 | -0.1% | 401.8 | -0.7% |
| Domestic subpremium | $3,214.5 | -3.0% | 200.4 | -3.8% |
| Import | $2,207.3 | 13.3% | 71.4 | 10.9% |
| Domestic superpremium | $1,392.7 | 11.4% | 47.3 | 8.9% |
| Progressive adult beverages | $948.0 | 3.3% | 28.2 | 2.8% |
| Craft | $622.6 | 26.6% | 16.4 | 23.4% |
| Domestic malt liquor | $414.1 | 2.9% | 23.1 | 0.5% |
| Cider | $108.5 | 124.7% | 3.1 | 126.5% |
| Nonalcohol | $10.0 | 1.7% | 0.5 | -0.7% |
| Total beer | $17,561.6 | 3.1% | 792.1 | 0.7% |
Spirits
| C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* | |
| Spirits | $928.8 | 14.1% | 6.3 | 6.3 |
Wine
| Wine type | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Table | $801.1 | 8.1% | 9.4 | 7.1% |
| Sparkling | $37.7 | 13.5% | 0.3 | 13.4% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Category Insight
Purchases of alcohol beverages vary significantly by the day of the week, according to an analysis of c-store POS data by Management Science Associates. Beer is most commonly purchased on the weekend (Friday and Saturday), which sees more than 40% of sales. For wine and liquor, purchases are heavier on the weekend but more spread out across the week than beer.
Latest Quarter: Beer UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
C-store case sales of beer grew 1.3% in the final quarter of 2014. Dollars were up nearly 4%, just about matching last year’s performance.
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Bud Light (12 12-oz. cans) | $153.6 | -5.8% | 6.6 | -7.6% |
| Bud Light (18 12-oz. cans) | $142.1 | -2.1% | 6.9 | -2.8% |
| Bud Light (25-oz. can) | $92.2 | 70.3% | 3.9 | 65.6% |
| Bud Light (12 11-12-oz. bottles) | $78.5 | -7.4% | 3.3 | -9.0% |
| Corona Extra (12 11-12-oz. bottles) | $74.0 | 7.5% | 2.4 | 5.7% |
| Bud Light (24 12-oz. cans) | $73.7 | -3.3% | 3.9 | -4.1% |
| Bud Light (6 16-oz. cans) | $66.7 | 13.0% | 3.1 | 13.2% |
| Coors Light (18 12-oz. cans) | $59.1 | -3.0% | 2.9 | -3.6% |
| Bud Light (6 11-12-oz. bottles) | $56.8 | -4.3% | 2.0 | -6.3% |
| Coors Light (12 12-oz. cans) | $55.3 | -4.9% | 2.4 | -5.5% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $4,279.1 | 3.7% | 190.5 | 1.3% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Beer Market Share by Type
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Imports gained more than a point in share of c-store beer sales in 2014, with domestic superpremium and craft up about half a point.
| Beer type | Dollar share | Point change |
| Domestic premium | 49.2% | -1.6 |
| Domestic subpremium | 18.3% | -1.2 |
| Import | 12.6% | 1.1 |
| Domestic superpremium | 7.9% | 0.6 |
| Progressive adult beverages | 5.4% | 0.0 |
| Craft | 3.5% | 0.7 |
| Domestic malt liquor | 2.4% | 0.0 |
| Cider | 0.6% | 0.3 |
| Nonalcohol | 0.1% | 0.0 |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
CONTINUED: Breakdown By Beer Type
Domestic Premium Share by Brand
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Bud Light and Miller Lite were some of the gainers in share of c-store sales of domestic premium beer in 2014.
| Brand | Dollar share | Point Change |
| Bud Light | 47.2% | 0.4 |
| Budweiser | 16.2% | -0.3 |
| Coors Light | 15.4% | -0.4 |
| Miller Lite | 12.5% | 0.3 |
| Bud Ice | 2.7% | 0.2 |
| Yuengling Traditional Lager | 1.5% | 0.1 |
| Coors | 1.1% | 0.1 |
| Others** | 3.4% | NA |
Source: IRI
** Brands with less than 1% market share
Domestic Premium Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
The largest beer segment saw case and dollar sales erode again in 2014, although a few brands further down the ranking enjoyed decent gains.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Bud Light | $4,077.9 | 0.9% | 189.9 | 0.1% |
| Budweiser | $1,398.1 | -1.8% | 64.3 | -2.7% |
| Coors Light | $1,333.3 | -2.6% | 60.5 | -3.7% |
| Miller Lite | $1,077.8 | 2.2% | 49.7 | 1.2% |
| Bud Ice | $230.4 | 8.3% | 13.2 | 8.0% |
| Yuengling Traditional Lager | $130.6 | 7.1% | 5.4 | 5.9% |
| Coors | $98.8 | 7.9% | 4.5 | 5.8% |
| Rolling Rock | $68.1 | 31.8% | 3.8 | 34.7% |
| Budweiser Select | $58.9 | -7.4% | 2.9 | -6.1% |
| Miller Genuine Draft | $34.9 | -16.5% | 1.6 | -17.6% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $8,643.6 | -0.1% | 401.8 | -0.7% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Domestic Subpremium Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Sales of subpremium beer fell again in 2014, with seven of the top 10 brands losing ground in dollars and cases.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Natural Light | $759.7 | -7.1% | 46.8 | -7.8% |
| Busch Light | $515.5 | 0.7% | 32.5 | 0.0% |
| Busch | $452.1 | -3.4% | 27.5 | -4.4% |
| Keystone Light | $294.5 | -5.8% | 18.6 | -7.7% |
| Miller High Life | $267.8 | -3.4% | 16.1 | -4.4% |
| Natural Ice | $231.0 | -1.8% | 14.6 | -0.6% |
| Pabst Blue Ribbon | $170.5 | 7.0% | 9.9 | 6.0% |
| Icehouse | $156.6 | -7.2% | 9.3 | -8.2% |
| Milwaukee’s Best Ice | $81.8 | 1.1% | 5.9 | 0.4% |
| Milwaukee’s Best Light | $58.7 | -13.3% | 4.2 | -13.5% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $3,214.5 | -3.0% | 200.4 | -3.8% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Domestic Superpremium Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Strong sales of Michelob Ultra Light, with more than one-third of superpremium-beer dollar sales, provided subcategory momentum in 2014.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Michelob Ultra Light | $479.8 | 13.3% | 17.8 | 11.0% |
| Bud Light Platinum Lager | $174.8 | -11.5% | 6.1 | -13.5% |
| Bud Light Lime | $147.3 | -5.5% | 5.2 | -7.3% |
| Bud Light Chelada | $106.3 | 9.3% | 3.3 | 8.4% |
| Redd’s Apple Ale | $87.2 | 45.9% | 2.7 | 45.9% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $1,392.7 | 11.4% | 47.3 | 8.9% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Customer in Focus
According to consumer research by Mintel, craft-beer drinkers are much more willing than other beer drinkers to try new products.
And while 56% of non-craft-beer drinkers ranked brand the most important factor in choosing a beer, this number falls to 47% for craft-beer drinkers. Instead, these consumers are much more driven by the style of beer (such as stout or IPA) than brand, flavor or whether the product is on promotion.
“This is good news for the category, which is filled with brands that have lower levels of name recognition than larger manufacturers,” Mintel researchers say.
Craft Brand Families
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Share of craft beer sales in c-stores was fairly fragmented in 2014, with several brand families contributing to its growth spurt.
| Brand family | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Samuel Adams | $87.6 | 22.4% | 2.4 | 19.8% |
| Sierra Nevada | $65.7 | 13.7% | 1.8 | 13.0% |
| Shiner | $49.5 | 11.4% | 1.4 | 7.7% |
| New Belgium | $49.5 | 35.3% | 1.3 | 35.1% |
| Lagunitas | $26.0 | 68.9% | 0.6 | 70.0% |
| Total (including brand families not shown) | $622.6 | 26.6% | 16.4 | 23.4% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Malt-Liquor Brand Families
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
After a few years of eroding sales, malt liquor finally posted modest growth in c-store dollar and case sales in 2014.
| Brand family | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Steel Reserve Malt Liquor | $176.9 | 10.2% | 9.6 | 7.0% |
| Hurricane | $59.0 | 14.5% | 3.6 | 12.3% |
| Olde English | $50.7 | -3.2% | 2.8 | -5.3% |
| Mickey’s | $47.4 | -2.0% | 2.3 | -3.0% |
| King Cobra | $32.2 | -4.3% | 2.1 | -6.4% |
| Total (including brand families not shown) | $414.1 | 2.9% | 23.1 | 0.5% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Import Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Sales of c-store import beer rose more than 13% in 2014, with Modelo Especial gaining more than 2 points in subcategory share.
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Corona Extra | $721.4 | 10.3% | 21.8 | 8.5% |
| Modelo Especial | $453.4 | 27.5% | 15.6 | 22.2% |
| Heineken | $352.9 | 4.2% | 10.5 | 3.1% |
| Dos Equis XX Lager Especial | $146.4 | 27.2% | 4.4 | 25.5% |
| Tecate | $67.4 | -2.4% | 3.0 | -4.5% |
| Stella Artois Lager | $64.9 | 13.9% | 1.6 | 12.7% |
| Corona Light | $53.6 | 3.7% | 1.6 | 1.8% |
| Labatt Blue | $38.9 | -4.9% | 1.9 | -5.8% |
| Labatt Blue Light | $36.6 | 0.8% | 1.9 | 0.4% |
| Modelo Especial Chelada | $33.2 | 772.9% | 0.9 | 759.2% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $2,207.3 | 13.3% | 71.4 | 10.9% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
CONTINUED: Progressive Adult Beverages, Cider, Wine & Spirits
Progressive-Adult-Beverage Brand Families
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
The brakes came on c-store sales growth of progressive adult beverages in 2014, with more than half of the top 10 brands losing ground.
| Brand family | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Bud Light Lime | $273.8 | 8.8% | 7.9 | 9.7% |
| Mike’s Harder | $156.0 | 19.8% | 4.8 | 18.3% |
| Four Loko | $131.3 | -5.1% | 4.0 | -5.7% |
| Twisted | $119.9 | 20.0% | 3.9 | 19.0% |
| Smirnoff Ice | $108.4 | -3.2% | 3.0 | -3.3% |
| Mike’s Hard | $71.1 | -8.5% | 1.9 | -9.6% |
| Sparks | $20.0 | -12.2% | 0.9 | -11.6% |
| Smirnoff Premium Mixed Drinks | $16.4 | -3.3% | 0.4 | -3.4% |
| Joose | $13.7 | 2.2% | 0.4 | 0.5% |
| Johnny Bootlegger | $11.9 | -0.4% | 0.1 | -0.3% |
| Total (including brand families not shown) | $948.0 | 3.3% | 28.2 | 2.8% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Cider Brand Families
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
Hard cider, which was once a small, relatively inactive subcategory in c-stores, has posted strong year-over-year dollar and case gains.
| Brand family | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Angry Orchard | $66.0 | 115.3% | 1.8 | 111.3% |
| Johnny Cider | $11.1 | NA | 0.3 | NA |
| Smith & Forge | $9.4 | NA | 0.3 | NA |
| Woodchuck | $7.5 | -14.7% | 0.2 | -4.1% |
| Strongbow | $2.6 | 126.6% | 0.1 | 214.4% |
| Total (including brand families not shown) | $108.5 | 124.7% | 3.1 | 126.5% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Wine by Brand and UPC
Wine posted another year of sales gains in 2014, according to IRI. Barefoot and Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi grew share of table-wine sales.
Table-Wine Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales (millions) | PCYA* |
| Barefoot | $121.2 | 9.6% | 1.5 | 10.0% |
| Sutter Home | $88.9 | 7.3% | 1.1 | 6.3% |
| Yellow Tail | $42.9 | -4.1% | 0.5 | -3.0% |
| Woodbridge By Robert Mondavi | $31.6 | 11.6% | 0.4 | 9.8% |
| Gallo Family Vineyards | $23.7 | -0.1% | 0.4 | -0.3% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $801.1 | 8.1% | 9.4 | 7.1% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Sparkling-Wine Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Dollar share | Point change |
| Andre | $7.1 | 21.7% | 18.9% | 1.3 |
| Korbel | $4.5 | 4.9% | 12.0% | -1.0 |
| Cook’s | $4.1 | 12.4% | 10.9% | -0.1 |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $37.7 | 13.5% | 100% | 0.0 |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Latest Quarter: Wine UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales PCYA* |
| Barefoot Pinot Grigio (0.75-liter) | $3.6 | 6.8% | 6.3% |
| Barefoot Moscato (0.75-liter) | $3.4 | 2.0% | 2.8% |
| Apothic Red (0.75-liter) | $3.4 | 38.8% | 38.2% |
| Sutter Home Chardonnay (4-count, 0.187-liter) | $3.4 | 1.5% | 2.6% |
| Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay (0.75-liter) | $3.1 | -4.4% | -4.3% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $214.2 | 7.3% | 5.4% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Spirits by Brand and UPC
C-store dollar sales of spirits rose more than 14% in 2014, according to IRI, with Fireball Whiskey gaining more than 2 points in share.
Spirits Brands
C-store sales, 52 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| Brand | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales PCYA* |
| Smirnoff Domestic Vodka | $54.2 | 5.8% | 4.7% |
| Crown Royal North American Whiskey | $49.5 | 12.6% | 11.1% |
| Jack Daniel’s North American Whiskey | $48.5 | 10.3% | 7.3% |
| Captain Morgan Rum | $45.7 | 6.2% | 4.8% |
| Fireball Whiskey Specialties | $30.0 | 273.2% | 273.0% |
| Total (including brands not shown) | $928.8 | 14.1% | 15.9% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
Latest Quarter: Spirits UPCs
C-store sales, 13 weeks ending Dec. 28, 2014
| UPC | C-store sales ($ millions) | PCYA* | Case sales PCYA* |
| Crown Royal Regular Canadian Whiskey (0.75-liter) | $4.2 | 13.2% | 9.1% |
| Jack Daniel’s Black Label Regular Tennessee Whiskey (0.75-liter) | $4.0 | 7.0% | 3.9% |
| Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey (0.375-liter) | $3.5 | 23.2% | 25.1% |
| Smirnoff Vodka (0.375-liter) | $3.1 | 2.5% | 3.3% |
| Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey (0.75-liter) | $3.0 | 101.2% | 100.9% |
| Total (including UPCs not shown) | $249.7 | 17.7% | 17.6% |
Source: IRI
* Percent change from a year ago
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