Beer had an expected St. Patrick’s Day boost, with dollar sales in Circana-tracked off-premise channels increasing +5.3% year-over-year (YoY) in the week ending March 17, according to the market research firm.
Beer volume also increased +2.9% YoY. Over the last four weeks, beer dollar sales grew +1.2% and volume declined -0.9%.
Imports continue to drive growth for the category, with segment dollar sales up +14% versus March 2023. Constellation Brands’ Modelo is closing the gap between itself and the No. 1 beer brand family Bud Light. In the latest week, dollar sales for the Mexican import brand increased +23.1% YoY, to more than $90.63 million, and volume increased +21.8%, to nearly 2.44 million case equivalents (CEs).
Meanwhile, Bud Light dollar sales were down -17.5% YoY, to $93.9 million, and volume was down -19.1%, to 3.73 million CEs. In the week ending March 3, Modelo dollar sales were behind Bud Light by more than $7.59 million, meaning the brand has cut the gap by more than half in just two weeks.
During St. Patrick’s Day 2023 (week ending March 19), Bud Light recorded more than $113.8 million in dollar sales (-7.3% YoY), while Modelo recorded nearly $73.5 in dollar sales (+5.3% YoY) – a more than $40.3 million gap.
Constellation’s Pacifico also improved, increasing dollar sales +34.5%, the largest YoY growth within the top 35 beer brands. Pacifico volume increased +33.8%.
St. Patrick’s Day staple Guinness was in the red for the holiday, with dollar sales down -3.6% versus 2023, and volume down -5.5%. The performance was still a significant improvement from the previous week, when dollar sales were down -20.9% and volume was down -24.7%, and slightly above two weeks ago, when dollar sales declined -6.1% YoY and volume declined -9.1%.
In 2023, when St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Friday, Guinness dollar sales increased +16.4% YoY and volume increased +12.7%. In the previous week (ending March 12), dollar sales had declined -11.7% and volume had declined -16%.
Total bev-alc was below beer, with single-digit dollar sales (+3.2%) and volume (+2.3%) gains. Over the last four weeks, bev-alc dollars have increased +0.5% and volume has declined -1.1%.
Spirits’ dollar sales gains were below beer (+2.7% YoY), but volume increases were well above (+5.1% YoY). The category has been consistently posting growth, even without holiday boosts. Over the last four weeks, spirits dollar sales have increased +2.3% and volume has increased +4%.
Ready-to-drink beverages (including malt-, wine- and spirits-based offerings) also had a significant holiday boost, with dollar sales increasing +9% YoY, and volume growing +4.7%. Over the last four weeks, dollar sales (+6.4%) and volume (+1.9%) were both in the green.