Circana: Craft’s C-Store Growth Continues, Brand-Level Losses Decelerate

Tweet
Reddit
Share
Share
Email

Craft outperformed the overall beer category in convenience stores to close the summer selling season.

In the four-week period (L4W) ending September 7, dollar sales of craft beer increased 1.5% in c-stores, compared with total beer’s 1.9% decline in the channel, according to the latest monthly report from market research firm Circana.

Craft volume, measured in case sales, remained negative for the period (-0.9%), as did craft’s year-to-date (YTD) metrics (dollars -0.5%, volume -2.5%).

C-store dollar sales growth is a bit of good news for the challenged segment, while declines in dollars (-6.7% YTD, -7,1% L4W) and volume (-7.9% YTD, -8.5% L4W) in the all-important grocery channel are accelerating. Craft’s grocery declines are nearly double those of the total beer category in the channel, which are also accelerating (dollars -3.6% YTD, -4.4% L4W; volume -4.8% YTD, -5.6% L4W).

Craft over-indexes in grocery stores, where it is the third-largest segment by YTD dollar sales ($1.646 billion), compared to c-stores ($1.104 billion) where it is No. 7. In Circana’s combined multi-outlet plus convenience (MULO+C), craft is No. 6 by YTD dollars ($3.039 billion).

Ten of the top 30 craft brands by MULO+C dollar sales YTD recorded growth in the L4W. For six of them, gains accelerated between YTD and L4W sales:

  • No. 3 Kirin-owned New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Hazy Imperial IPA, +11.6% in dollars and +9.9% in volume YTD; +14.8% in dollars and +13% in volume L4W;
  • No. 4 Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA, +1.2% in dollars and -0.3% in volume YTD; +2% in dollars and +0.7% in volume L4W;
  • No. 9 Anheuser-Busch (A-B) InBev-owned Elysian Space Dust IPA, +6.4% in dollars and +6.3% in volume YTD; +7.7% in dollars and +6.2% in volume L4W;
  • No. 17 Monster Brewing-owned Cigar City Jai Alai IPA, +3.4% in dollars and +3.2% in volume YTD; +12.5% in dollars and +13.2% in volume L4W;
  • No. 21 Heineken-owned Lagunitas A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale, +5.4% in dollars and +1.9% in volume YTD; +12% in dollars and +9.3% in volume L4W;
  • And No. 25 Georgetown Bodhizafa IPA, +7.9% in dollars and +1.6% in volume YTD; +10.1% in dollars and +3.2% in volume L4W.

Jai Alai’s L4W volume gains may have gotten a boost from a $0.30 per case price decrease, while A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ and Bodhizafa both increased in price in the L4W, by $1.10 and $3.44 per case, respectively.

Four of the top 30 brands posted slowing growth between YTD and L4W sets:

  • No. 2 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, +4.6% in dollars and +2.9% in volume YTD; +3.6% and +1.7% in volume L4W;
  • No. 14 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Tropic Force IPA, +24.1% in dollars and +22.8% in volume YTD; +1% in dollars and -0.6% in volume L4W;
  • No. 16 A-B’s Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug DDH Double IPA, +27.8% in dollars and +25% in volume YTD; +22.1% in dollars and +19% in volume L4W;
  • And No. 20 A-B’s Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA, +21.1% in dollars and +21.4% in volume YTD; +14.7% in dollars and +12.1% in volume L4W.

A-B’s Kona Big Wave, the fifth-largest craft brand by YTD dollar sales in MULO+C, saw a reversal of its trends, which declined in both dollars (-5.5%) and volume (-7.4%) in the L4W. Kona Big Wave is up 1% in dollars and 1.8% in volume YTD.

Among the 19 brands in the top 30 with declining dollars sales YTD, dollar sales losses for 12 have decelerated in the L4W:

  • No. 1 Molson Coors’ Blue Moon Belgian White, -8.7% in dollars and -13.8% in volume YTD; -8.6% in dollars and -15% L4W;
  • No. 4 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, -4.9% in dollars and -6.4% in volume YTD; -2.6% in dollars, -3.9% in volume L4W;
  • No. 7 Molson Coors’ Leinenkugel’s Shandy, -13.4% in dollars and -15.1% in volume YTD; -9.1% in dollars and -11% in volume L4W;
  • No. 10 Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams seasonal, -9% in dollars and -10.1% in volume YTD; -8.5% in dollars and -10.2% in volume L4W;
  • No. 12 Duvel-owned Firestone Walker 805, -7.7% in dollars and -10.2% in volume YTD; -6.9% in dollars and -8.2% in volume L4W;
  • No. 18 Samuel Adams Boston Lager, -10.4% in dollars and -11.5% in volume YTD; -8.8% in dollars and -10.5% in volume L4W;
  • No. 22 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Hoppy variety pack, -22.1% in dollars and -23.1% in volume YTD; -13.3% in dollars and -13.8% in volume L4W;
  • No. 23 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force IPA, -43.7% in dollars and -44% in volume TD; -34.3% in dollars and -34.8% in volume L4W;
  • No. 24 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA, -16.3% in dollars and -17.1% in volume YTD; -14.7% in dollars and -15.5% in volume L4W;
  • No. 26 New Belgium Fat Tire, -24% in dollars and -24.5% in volume YTD; -23.8% in dollars and -23.8% in volume L4W;
  • No. 27 Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA, -15.6% in dollars and -16.9% in volume YTD; -12.5% in dollars and -14% in volume L4W;
  • No. 28 New Belgium-owned Bell’s seasonal, -13.6% in dollars and -13.3% in volume YTD; -7.2% in dollars and -8.9% in volume L4W.

Four brands with YTD dollar sales declines have reversed trends L4W:

  • No. 8 Gambrinus-owned Shiner Bock, -4.6% in dollars and -4.9% in volume YTD; +3.1% in dollars and +4.4% in volume L4W;
  • No. 11 Lagunitas IPA, -5.1% in dollars and -7.4% in volume YTD; +2.4% in dollars and +0.1% in volume L4W;
  • No. 15 Bell’s Two Hearted IPA, -2.3% in dollars and -3.3% in volume YTD; +1.4% in dollars and +1% in volume L4W;
  • And No. 29 Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing Imperial IPA, -0.9% in dollars and -3.5% in volume YTD; +0.2% in dollars and -3.1% in volume L4W.

Dollar sales losses accelerated from YTD to L4W for three brands:

  • No. 13 Mahou-owned Founders All Day IPA, -5.9% in dollars and -6.7% in volume YTD; -6.5% in dollars and -7.8% in volume L4W;
  • No. 19 Blue Moon Light, -14.1% in dollars and -14.8% in volume YTD; -19.9% in dollars and -20.8% in volume L4W;
  • And No. 30 Rhinegeist Truth IPA, -3.1% in dollars and -3.7% in volume YTD; -11.2% in dollars and -10.5% in volume L4W.

Across the segment, price increases for the average case accelerated between YTD (+$0.73, to $43.85) and L4W (+$0.89, to $43.84).

Georgetown’s Bodhizafa recorded the largest price increase L4W at +$3.44 per case (to $54.48, the most expensive average case price in the top 30), followed by Blue Moon Belgian White (+$2.88, to $41.10), Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing Imperial IPA (+$1.58, to $48.47), Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug DDH Double IPA (+$1.27, to $49.97) and Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA (+$1.14, to $49.31).

Only three brands in the top 30 decreased in price in the L4W:

  • Shiner Bock, -$0.45, to $36.85, the lowest average case price in the segment;
  • Rhinegeist Truth PA, -$0.32, to $41.92;
  • And Cigar City Jai Alai IPA, -$0.30, to $48.24.

At the channel level, five brands broke through the top 30 in grocery stores without also ranking among the top 30 MULO+C:

  • No. 21 Samuel Adams seasonal variety pack, -11.4% in dollars and -13.2% in volume YTD’ +11.2% in dollars and +9.2% in volume L4W, a near-complete trend reversal;
  • No. 25 Sierra Nevada Hazy IPA variety pack, +68.8% in dollars and +68.4% in volume YTD; +1.4% in dollars and +2.3% in volume L4W;
  • No. 28 Sierra Nevada seasonal, -8.6% in dollars and -9.3% in volume YTD; -13.2% in dollars and -13.1% in volume L4W;
  • No. 29 A-B’s Golden Road Mango Cart wheat ale, +18.5% in dollars and +20.9% in volume YTD; +8.8% in dollars and +13.2% in volume L4W (-$1.45 price drop L4W);
  • And No. 30 Sapporo-owned Stone IPA, +2.4% in dollars and +4.8% in volume YTD; +1.6% in dollars and +3.3% in volume L4W.

Four brands cracked the convenience channel’s top 30 without ranking among the top 30 in MULO+C:

  • No. 25 Goose Island Big Juicy Beer Hug Imperial IPA, +102.3% in dollars and +101.4% in volume YTD; +26.2% in dollars and +25.7% in volume L4W;
  • No. 26 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger IPA, -29.2% in dollars and -30% in volume YTD; -19.7% in dollars and -20.1% in volume L4W;
  • No. 28 Fiddlehead IPA, +1.8% in dollars and +2.8% in volume YTD; +5.7% in dollars and +5.4% in volume L4W;
  • And No. 30 Tilray-owned SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale, +11.5% in dollars and +12.4% in volume YTD; +13.3% in dollars and +22.1% in volume L4W (-$3.23 price drop L4W).

SweetWater 420 is Tilray’s only brand to rank in any of the top 30 craft lists, but the Canadian cannabis and beverage company is the 15th-largest beer category vendor in MULO+C, with YTD dollar sales of $131.5 million (-14.9% year-over-year [YoY]).

Other craft brewers that land among top vendors without any brands ranking among the top 30 include:

  • No. 17 dedicated non-alcoholic (NA) craft brewer Athletic; $79.4 million YTD (+21.9% YoY);
  • No. 21 Artisanal Brewing Ventures, $69.9 million YTD (-1.3% YoY);
  • No. 24 Monster-owned CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective, $58.6 million YTD (+0.5% YoY).