Bev-alc scans improved in the latest week (data ending July 20), with dollar sales increasing 3% week-over-week (WoW) in Circana-tracked off-premise channels, the market research firm shared in its latest report.
The industry remained in the red compared to 2024, with dollar sales down 1.6% and volume declining 3.3% year-over-year (YoY). However, the latest scans show “some positive signs” in a historically “subdued” period, Circana EVP, BevAl Scott Scanlon wrote.
Spirits remains the only bev-alc category to record positive dollar sales (+3.5%) and volume (+8.1%), which have each accelerated notably in recent weeks. In the last 26 weeks (L26W), spirits dollar sales increased 1.5% and volume grew 4.9% YoY.
Beer remains in the red (dollar sales -2.1%, volume -3.8%), despite YoY gains from non-alcoholic (NA) beer (dollar sales +20.1%, volume +20.7%) domestic super premium (dollar sales +5.4%, volume +5.8%) and hard cider (dollar sales +3.4%, volume +3.4%). Declines are steeper in the L26W (dollar sales -3.5%, volume -5%).
Wine leads declines both in the latest week (dollar sales -4.5%, volume -5.4%) and the L26W (dollar sales -4.8%, volume -5.8%).
Beer-, wine- and spirits-based ready-to-drink (RTD) bev-alc accelerated dollar sales gains in the latest week (+2.9%), while volume declines lessened (-1.7%) compared to the L4W (dollar sales +1.7%, volume -3% YoY). In the L26, RTD dollar sales increased 1.6%, while volume declined 3.2%.
RTDs with notable YoY performances in the latest week included:
- Sazerac’s BuzzBallz, dollar sales +68.7%, volume +76.7%;
- BeatBox, dollar sales +25.2%, volume +21.8%;
- Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (A-B) Cutwater Spirits, dollar sales +45.8%, volume +50.9%;
- A-B’s Nütrl Hard Seltzer, dollar sales +14.4%, volume +12.9%;
- Stateside Vodka’s Surfside, dollar sales +476.5%, volume +575.5%;
- Atomic Brands’ Monaco Cocktails, dollar sales +23.8%, volume +21.7%;
- Carbliss, dollar sales +60.6%, volume +58.5%;
- Boston Beer Company’s Sun Cruiser, dollar sales +649.3%, volume +697.6%;
- The Long Drink, dollar sales +23.7%, volume +32.9%;
- And MLP Brands’ Big Sipz, dollar sales +31.7%, volume +34.4%.
Within beer, the leading two brands – Constellation Brands’ Modelo and A-B’s Bud Light – continued to record YoY declines: Modelo dollar sales -1.5%, volume -4%; Bud Light dollar sales -7.2%, volume -8.5%. However, trends improved compared to the previous week (Modelo dollar sales -2.2%, volume -4.2%; Bud Light dollar sales -7.7%, volume -9.1%).
No. 3 A-B’s Michelob Ultra accelerated YoY gains in the latest week, with dollar sales up 6.3% (+3.2% in the previous week) and volume increasing 6.6% (+3.1% in the previous week).
Other notable performances by top beer brand families included:
- Constellation’s Pacifico, dollar sales +15.1%, volume +11.9% (previous week dollar sales +13.1%, volume +11.5%);
- Mark Anthony Brands’ Cayman Jack, dollar sales +8.3%, volume +4% (previous week dollar sales +3%, volume -1%);
- Geloso’s Clubtails, dollar sales +13.8%, volume +10.8% (previous week dollar sales +14.5%, volume +11.4%);
- Boston Beer’s Angry Orchard Hard Cider, dollar sales +6.4%, volume +5.4% (previous week dollar sales +1.4%, volume +1.1%);
- Constellation’s Victoria, dollar sales +42.4%, volume +40.5% (previous week dollar sales +42%, volume +40.4%);
- And Athletic non-alc, dollar sales +12.5%, volume +14.1% (previous week dollar sales +12.4%, volume +13.1%).
“Upcoming, as previously noted, we are in a phase within the calendar where historically the data is relatively subdued,” Scanlon wrote. “It will be interesting to see if beer can drive further toward flat comps in the upcoming week.
“Additionally, explosive growth from hot RTD brands has not cooled. We will see if the performance continues or perhaps migrates to traditional spirits, beer, or other RTD brands.”