Memorial Day weekend failed to bring the positive kick-off to summer that bev-alc industry members were hoping for, according to the latest weekly scans report from market research firm Circana.
Total bev-alc off-premise dollar sales for the week ending May 25 were down 5.1% year-over-year (YoY) in Circana-tracked channels (total U.S. multi-outlet plus convenience). Bev-alc volume, measured in case sales, fell 7.3% below 2024 levels.
The data includes the weekend leading up to Memorial Day (May 26). Data for the Monday holiday will be included in next week’s report.
Beer declines outpaced the total industry during the week, with dollar sales down 6.4% YoY and volume down 7.8%. The next largest declines came from wine (dollar sales -4.9%, volume -5.9%), then base-agnostic ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, including flavored malt beverages (FMBs) and hard seltzer (dollar sales -4.4%, volume -9.2%).
Within RTDs, spirits-based hard seltzer (dollar sales +5.4%, volume +3.4%); hard lemonade/tea (dollar sales +2.4%, volume +0.8%); and premixed ready-to-serve cocktails in large sizes (dollar sales +15.9%, volume +16.5%) and single-serve (dollar sales +36.3%, volume +37.9%) were able to record YoY growth. All other RTD subsegments declined.
Spirits was the only category to eke out volume gains (+0.6%), with dollar sales nearly flat (-0.3%).
“No way to sugar coat this data, not pleasing to see all the red versus 2024,” Circana EVP, BevAl Scott Scanlon wrote. “To the degree the weather contributed is hard to determine, but the cold and rain in the Midwest and East certainly did not help.
“We did see strong performance from expected growth leaders Josh, [Anheuser-Busch InBev’s] Michelob, and [Gallo-owned] BuzzBallz, but far too few brands in the green this week to feel good about Memorial Day results,” he added.
Michelob Ultra – the third largest beer brand family by dollar sales – was just above flat YoY, with both dollar sales and volume up 0.1%. The leading brand families were both in decline: No. 1 Constellation’s Modelo, dollar sales -3.9%, volume -6.3%; No. 2 A-B’s Bud Light, dollar sales -10.4%, volume -11.8%.
Other top 50 beer brand families to record YoY growth over the holiday weekend include:
- Constellation’s Pacifico (dollar sales +21.3%, volume +17.4%);
- Sierra Nevada (dollar sales +2%, volume +2.2%);
- Geloso’s Clubtails (dollar sales +11.4%, volume +7.2%);
- Boston Beer’s Angry Orchard (dollar sales +2.9%, volume +0.8%);
- Molson Coors’ Steel Reserve Malt Liquor (dollar sales +1.9%, volume +2.1%);
- Constellation’s Victoria (dollar sales +38.6%, volume +37.7%);
- A-B’s Goose Island (dollar sales +1.9%, volume -5.4%);
- Athletic (dollar sales +13%, volume +21.7%);
- And A-B’s Elysian (dollar sales +5.6%, volume +3.9%).
“Upcoming, hopefully graduation parties will make up for lackluster Memorial Day and we do not experience significant retracement next week post-holiday,” Scanlon wrote. “Historically the data typically remains in a general trend the week post-Memorial Day and building the week prior to 4th of July.”