Constellation Brands and Molson Coors are expected to annex more shelf and cooler space in convenience stores following the upcoming spring 2024 resets, according to Goldman Sachs Equity Research’s recent Beverage Bytes survey.
Convenience stores were a bright spot for the beer category in 2023, with dollar sales in the channel up +5.2% for the first 11 months of the year, according to market research firm Circana. To share insights on how suppliers can make inroads in the channel, Extra Mile Convenience Stores category manager for alcoholic beverages Michelle Abdollah and Bump Williams Consulting VP of analytics and insights Dave Williams shared the stage at Brewbound Live.
A year and a half post-merger, Sapporo-Stone is hitting its stride.
The convenience channel remains a bright spot for beer as the category tackles declines elsewhere, and growth in the channel is expected to continue through 2024, Goldman Sachs analysts reported in the company’s latest Bev Bytes retailer survey.
Constellation Brands overtook Molson Coors as the No. 2 beer category vendor by dollar sales in multi-outlet grocery and convenience stores (MULO+C) in 2023, according to market research firm Circana, which shared its year-end report. Constellation grew off-premise dollars by $1.092 billion to $8.446 billion through December 31.
Beverage sales in the convenience channel remained “healthy” in Q3 2023, up +4.4%, despite decelerating from stronger +6.6% growth in Q2, according to the latest Beverage Bytes survey of retailers conducted by Goldman Sachs Equity Research.
Monster Energy is “all-in on alcohol” and “thinks it could be big for them by 2025,” according to Goldman Sachs equity analyst Bonnie Herzog’s report from the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) trade show. The energy drink maker, which entered beverage-alcohol with the acquisition of CANarchy in January 2022, displayed its forthcoming hard tea, Nasty Beast Hardcore Tea during the show, Herzog wrote.
The convenience channel is the strongest channel for beer, accounting for more than half of category dollar sales, according to NIQ data shared by 3 Tier Beverages.
Convenience store retailers had a “slightly more pessimistic outlook” for beer trends in Goldman Sachs’ Q2 Beverage Bytes survey, citing “broader economic pressures/fears of recession, impacts from cooler weather” and the continued “negative impacts from the recent Bud Light controversy.”
