Data

Leaders from the beer industry’s three largest trade associations are vowing once again to unite brewers and distributors in an effort to return the category to growth. Speaking to a group of nearly 700 U.S. beer distributors attending the annual National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) legislative conference on Monday in Washington, D.C., Beer Institute CEO Jim McGreevy called on industry members to work together to curb volume losses.

The latest snapshot of beer category health is out. Market research firm IRI Worldwide, which tracks category-wide sales trends at off-premise retailers, reported yesterday that dollar sales of beer at multi-outlet and convenience stores were up 1.5 percent through March 25.

Following a year of flat sales at off-premise retail in 2017, U.S. beer dollar sales increased 3 percent through the first four weeks of 2018, according to retail data provider IRI Worldwide. IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm that tracks category-wide sales trends at off-premise retailers, reported total U.S. dollar sales of about $2.2 billion through January 28 in its multi-outlet and convenience (MULC) universe of stores (grocery, drug, club, dollar, mass-merchandiser and military).

As Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles unfolds on the field, Anheuser-Busch InBev will be attempting to capture viewers’ attention by running six ads during the commercial breaks.

2017 was historically bad for U.S. brewers, who shipped 3.8 million fewer barrels of beer than the previous year, according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s (TTB) unofficial estimate of domestic tax paid shipments. According to industry trade association the Beer Institute (BI) — which represents the interests of all brewers and importers and publishes the TTB’s monthly estimates — U.S. beer companies shipped about 170 million barrels of beer in 2017, compared to nearly 174 million barrels in 2016.

U.S. beer volume sales were roughly flat in 2017, according to retail data provider IRI Worldwide. The market research firm, which tracks category-wide sales trends at off-premise retailers, reported that total U.S. beer dollar sales topped $34 billion in the firm’s multi-outlet and convenience (MULC) universe of stores (grocery, drug, club, dollar, mass-merchandiser and military).

With just six weeks left to go in 2017, U.S. beer volume sales are roughly flat, according to recent data from Chicago-based market research firm IRI Worldwide. The firm, which tracks category-wide sales trends at off-premise retailers, reported that U.S. beer volume sales were down 0.7 percent while total beer dollar sales have increased 1 percent through November 5.

Independence matters to craft beer drinkers. During Thursday morning’s New York version of the Brewbound Session, Nielsen senior vice president of beverage alcohol practice Danny Brager and associate client manager Caitlyn Battaglia revealed the findings of a new 2,000-person Harris Poll survey co-developed by Brewbound and Nielsen examining whether 29 popular buzzwords used to market beer are resonating with regular craft beer drinkers.

U.S. beer volume sales were down 0.8 percent through the first 134 days of the year, according to data from market research firm IRI Worldwide. The company, which tracks category-wide sales trends at off-premise retail outlets, said total beer dollar sales were up 0.7 percent year-to-date through May 14, however, in its multi-outlet and convenience (MULC) store universe (which includes grocery, drug, Wal-Mart, club, dollar, mass-merchandiser and military stores).

Here’s a sobering statistic: One in six neighborhood bars have closed since 2004, according to a new Nielsen CGA report.