Supermarkets Reinvented

Wal-Mart, Costco, BJ's, Sam's..and yes, brighter cleaner c-stores have taken their collective toll on the supermarket in the past few years. And like it or not, the off-premise beer industry's star is closely hitched to the supermarket channel and their historical practice of running beer below cost to attract shoppers.Two trends: supermarket weakness and their reluctance to run loss leaders have contributed to beer industry softness. Wal-Mart revolutionized the EDLP (everyday low prices) concept, and many supermarkets have taken notice.