Dear Client: It is the first issue of the year, and so let’s get into what strategies the major retailers are looking at as they have made and make their cold box and display plans for 2022 and 2023.  For answers, we look to Bump Williams at BWC, retail specialist. He groups the big retailer … Continue reading “Off-Premise Retailer Strategies in 2022”

Dear Client: After granting a temporary restraining order just before Christmas against Manhattan Beer assuming distribution of Boston Beer Co. products in New York pending a hearing on December 27, the NY Supreme Court eventually changed courses and said that distributors who are “losing” the brands — Oak/Boening, Dana, Dutchess and Gasko & Meyer — … Continue reading “Judge Reverses on Boston Beer TRO”

Dear Client: At least one supplier’s legal department is earning their keep right up until Christmas Eve.  In addition to dealing with a Christmas Eve’s Eve TRO in NYC, Boston Beer Co. sales chief John Geist issued a memo to distributors, obtained by BBD through dark holiday back-channels, responding to the latest email from NBWA … Continue reading “Die Hard: Boston Beer and NBWA Squabble over Contracts”

Dear Client: You may recall that Boston Beer Co. and distributor Manhattan Beer are pitted against New York distributors Oak/Boening, Dana, Dutchess and Gasko & Meyer in the former’s attempt to consolidate its New York distribution footprint. In mid-December, the NY distributor group sought preliminary injunctive relief in the form of a temporary restraining order … Continue reading “NY Distribs Get TRO in Boston / MB Suit”

Dear Client: “We could, like everyone else, predict that the lines between alcohol and non-alcohol will continue to blur in 2022,” writes MKM Partners exec director Bill Kirk, but that would indeed be boring.   And so the antidote to bland obvious bev-alc predictions like we make every year is to make “some low-probability 2022 scenarios … Continue reading “Bill’s Predictions: Beer Pricing Way Up, Monster and White Claw, Red Bull Vodka, and More”

Dear Client: “Core to our people-centered mission in Marketing at Anheuser-Busch is our aim to build meaningful connections with our brands through exciting experiences and amazing content. Sports play a critical role in creating meaningful connections,” write new cmo Benoit Garbe and vp connections Azania Andrews in a note to distributors, obtained by BBD through … Continue reading “A-B Renews NFL Sponsorship Through 2027”

Dear Client: One of the major themes that we’ve tackled this year is what many are calling the “blurring of lines” between beverage categories — both within and among bev-alc and non-alc.  But to me the phrase “blurring of lines” is not completely descriptive of what is happening.  What is happening is what I would … Continue reading “Cold Box is New Beverage Battleground”

Dear Client: Those who have been paying attention to Anheuser-Busch InBev earnings have likely noticed the premium that the brewer has put on e-commerce globally.  Indeed, ABI’s “digital transformation” was the subject of their Q3 earnings report. Direct to consumer efforts have generated more than $1 billion YTD for the company, with their e-commerce platform … Continue reading “A-B Rolling New E-commerce Pilot in Texas”

Dear Client: And just like that, Anheuser-Busch is dropping its Drinkworks Home Bar by Keurig project.  You may recall that Drinkworks involved Keurig-like machines that allowed users to make cocktails with the push of a button, pods and all.  The project was an outgrowth of a Keurig Dr Pepper/Anheuser-Busch JV hatched in 2017. As we … Continue reading “A-B Discontinues Drinkworks”

Dear Client: Modelo is tearing things up as we round out the year. We’ve reported – but many still don’t realize – that Modelo Especial has actually been tracking as the no. 2 beer brand in IRI off-premise dollar scans for the last few periods, having passed Michelob Ultra in multi-outlet and c-stores since roughly … Continue reading “Modelo’s Mejor Año”

Dear Client: How have the first three months of Yuengling’s Texas launch gone? A lot is riding on the Pottsville, PA brewer’s entry into one of the nation’s top beer markets. For one, the 23rd state of distribution for Yuengling is bigger than several previous launch markets combined. And of course, it marks the first … Continue reading “Yuengling’s First 100 Days (Or So) in Texas”

Dear Client: In case you hadn’t noticed, 2021 was a banner year for recognizing the need to diversify the ranks – and leadership – of the U.S. beer industry.  Diversity, equity and inclusion: It’s increasingly obvious that such efforts are business necessities, feeding into not only corporate culture, but also bottom lines.  Last month, BBD’s … Continue reading “Industry Leaders Court Gender Parity”

Dear Client: Anheuser-Busch has just sent word to its wholesalers informing them of their decision to “stop all production and brand development of CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer,” BBD has learned. The move to end the brand — which A-B launched in partnership with celebrity Travis Scott less than a year ago — is not a … Continue reading “A-B Says Bye-Bye to CACTI”

Dear Client: It’s time for more pivots at A-B to “Lead Future Growth together” under A-B’s four-year-old commercial strategy, new US Chief Commercial Officer Kyle Norrington shared with distributors this week. The latest in the evolution of A-B’s commercial structure? The formation of a new group that “will work alongside our sales and marketing organizations … Continue reading “A-B Creates New Multi-Disciplinary Commercial Team”

Dear Client: It’s been a busy year for Dos Equis. The brand has brought multiple line extensions to life both in beer and beyond beer, undergone a complete marketing/communication makeover, and executed a strategic shift in the way it approaches one of its biggest media investments – college football. Is all that work paying off? … Continue reading “How Dos Equis Got Its Groove Back”