Dear Client:  Constellation’s first quarter (fiscal 2020) results just hit. Here’s your quick read. Constellation Q1 2020 saw net sales up 2% overall. But the beer side far outpaced that, with net sales up 7.4%.  Their beer business grew depletions by 6.6% over the quarter; and shipments were a notch below, up 5.4%. That seems … Continue reading “Constellation Q1 Depletions Up 6.6%, Shipments Up 5.4%”

Dear Client:  The Supreme Court has delivered its opinion on the big Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Assn. vs. Thomas case.The case as you may recall involved Tennessee retailers and out-of-state retailer Total Wine, and sought to clear up whether Tennessee’s two-year residency requirement for liquor store owners is unconstitutional [see BBD 01-17-2019]. The Court said on Wednesday evening … Continue reading “Supreme Court Takes the Last Teeth Out of the 21st Amendment”

Dear Client:  A-B is looking to revitalize the Ritas franchise, with some feminist kitsch.  If that description doesn’t make sense, check out the digital video here.  The Ritas franchise is in need of some new blood. And indeed, they’re coming out with more new products, with Spritz just launched and another new extension due next … Continue reading “A-B’s Ritas Turns “Trashy, Girly, Sweet” Rep Into New Campaign”

Dear Client:  Starting today, A-B’s Bon & Viv is making a big push in the on-premise as its Classic variety becomes the first hard seltzer with national draft distribution.  It will be hard to miss: “On premise, consumers will find neon signs, tin tackers, glassware, and coasters,” A-B shared with BBD. Serving guidelines suggest serving … Continue reading “Bon & Viv Hits Draft Nationally Today”

Dear Client: There are a few truths in the world:  Brewers love SKUs; wholesalers and retailers hate them.  And finding a craft brewer who respects their distributors’ opinions is like finding a money-making venture for my family’s ranch, which can be summed up in a simple Haiku:  No soil above the oil, and no oil … Continue reading “Here are Nine Craft Brewers Who Care What Distributors Think”

Dear Client: Good news on the federal excise tax reduction front. The chief tax-writing committee in the House of Representatives, Ways and Means, wants to provide an extra year of FET relief for bev alc producers and importers. Recall the current excise tax relief that producers and importers currently enjoy is set to expire at … Continue reading “An Extra Year of Tax Relief is in Sight”

Dear Client: At the turn of this century, beer’s share of total alcohol in the U.S. stood at 58%. Today, nearly two decades later, beer’s share sits at 47.4%.  We’re not sure which is more incredible: the fact that beer fallen that far or that beer was once that big. Regardless, it appears that the … Continue reading “What’s Ailing Beer”

Dear Client: It could be the end of excessive retail merchandising as we know it in Texas if retailers and distributors are to follow a new draft “market guidance” from the TABC. In the draft notice, seemingly out of nowhere, the Commission said it decided to “examine” merchandising activities recently, and “determined that the current … Continue reading “Texas ABC Takes on Merchandising”

Dear Client: One big new innovation that MillerCoors is really counting on this year? Cape Line. Recall, MillerCoors actually moved up the launch date of the new FMB line by a full year and equipped it with $26 million in media support upon its national rollout in April. So yeah… some big results would be nice. That … Continue reading “Your Early Read on MillerCoors’ Cape Line”

Dear Client: Forget the old adage about death and taxes. These days it seems harder to escape cannabis and Millennials (together or apart). Part of the reason we hear so damn much about Millennials is that they are a gigantic generation — as is Gen Z behind them, who will be even bigger. So, yeah … Continue reading “Millennials Are Now — Gulp — Parents”

Dear Client: Memorial Day trends are in from IRI.   Beer dollars were up 3.3% and volumes were up 0.3% for the Memorial Day two-week period, to June 2. That dollar trend is only slightly higher than the YTD stat, up 2.9%, and actually slightly worse than beer’s YTD volume trend, up 0.4%. FMBS AND … Continue reading “Meh-Morial Day”

Dear Client: The way of the future for foodservice? The integration of online and in-store occasions. And it has huge implications for not only the restaurant industry but beer as well. Over the next 10 years, delivery will be important particularly for beverage alcohol, the longtime SVP of the Research and Knowledge Group for the … Continue reading “Virtual Restaurants the New Frontier, Says National Restaurant Association Chief”

Dear Client: The highlight of yesterday’s meeting was an announcement from Beer Institute chief Jim McGreevy that they, along with the Brewers Association and NBWA, will launch a shared campaign this summer to grow beer. “Final details are being worked out, but I think this an important step… for too long we’ve been focused on … Continue reading “BI Announces a New “Shared Campaign” to Grow Beer: MillerCoors, HUSA are Holdouts”

Dear Client: August Busch III has been out of the spotlight for some time, but one needn’t wonder about the Anheuser-Busch magnate’s opinion on legalized marijuana in the United States. Three Sticks made an intense appearance at the Beer Institute’s meeting open last night in A-B’s domestic home court, St. Louis. There, he was presented … Continue reading “August III to Beer Institute Audience: “Work Hard Against Marijuana””

Dear Client: After we ran last week’s story on the Nevada Attorney General reaching out to A-B, requesting more information about its wine and spirits-facing distributor contract, the Pestalozzi Agreement, the supplier reached out to BBD with more information [see BBD 06-07-2019]. Recall, the state was concerned that the proposed distribution agreement did “not recognize … Continue reading “Nevada AG Saw Wrong Version of Pestalozzi Agreement, says A-B”