As part of our ongoing tracking of the industry, the Beverage Information Group surveys our readers quarterly, collecting trends/sentiment data from distributors, on-premise and off-premise operators. The consumer obsession with agave spirits may be starting to level off slightly, but for our most recent study, conducted in January 2024, tequila is the category most impacting the business, both on- and off-premise.
Whiskey is the next most impactful category, though it’s tied with craft beer among on-premise respondents. The category with a sales decline that’s most impacting the business: Clearly domestic beer for both segments.
The beer category has been struggling enough, but the controversy last year caused by Bud Light’s brief association with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney — and resulting boycott of the popular beer brand — hasn’t helped. Still, on-premise respondents say that craft beer is the category generating the most buzz now, vs. whiskey for the retail participants. IPAs are the most popular, followed by lagers, for both segments.
The plurality of on-premise operators (47%) said that their most recent quarterly beverage sales met their plan, vs. 37% that said sales were below plan and 16% that said sales exceeded plans. In the off-premise, the same percentage (45%) that said they met plan said that sales were below plan, and just 10% exceed plan.
As such, on-premise respondents were far more optimistic about sales in 2024 than their retail counterparts. More than a quarter (26%) feel that sales this year will exceed their expectations, compared with 19% of the off-premise respondents.
Feature photo by Dmitry Dreyer on Unsplash.
For more information about our beverage reader surveys and for pricing information about adding questions to upcoming surveys, contact Debbie Rittenberg at drittenberg@epgacceleration.com.
