DATA DRIVEN
Declines In Rum , Red Wine Cause Concern
by MELISSA DOWLING
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 . And when it comes to the top sellers , retailers say it ’ s all about whiskey , while bars and restaurants cite tequila and craft beer as the categories most impacting business with increasing sales .
In fact , whiskey didn ’ t even make the list of categories of top sales drivers among the on-premise operators , according to our most recent study conducted in August 2024 . It also didn ’ t make the list of categories with declining sales that are most impacting business for bars and restaurants , although nearly a third ( 29 %) said they would expand menu space for whiskey if they could .
The category with declining sales that is most impacting business in the on-premise is rum , followed by craft beer . In the off-premise , red and rosé wine tied for declining sales most impacting the business . Both on-premise and off-premise operators say that craft beer is the category most worthy of expanded menu or shelf space this quarter .
IPAs still rule as the most popular beer style onand off-premise ; lager is popular at bars and restaurants . Cabernet is king at retailers and restaurants , but is tied with sauvignon blanc for the most popular wine varietal among off-premise respondents .
It was a better quarter for the off-premise , as 22 % said their sales were above plan vs . just 9 % of on-premise . Half of the retailers said they met their sales plan , compared with nearly 60 % of restaurants . The plurality of off-premise respondents ( 67 %) said they would likely meet sales expectations for 2024 , while the plurality of on-premise participants ( 41 %) said sales this year would likely fall below expectations .
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 . •
20 % 18 % 16 % 14 % 12 % 10 % 8 % 6 % 4 % 2 % 0 %
25 %
20 %
15 %
10 %
5 %
0 %
WHAT CATEGORY ’ S INCREASE IN SALES IS MOST IMPACTING YOUR BUSINESS RIGHT NOW ? ( TOP 5 )
18.2 % 18.2 %
ON-PREMISE
OFF-PREMISE
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE YOUR MOST RECENT QUARTERLY BEVERAGE SALES RELATIVE TO PLAN
ON-PREMISE
13.6 %
Craft Beer |
Tequila |
Vodka |
Domestic |
|
|
|
Beer |
Below plan 31.8 %
21 % 21 %
Source : The Beverage Information Group
9.1 % 9.1 % 9.1 % 9.1 %
15 %
Imported Beer
White Wine
OFF-PREMISE
Other
10 % 10 %
Whiskey Other Craft Beer Rose Tequila
Above plan 9.1 %
On plan 59.1 %
Above plan 22.2 %
Below plan 27.8 %
On plan 50 %
6 Beverage Dynamics • Fall 2024 www . beveragedynamics . com