Category: Distribution & Retail
News pertaining to the distribution and retail tiers
News Chain Store Resets Could Be a Shocker
The last full-scale reset at most off-premise chain stores was all the way back in fall of last year. The pandemic threw a wrench in the “normal life” of grocery store beer sets, with retailers not doing a spring reset and instead placing on the shelf anything that was available and not out-of-stock.
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News Restaurants and Bars Facing New Shutdown Orders Across the Country
Multiple cities and states are imposing or threatening to impose new shutdown orders for restaurants and bars due to a nationwide uptick in Coronavirus cases. The closures and additional restrictions will mean that beer sales are likely to slump once again in the on-premise retail sector.
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News On-Premise Business Takes a Slight Dip in October
Nielsen CGA, which measure the on-premise retail channel, released data for the one-week period ending October 17th showing that dollar sales were down 7% for the week. The five states where data is collected include California, Texas, Illinois, New York and Florida. Only New York showed an increase with a 3% growth in dollar sales versus the previous week.
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News On-Premise Continues Slow Upward Growth
Nielson CGA’s most recent data on the on-premise business in eight key states show that average dollar sales (velocity) were slightly up, with a +4% change during the week ending October 10th versus the previous week. The increase is a sign that the on-premise business sector is improving as more regions slowly reduce restrictions on business due to COVID-19.
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News Pandemic Hits On-Premise Chains
The pandemic has hit the hospitality business especially hard, with many independent, small “mom and pop” on-premise restaurants forcing to close permanently. But the COVID-19 crisis has also had a big impact on large restaurant chains, with many chains filing for bankruptcy protection.
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News NBWA Releases Beer Purchasers’ Index for August
The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) has released the Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) for August 2020 as beer distributors continue to take an aggressive stance in their ordering to minimize out-of-stocks and compensate for lost draft beer volumes and on-premise closures. BPI is the only forward-looking indicator for distributors to measure expected beer demand. The index surveys beer distributors’ purchases across different segments and compares them to previous years. A reading greater than 50 indicates the segment is expanding, while a reading below 50 indicates the segment is contracting.
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News The New Era of Online Alcohol Sales
It has been here for a while, lingering around the edges of alcohol sales for a number of years. But it took a pandemic and economic shut-down to push it front and center. Third party online alcohol sales are here to stay and will be just one of the radical shifts in the alcohol industry that we will see going forward after the COVID crisis.
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News On-Premise Business Remains Flat
With all states now in some degree of ‘open,’ but operating under health department restrictions, the on-premise business has entered a period of finding ways to maximize capacity and encouraging more consumers to return, while counterbalanced by measures to protect consumers and staff.
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News Independent Distributor Network Offers Alternative Route to Market
In an era of rampant consolidation in the beer distribution tier, more and more craft brewers are having a difficult time getting access to the retail market. The wine and spirits industry has a new entry, which could provide a model for the beer industry.
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News Crosby Hop Farm Opens Beer Garden – in a Hop Field
Restaurants, bars and breweries have been finding some creative ways to serve customers in a safe place during the pandemic. But how about in the middle of a hop field, among towering hop vines, with plenty of room to social distance?
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News Yelp Says Over 12,000 Restaurants Have Closed Permanently
In March, restaurants had the highest number of business closures, compared to other industries, and have continued to close at high rates. Of the businesses listed on Yelp that have closed, 17% are restaurants, and 53% of those restaurant closures are indicated as permanent.
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News Ten Year Battle for Franchise Reform in MA May Be Over
A ten-year effort by craft brewers in Massachusetts to reform the state’s strict franchise laws appears close to ending successfully. A deal between craft brewers and state beer wholesalers is expected to pass a Senate floor vote this week before moving on to the governor for final passage.
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News How One Brewery Saved Their Business with Self-Distribution
With brewery tasting rooms closed in many states and the on-premise business still soft, some breweries are finding that self-distribution into the off-premise sector – where beer sales are booming – is saving their business. Even with the pandemic, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing in Columbus, Ohio has increased their production to its highest point ever, with beer production up 34% this year.
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News Nielsen Reports Uptick in On-Premise Visits
A bit of optimism may be surfacing as indicated by Nielsen on-premise data which shows that overall visitation remains relatively stable with a slight increase of 38% dining out in the last two weeks. But it is also regional, with New York showing a significant increase, Texas and Florida staying flat and California beginning to decline.
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News England Celebrates Fourth of July for a Different Reason – Pubs Reopen
In what some are calling ‘Super Saturday,” England allowed pubs to reopen today along with restaurants and hairdressers. Some waiting in line as early as 6:00am to enjoy their first draft pint in almost four months.
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