Category: Major Brand News
News coverage of the global and large domestic brewing companies
News AB Dodges Workers Strike in Last Minute Contract Agreement
Anheuser-Busch and the Teamsters union have averted a strike in agreeing to a tentative deal that gives workers an immediate pay raise with additional raises over the course of the eight-year contract. The agreement was reached at the final hour as the current union contract was set to expire at the end of today with 5,000 employees ready to go on strike.
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News AB Continues to Shed Craft Brands – Closes Two Craft Breweries
Anheuser-Busch is set to close two more of its acquired craft breweries, Wynwood Brewing in Miami and Golden Road in Sacramento, California. The closures come just six months after AB sold off six of its acquired craft brands.
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News Bud Light Sales Continue to Fall as Modelo Extends Lead as #1 Beer in U.S.
It seems like it will never end. In a consumer boycott that has extended far beyond anyone’s expectations, sales of Bud Light continue to fall over the summer months, allowing Modelo Especial to widens its lead as the top selling beer in America. The Mexican beer now accounts for 8.4% of beer sales in off-premise stores year-to-date through Aug. 19, compared to 8.2% for Bud Light.
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News AB Sells Off Eight Craft Brands to Tilray Including10-Barrel, Widmer, Redhook, Breckenridge and Shock Top
Large global brewers have been slowly selling off their acquired craft brands in recent months. That trickle is now a deluge as Anheuser-Busch announced that they will sell eight craft beer, cider, and energy drink brands to Tilray Brands Inc. The sell-off includes 10-barrel Brewing, Widmer Brothers, Redhook, Breckenridge Brewery and Blue Point Brewing along with the AB in-house craft brand Shock Top.
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News AB to Layoff 2% of Workforce Due to Consumer Boycott
Anheuser-Busch said it would be laying off about 350 employees following five straight months of double-digit declines in sales of Bud Light due to the consumer boycott. The layoffs are said to be at all tiers of the company, including some corporate positions.
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News Diageo to Roll-Out Non-Alcoholic Guinness on Draft in Ireland – Increase Capacity by 300%
In a testament of confidence in the growing non-alcoholic beer category, Diageo has made a major investment to its famed St. James Gate brewery in Dublin to increase the capacity by 300% to make Guinness 0.0. The company will begin to roll-out the non-alcoholic stout on draft across Ireland this summer.
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News Bud Light Controversy – Is All Publicity Good?
“All publicity is good publicity,” the famous quote attributed to the 19th century circus owner, Phineas T. Barnum has been used often in the beer industry. But the recent controversy surrounding the partnership between Bud Light and transgender influencer and activist Dylan Mulvaney may call that into question.
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News Constellation Shares Drop 10% Triggering Industry Concerns Over Rising Costs
Constellation shares dropped 10% after the company fell well short of predicted earnings for the three months to the end of November 2022, dragging down the shares of other American beer, wine and spirits producers as investors worry that alcohol beverage producers may have a hard time maintaining margins in 2023.
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News BPI Index Has Lowest Number Ever Signaling Pessimistic Start to 2023
The NBWA’s Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) had its lowest index reading ever in the month of December 2022. The December BPI shows a reading of 30, and the “at-risk” inventory index of 51 marks a very pessimistic outlook for January 2023.
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News Asahi to Enter Non-Alcoholic Beer Segment with Super Dry 0.0%
On the heels of the announcement that Keurig Dr. Pepper has invested $50 million into non-alcoholic brewer Athletic Brewing, the global brewer Asahi just announced the international launch of its alcohol-free beer, Asahi Super Dry 0.0%.
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News New Owner of Cincinnati Beverage Co May Revitalize Heritage Brands
The new owner of Cincinnati Beverage Co., brewer of heritage brands such as Christian Moerlein, Hudepohl, Burger and Little Kings, plans a $30 million renovation of three historic brewery buildings in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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News Beer Institute Announces Departure of President & CEO James McGreevy
The Beer Institute, the trade association representing mostly the larger global brewers and beer importers, today announced the departure of President & CEO Jim McGreevy. He will leave the organization in early May. An announcement of his future is forthcoming.
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News Stone Brewing’s Win in Trademark Case May Not Solve Financial Problems
Late week a jury awarded Stone Brewing $56 million in damages against MolsonCoors in conclusion of a four-year trademark infringement lawsuit. Although it was most likely the largest settlement for trademark infringement ever in the beer industry, it may not solve Stone Brewing’s financial problems,
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News AB InBev Projects Strong Growth in 2022 Despite Inflation Fears
AB InBev said its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) would rise by between 4% and 8% this year, with revenue expanding by a higher percentage, according to an article in The Drinks Business.
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News Follow the Leader – Molson Coors Buys Blue Run Whiskey
Posted by Tom McCormick
In another sign that large global brewers are continuing to chase after growth beverage segments outside traditional beer, Molson Coors announced that they will purchase Blue Run Spirits, makers of premium Blue Run Kentucky Bourbon. It is another step forward in the evolution of large brewing companies turning more and more into ‘beverage companies.’
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