Constellation Brands and Molson Coors are expected to annex more shelf and cooler space in convenience stores following the upcoming spring 2024 resets, according to Goldman Sachs Equity Research’s recent Beverage Bytes survey.
After a successful trial, Constellation Brands will expand its Modelo line extension Oro nationwide in March 2023, the company announced. Modelo Oro – a lower-calorie, lower-carbohydrate light beer intended to appeal to drinkers looking for better-for-them options – was one of several innovation productions Constellation introduced this spring for simultaneous test launches in various markets.
Pricing was the clear theme of the question-and-answer portion of Constellation Brands’ first quarter FY2023 earnings call on Thursday. More specifically, analysts were wondering why the company is hesitant to increase price in an inflationary environment. CEO Bill Newlands reiterated that Constellation’s “long-term algorithm on pricing is +1%-2%,” although last year it increased beer prices +3.5%.
Constellation’s beer depletions increased +8.7%, while shipments grew +17.3%, to 99.5 million case equivalents during the first quarter of its 2023 fiscal year, the company reported today. Net sales increased +21%, to more than $1.898 billion, with gross profit of more than $1 billion (+14%). The beer business’ operating income also increased +13%, to $762.8 million.
Large regional breweries that fall outside of the BA’s definition of a craft brewer collectively produced more than 8.64 million barrels of beer in 2021, a +2% increase on a comparable basis, according to data provided by the trade organization. The BA excludes companies that are at least 25% owned by a larger brewing company from its craft brewery data set and sets a production ceiling for BA-defined craft brewers at 6 million barrels.
Anheuser-Busch InBev’s beyond beer division is organizing itself around four priorities: hard seltzers, Cutwater Spirits, Nütrl Vodka Seltzer and Ghost Energy, beyond beer business unit president Fabricio Zonzini shared during Beer Marketer’s Insights’ spring conference in Chicago last week.
The majority of distributors (70%) are seeing better growth for beer this spring, respondents told financial services firm Jefferies in a survey published today.
Another independent canned cocktail maker boarded the “mother ship” last week when Constellation Brands announced the full acquisition of Austin Cocktails. It’s a move that’s in-step with the other global beverage companies picking up fast-growing RTD producers — but observers in the industry caution that the deal may not be the harbinger future RTD acquisitions.
Constellation Brands executive vice president and beer division chair Paul Hetterich died yesterday at age 59 following “a series of health issues in recent years,” the company announced to wholesalers today.
Constellation Brands’ beer business recorded an +11% increase in net sales growth, to $6.75 billion, for the company’s 2022 full fiscal year. FY 2022 marked the company’s 12th consecutive year of volume growth, with +8.8% shipments (sales to wholesalers) growth and +8.9% depletions (sales to retailers) growth – amounting to an additional 30 million case equivalents, CEO Bill Newlands said during a conference call with investors.
The Sands family, the largest shareholder of Constellation Brands stock, has proposed declassifying the company’s common stock and transitioning to a single-class common stock structure.
The Modelo brand family tree sprouted some new branches this month as the top-selling beer in Constellation Brands’ portfolio pushes further into the beyond beer segment and seeks to expand its consumer base. Modelo has added one new flavor – Naranja Picosa – to its Chelada line extension nationwide, added 12-packs of Limón Y Sal… Read more »
Ray Guerin, chairman of Reyes Beverage Group, announced his plans to retire, effective April 30, in an internal memo Monday.
The rumored tie up between Constellation Brands and energy drink maker Monster Beverage is progressing and a deal could be completed in the coming weeks, according to a Bloomberg report.
Anheuser-Busch InBev North American zone CEO Brendan Whitworth shared updates from across the company’s portfolio, distribution network and e-commerce platforms. Nearly a year after Diageo’s acquisition of Far West Spirits LLC, the maker of Lone River Ranch Water, Diageo Beer Company president Nuno Teles and Lone River founder and CEO Katie Beal Brown discussed the brand’s growth under the spirits giant’s guidance.
