Nielsen’s Danelle Kosmal Discusses Beer’s Big Stock Up Week

Apr. 1, 2020 at 9:37 PM

Total beer, cider and FMB dollar sales in off-premise retailers for the week ending March 21 increased a whopping 42% compared to the same week a year ago, according to market research firm Nielsen. Consider that all segments were up double digits, and nearly all up 30% or more compared to the same week in 2019. Those segments include budget (+30%), premium lights (+34%), FMBs minus seltzers (+32%), imports (+31%), and non-alcoholic beer (+58%). And the hard seltzer trend has not slowed, with those offerings up 456% during the week. The stock up trend was evident as large pack sizes continued to outpace smaller ones, with 24-packs and 30-packs up 90% and 87%, respectively, compared to 12-packs (+61%) and 6-packs (+16%). Danelle Kosmal, Nielsen’s VP of beverage alcohol practice, shared thoughts on beverage alcohol’s big stock up, if the trends will continue, the spike in ecommerce sales and more during the above conversation with Brewbound editor Justin Kendall.