2007 A Good Year for Beer

Industry up estimated 1.4 percent, says Beer Marketers Insights.Beer Marketers Insights Jan. 14 issue has a roundup of 2007 beer statistics. And it was, in BMIs words, another pretty good year for beer.Beer shipments increased by 1.4 percent, a solid encore to the 2-plus percent increase in 2006, BMI reported.Given that spirits growth slipped to the 2 percent to 2.5 percent range, the growth gap between beer and spirits narrowed considerably.Here are some highlights of BMIs report:1. Shipments for the three leading domestic brewers increased by 5 million barrels, or more than a full share point. This was due to a combination of new brands and improved trends. A-B shipments increased by 2 percent (driven largely by new imports and crafts), BMI reports. Coors shipments increased by 4.1 percent (strong trends by core brands). Miller shipments increased by 5.5 percent (driven by McKenzie River brands, Miller Chill and improved trends by Miller Lite, Miller High Life and high-end brands).2. Corona Extra posted its first decline in sales to retailers in 15 years, BMI reported. Grupo Modelo shipments barely up yr-to-yr.Indeed, commenting on recent import shipment trends, Beer Business Daily observed:"Mexican imports also had a rough month, down 8.5% in November and up 1.4% year-to-date. This certainly has been a tough year for Corona, no question about that. The real question on everybodys mind is whether it will bounce back in 2008. This quarter, Constellation said, is still going to be tough due to comparisons (Crown shipped heavily this time last year to prevent stock-outs going into the new Eastern market), but easier after that. Will Corona rebound?"3. Heineken USA shipments increased by 5.6 percent, driven by Heineken Premium Light and Femsa. 4. Beer sales volume increased by 0.6 percent in convenience stores, BMI reported, citing Nielsen data. Dollar sales were up by 2.9 percent.A-B share slipped by nearly a point, driven by weak Budweiser and Bud Select results. Miller gained 0.3 points, thanks to strong Miller High Life performance. Coors gained 0.3 points, driven by Coors Light, Keystone Light and Coors Banquet.5. Supermarket beer volume increased by 0.1 percent but dollar sales increased by 3.6 percent, according to IRI figures cited by BMI.A-B volume was down 1 percent and it lost a point of share. Miller was up 0.2 percent and held share. Coors was up 3.5 percent and added 0.4 points of share.The BMI home page can be seen here.Beer Business Daily can be seen here.