2017 State of the Beverage Industry: Import beers benefit from price point, premiumization
Beer volume down slightly in 2016
Although market reports suggest that the U.S. beer market has stabilized following years of modest declines, the segments that have helped the category suggest that consumer preferences have shifted when purchasing brewed beverages.
“The beer market has stabilized over the past couple of years after declining between 1 and 2 percent in 2009-2011 and then again in 2013,” said Brian Sudano, managing partner with Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), New York, in Beverage Industry’s March issue. “However, the slowdown of craft and [flavored malt beverages] (FMBs) in the second half of 2016 has put pressure on the category as seen by the 2 percent drop in third quarter depletions and 6 percent drop in beer shipments in October.”