Beverage Industry logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Beverage Industry logo
  • NEWS
    • R&D News
    • Supplier News
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Products
    • Reader's Choice Poll
  • CATEGORIES
    • Alternative Drinks
    • Beer
    • Bottled Water
    • Cannabis Beverages
    • Carbonated Soft Drinks
    • Energy Drinks & Shots
    • Juice & Juice Drinks
    • Plant-Based Beverages
    • Sports Drinks
    • Tea and Coffee
    • Wine & Spirits
  • R&D
    • Beverage R&D Features
    • Ingredient Spotlight
  • PACKAGING
    • New Packages
    • Packaging Equipment
    • Packaging Material
  • OPERATIONS
    • Distribution
    • Plant Focus
  • TOP LISTS
    • Beer Market Report
    • Executive of the Year
    • State of the Beverage Industry
    • Top 100 Beverage Companies
    • Truck Report
    • Wholesaler of the Year
  • MEDIA
    • eBook
    • Podcast
    • Polls
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • DIRECTORIES
    • Annual Manual
    • Contract Packaging Guide
    • Take a Tour
  • MORE
    • Classifieds
    • Channel Strategies
    • eNewsletters
    • Events
      • Membrane Technology Forum
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Market Insights
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archived Issues
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Beverage NewsBeerWine & Spirits

Beverage swap-out trend likely to continue this Fourth of July

Hard seltzer, canned wine expected to be top growers, Nielsen reports

Beverage News
July 1, 2019

The Fourth of July holiday is around the corner and that has consumers stocking up on their favorite foods and beverages. When prognosticating about which beverages consumers will reach for this holiday, New York-based Nielsen analyzed the performance of numerous beverage alcohol categories and segments.

For instance, consumers spent nearly $800 Million on beer last July 4th. Although this is a huge total, it represents a decline of 1.6 percent from the same week a year before, according to Nielsen data for the week ending July 7, 2018. Domestic Premium beer sold -5.9 percent fewer dollars than the year before, but the July 4 week still accounted for 2.9 percent of dollar sales for the year, making it the largest contributing week of the year, Nielsen noted. Craft beer also struggled last year during the holiday week with dollars sales down 2.5 percent compared with the previous year, it added.

Nielsen notes that Fourth of July holiday seems to be shifting beyond beer.

FMBs/coolers saw dollar sales grow 12.1 percent compared with the year. Additionally, for the segment, the one week of July 4 contributed more than 4 percent of FMB/Cooler dollar sales for the year, Nielsen reports.

This performance can be attributed to the success of hard seltzers. Hard Seltzers brought sizeable growth to the FMB/Cooler category during the week of July 4th, Nielsen states. Hard Seltzer dollar sales were $16.1 million an increase of 150 percent (300 percent for variety hard seltzer packs); however, if you were to remove hard seltzers from FMB/Coolers, dollar sales for the week of July 4, the category would show a 9.5 percent decline, according to Nielsen.

“Hard seltzer is poised to win the Fourth of July once again this year,” said Caitlyn Battaglia, manager of beverage alcohol for Nielsen, in a statement. “Unlike other beer categories in recent years, hard seltzer has found great success in variety packs and the Fourth of July was no exception to this trend. Consumers are increasingly being lured by choices, and as we continue to see new innovative flavors entering the market, variety packs are moving the needle to give consumers access to the convenience of hard seltzers as well as multiple flavor offerings.” 

Hard ciders performed well in the week leading up to Fourth of July last year. According to Nielsen, hard cider dollar sales were $9,384,000, up 8.5 percent for the week of July 4th, driven largely by the influx of rosé cider offerings.

Canned wine dollar sale during the week of July 4 were $2.7 million, growing 56.5 percent in 2018 compared with the previous year, Nielsen reports. Dollar sales during that week alone accounted for nearly 4 percent of 2018’s total canned wine dollar sales, it added.

“Canned wine and the Fourth of July is an easy marriage. The convenient can container makes bringing wine to outdoor events often associated with the July 4 holiday — and summer in general — much easier and more accessible than the traditional glass bottle,” Battaglia said. “The can has also proven to be an excellent vehicle for keeping up with consumer trends. In 2017, we saw a noticeable shift towards pink wine in cans, aligning with the broader rosé trend that has permeated alcohol.

“Canned wine won with the ready-to-drink trend in 2018 as well, with canned wine-based cocktails growing dollar sales more than 70 percent compared to the previous year,” she continued. “As health and wellness trends continue to make a ripple throughout the alcohol industry, this July 4 will likely see growth in these sorts of products within the canned wine space.”

KEYWORDS: canned wine domestic beer hard cider hard seltzers summer releases

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • top 100 beverage companies

    Top 100 Beverage Companies of 2024

    For the global beverage market, mergers and acquisitions...
    Sports Drinks
  • Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla shakes

    Classic flavors provide reliable, consistent results for beverage-makers

    Classic flavors of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry...
    Ingredient Spotlight
    By: Chloe Alverson
  • Free Spirits Instant Bar Bundle

    Lifestyle trends drive growth for non-alcohol category

    As lifestyle trends continue to drive growth for the...
    Alternative Drinks
    By: Lauren Sabetta
Manage My Account
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Beverage Industry audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Beverage Industry or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Fourpeople toasting with cocktails made with low-sugar ingredients, celebrating healthier drink options.
    Sponsored byCargill

    What’s Hot in Sugar Reduction: Beverages

  • chocolate milk
    Sponsored byCargill

    Sweetening the Future for Dairy and Dairy-Alternative Beverages

  • woman pouring a drink
    Sponsored byFFP

    Building a Beverage System: Meeting Consumer Demand for Precision Wellness

Popular Stories

Celsius Fizz Free

CELSIUS launches new Fizz-Free flavors

PepsiCo.jpg

PepsiCo advances AI agenda

Narragansett Beer 1975 cans

Narragansett Beer celebrates 50 years of ‘Jaws’

Top 100 Beverage Companies of 2024

Events

April 16, 2025

2025 State of the Industry Series: Alcoholic Beverages

On Demand In Beverage Industry’s annual State of the Industry: The Alcohol Beverage Market, analysts at S&D Insights LLC delve into these trends and how they’re shaping the industry.

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Retail Coffee Segment

What retail coffee segments will fare well into the next year?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

Milk and Dairy Foods Nutrition, Processing and Healthy Aging

Milk and Dairy Foods Nutrition, Processing and Healthy Aging

See More Products

Related Articles

  • Riff-Cold-Brewed-Coffee-Beverage-Industry.jpg

    Riff Cold Brewed innovates as it expands distribution

    See More
  • Barbara Harfmann, Between Drinks column

    Alternative packaging resonates in beverage industry

    See More
  • Dark Horse has launched its new cans with two of their top-performing varietals: Rosé and Pinot Grigio. - Beverage Industry

    Rosé wine more than just a day

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • bigfood.jpg

    Big Food: Critical perspectives on the global growth of the food and beverage industry

  • nanoinbev.jpg

    Nanoengineering in the Beverage Industry 1st Edition

  • food and bev control.jpg

    Food and Beverage Cost Control, 7th Edition

See More Products
×

Elevate your expertise in the beverage marketplace with unparalleled insights and connections.

Join thousands of beverage professionals today. Shouldn’t you know what they know?

JOIN NOW!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing