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 NewsBeerBottled WaterCarbonated Soft Drinks

Stockpiling continues to boost beverage sales in US

IRI, BCG report beverage sales up nearly 40 percent in week ending March 15

Beverage News
March 30, 2020

As the COVID-19 outbreak accelerates in Europe and the United States, governments, businesses and consumers are rapidly changing behaviors. In its March 26 report titled “COVID-19 Impact: Consumer Spending Tracker for MULOC Retailers – US, UK, France, Italy, NZ,” Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI) collaborated with its partners at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to analyze the latest consumer purchases in these respective countries.

The report notes that the United States and United Kingdom experienced an inflection point the week of March in which significant stockpiling began, as well as a strong uptick accounting for 1.5-times normal weekly for the week ending March 15.

In the United States, total store sales percent change for the week ending March 15 versus a year ago was up 52.5 percent. This was highest among all the countries tracked in the report. Italy recorded a 21.4 percent increase, France was up 36.9 percent, the United Kingdom increased 23.2 percent while New Zealand experienced a 19.5 increase.

Among the edible categories tracked, the report found that beverage sales were 39.6 percent for the week ending March 15. This once again was the highest among all the tracked as Italy was up 17.5 percent, France increased 26.5 percent, the United Kingdom was up 24.2 percent and New Zealand increased 15.9 percent.

When it comes to alcohol sales, IRI shows that U.S. sales were up 27.6 percent compared with the respective 52-week period. By comparison, Italy reported alcohol sales up 9.7 percent, France was up 7.2 percent, the United Kingdom increase 11.1 percent and New Zealand was up 4.6 percent.

Within the United States beverage category, the market research firms also reported strong growth for the market’s largest sub-categories. For instance, regular carbonated soft drink (CSD) sales had increased 19.5 percent for the week ending March 15. Meanwhile low-calorie CSD sales were up 33.9 during the same period. Non-aseptic energy drink sales posted the smallest increase, recording 7.7 percent growth compared with the previous year. The largest gains were from convenience/PET still bottled and non-aseptic sports drinks, which were up 82.1 percent and 54.9 percent, respectively.

The largest sub-categories within the beverage alcohol market also experienced strong increases. Domestic beer/ale including alcohol-free varieties were up 22 percent for the period ending March 15. Meanwhile, imported beer/ale including alcohol-free varieties was up 18.9 percent. The spirits market and the domestic table/still wine segment reported the strongest gains, up 33.4 percent and 41.7 percent, respectively.

The U.S. data represents transactions from the POS database with data collected in multi-outlet plus convenience (MULOC) channels, which include grocery, drug stores, convenience stores, mass merchandisers, Walmart, club and dollar chains, and DECA stores. Costco data is not included.

KEYWORDS: beer sales beverage sales bottled water sales Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) Sales wine sales

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...
    Beverage News
  • 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

  • Beverage News

    Southern Glazer’s launches online hub to navigate pandemic

    See More
  • PepsiCo Logo 2019

    PepsiCo commits more than $45M to combat impacts of COVID-19

    See More
  • IRI Report

    Consumer shopping demands begin to stabilize

    See More
×

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