Articles Tagged with ''domestic beer''

London-based SABMiller plc reported total beverage volume growth of 3 percent, on an organic basis, in its first quarter of 2014, which ended June 30. In addition, the company’s group net producer revenue (NPR) was up 6 percent, and group NPR per hectoliter was up 3 percent, both on an organic, constant currency basis, in the term.

When it comes to the beer segment, more consumers are seeking upscale offerings. Andrea Riberi, senior vice president of alcohol beverages with Nielsen, New York, told Beverage Industry in its March issue that super-premium domestic beers, which include brands like MillerCoors’ Blue Moon and Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light Lime and Michelob Ultra, gained 2 percent in case volume last year.

Chicago-based MillerCoors, a joint venture between London-based SABMiller plc and Denver-based Molson Coors Brewing Co., saw its net income for the first quarter increase 7.4 percent to $291.9 million compared with the same period in the prior-year period. This income growth was driven by positive pricing and sales mix, cost savings, and lower marketing spending, primarily due to timing differences versus last year, the company says.

Coors Light, a brand of Chicago-based MillerCoors, a joint venture between SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Co., announced its first-ever seasonal extension: Coors Light Summer Brew. The new beer will be available nationwide while supplies last.

St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, a division of AB InBev, announced the latest beer release for its Shock Top brand: Honey Bourbon Cask Wheat.

The beer category, which includes domestic beer, imported beer, craft beer, hard cider and flavored malt beverages, has mostly remained flat or suffered minimal declines in off-premise accounts in recent years, according to market research firms.

Although consumers continue to control their spending on-premise, thereby slowing growth in the channel, premium adult beverages are bringing momentum to the segment, according to Chicago-based Technomic Inc.’s 2013 BarTAB Report.

Continuing what was seen during the recession, consumers are either buying more premium-priced beers or buying less beer overall, Jennifer Zegler, beverage analyst at Mintel, Chicago, told Beverage Industry in March.