Apparently, the Budweiser Clydesdales hauled lighter loads in 2011. Coors Light surpassed Budweiser in 2011 to become the country�s No. 2-selling beer, according to the trade publication Beer Marketer�s Insights.
In total, Molson Coors (NYSE:TAP) shipped 18.2 million barrels of Coors Light, while Budweiser ended 2011 at 17.7 million. This marked the first time in nearly 20 years that Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) did not control the top 2 best-selling beer brands.
This change in rankings did not happen overnight. Coors Light has been gaining on the �King of Beers� for years, and analysts began predicting its rise to No. 2 last year. Indeed, MillerCoors — a joint venture between Molson Coors and SABMiller — was so confident that Chief Marketing Officer Andy England brashly told distributors early last year that “Budweiser is going down, baby.”
Despite these developments, Bud Light is the top-selling beer, and by a sizable margin. Miller Lite is fourth, with Natural Light rounding out the top five, according to SymphonyIRI data for the 52 weeks ended Oct. 21.
An Anheuser-Busch spokesman said the company’s 2011 sales numbers won’t be available until its earnings report in early March.
“We’re committed to — and on track with — our strategy to stabilize Budweiser,” he said.
These sales rankings remain in a state of flux and Budweiser has regained some sales momentum as of late. With the Super Bowl game only weeks away — the industry�s eighth-best beer sales holiday/event of the year — the event takes on even greater significance and will help determine if the Budweiser Clydesdales will be hauling heavier loads in 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment