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| DAILY BRIEFING: LITE EDITION | | A preview of today's news & insights for the beer industry. |
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| 🚨 What You're Missing 🚨 | | | Brewbound Insiders know how beer brands are performing in scans, thanks to our near-daily reports from Circana and NIQ. But those trends don’t always match up with how retailers are spending their money, according to Fintech’s retailer invoice data, which was recently shared on a webinar co-hosted by the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).
NBWA’s Lester Jones and Fintech’s Eric Kiser dove into which brands retailers are upping their spend on (even some that are slowing in scans), or cutting back. In today’s Brewbound Insider Newsletter and on Brewbound.com, Insiders are checking out the trends across imports, beyond beer, craft, NA and more. Insiders are also reading about: - Brooklyn Brewery outsourcing sales ops to U.S. Beverage;
- Fedway getting into the beer distribution biz;
- Recess’ $30M Series B round;
- Beer growth brands’ bounceback in weekly scans;
- The on-premise’s rising beer prices;
- And Benchmark’s latest beer brand acquisition.
Insiders also have access to the Brewbound Newsletter Archive, including previous newsletter-exclusive Insider content. Become a Brewbound Insider today! Or, be in the know on all food and beverage news from Brewbound, BevNET and NOSH with Insider All Access. |
| | Today's Top Story | | | | As reported last week, pricing power remains in the on-premise. So which brands are poised to take advantage?
National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) chief economist and VP of analytics Lester Jones and Fintech VP of distributor strategy Eric Kiser explored that question during a webinar last week. The duo analyzed trends based on Fintech’s database of retailer invoices (purchases from wholesalers). Insiders can dive into Fintech’s data, including on- and off-premise retailer spend across NA, imports, fall seasonals, beyond beer and craft, as well as on-premise draft and packaging trends. |
| | | | Sponsored message from Brewbound | | Submitting a nomination guarantees the brand, product, or person will be considered by our selection committee and included on the published list of nominees. The deadline to submit is this Friday, October 31.
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| Brewbound Headlines | | | | Brooklyn Brewery has tapped U.S. Beverage (USB) to lead its sales efforts in a new national partnership, the companies announced Monday. The partnership launches on November 1, according to a press release. No changes are expected for Brooklyn’s existing distributor network, and no equity is changing hands. Insiders can read more about the partnership, USB’s other sales and marketing relationships and Brooklyn’s previous foray into a multi-brand sales platform. |
| | | | | NJ wine and spirits distributor Fedway Associates has struck a deal to acquire independent A-B distributor Ritchie & Page, which will mark the company’s entry into the beer distribution business. Fedway’s deal for Ritchie & Page is expected to close in early January, pending supplier approvals, the company announced Monday. Insiders can read more about the deal. |
| | | | | Recess Drinks has closed a $30 million series B round led by CAVU and other repeat investors, according to CEO and founder Ben Witte. Kyle Thomas, who joined C4 in 2021 and has led the growth of its sales team in beverage as Chief Commercial Officer, will be joining Witte as Recess co-CEO and President. Insiders can read more about Recess’ leadership moves and brand positioning. |
| | Data Dive | | | | Bev-alc’s off-premise declines eased a bit in the 1-week period ending October 19, buoyed by the beer category’s growth brands, according to Circana’s latest weekly report. Dollars declined 2.1% YoY, to $1.329 billion, while volume declined 3% in the latest week. Beer category dollar sales losses only slightly outpaced the total industry, dropping 2.2%, while volume declined 3.6%. Insiders can dig deeper into the week’s performance across the industry and for beer growth brands. |
| | | | | Beer price increases in bars and restaurants outpaced overall inflation in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) latest Consumer Price Index (CPI). Beer prices away from home grew 3.6% YoY in September, tracking ahead of overall inflation last month (+3% YoY) and overall alcoholic beverage price growth (+2% YoY). Meanwhile, at-home beer price growth lagged overall inflation. Insiders can read more, including the latest off-premise price increases by segment in the off-premise. |
| | ICYMI | | | One thing Josh Penney noticed after moving to Brooklyn from Los Angeles late last fall – aside from markedly less sunny weather – was a broader diversity in beer styles across brewery taprooms. Penney said: “It seemed to be a wider range of things that were really appealing to everybody. Because out on the West Coast, you might have a robust porter, but then you have, like, six different IPAs.” Penney is the head brewer at Brooklyn-based Threes Brewing, a role he took on last year after leaving LA’s Highland Park Brewing. He joined the Brewbound Podcast to share insights gleaned from his bicoastal brewing career. Listen here or on your preferred podcasting platform. |
| | Save the Date | | | This year’s Brewbound Live 2025 speakers represent every side of the bev-alc business, from independent innovators to established names reshaping their portfolios for the future.
Recently added speakers include: - JuneShine - Whitney Stevenson, President and Chief Commercial Officer
- New Belgium Brewing - Rebecca Dye Yonushonis, CMO
- Garage Beer - Kevin George, CMO
More speakers are being added weekly, bringing perspectives from retail, investment and operations to round out the full picture of where beer and bev-alc are headed next. View the Speaker Lineup » |
| | Now Hiring | | | | | | 👋 That's all for today's Brewbound Newsletter | |
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