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Gavin Hattersley will retire at the end of 2025 after six years as CEO of Molson Coors Beverage Company.

Molson Coors announced today that Hattersley informed the board of directors on Saturday (April 12) of his plans to retire as CEO and abdicate his board seat, effective December 31. He will wrap up a 28-year career in the beer industry, including leading the company’s U.S. beer division, MillerCoors, as president and CEO from September 2015 through September 2019 before taking over as CEO of the global company. 

Molson Coors’ board of directors will begin a search for Hattersley’s successor, tapping “a nationally recognized search firm” to review internal and external candidates. 

The announcement of his departure states that the board intends for his successor to continue the "Revitalization and Acceleration Plans,” including strengthening Molson Coors’ core brands, premiumizing its portfolio, expanding its beyond beer offerings and investing “in the company’s capabilities and people to achieve its long-term growth

ambitions.”

The company noted that “Hattersley’s decision to retire was not as a result of any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company’s operations, policies, or practices.”

Board chair Geoff Molson called Hattersley “a steady hand at the wheel as CEO, navigating through incredible challenges that no one could ever have predicted while guiding our

Company to growth, strengthening our foundation, and setting us up for an even brighter future to come.”

Molson added: “Our business today stands on the shoulders of the many generations of the Molson and Coors families who have come before us. Gavin has lived up to their rich legacy, and he will retire having left an indelible mark on our business and the global beer industry. “We are incredibly appreciative of his leadership.”

The company pointed to Hattersley helping the business grow “both its top and bottom line substantially, reaching annual net sales revenue of $11.6 billion and underlying income before income taxes of $1.6 billion in 2024.”

Brewbound Insiders can read more about Hattersley’s departure, including stock awards to retain other executives.

Few were immune to beer’s tough March, even the country’s largest beer vendors, according to the latest monthly report from market research firm Circana. 

Total beer dollar sales declined 2.5% and volume, measured in case sales, declined 4.2% in Circana-tracked off-premise channels for the 4-week period ending March 23 (L4W). YTD, roughly equivalent to the first quarter of 2025, total beer dollar sales declined 2.6% and volume 4.4%.

Only 2 beer segments recorded YoY dollar sales growth in the L4W: domestic super premium (dollar sales +3.8%, volume +4%) and NA beer (dollar sales +26.4%, volume +24.4%). Despite growth, domestic super premium recorded the largest YoY decline in share of both total beer dollar sales (-0.89 points, to 24.37%) and volume (-0.92 points, to 29.91%).

4 of the top 25 beer vendors by YTD dollar sales recorded YoY off-premise dollar sales growth in the L4W, including:

• No. 4 Mark Anthony Brands (dollar sales +0.9%, volume -1.8%);
• No. 11 Sierra Nevada (dollar sales +1.8%, volume +1.5%);
• No. 12 Geloso Beverage (dollar sales +6.8%, volume +6.9%);
• No. 18 Athletic Brewing (dollar sales +23.6%, volume +26.2%).

Through Q1, the same 4 vendors were the only ones to record dollar sales growth YTD, along with No. 7 Diageo:

• Mark Anthony Brands (dollar sales +1.2%, volume -1.3%);
• Diageo (dollar sales +1%, volume -3.8%);
• Sierra Nevada (dollar sales +3.2%, volume +2.5%);
• Geloso Beverage (dollar sales +5.9%, volume +6.6%);
• Athletic Brewing (dollar sales +27.8%, volume +30%). 

Insiders can dive into the full report here, including beer segment and top vendor performances in c-stores and grocery. 

ICYMI: Brewbound previously dove into craft trends, including Q1 performances for the segment’s top 30 brands. 

The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) has joined the regulatory wrangling of hemp-derived beverages. The over 370-member industry group called for a “critical need” for regulation of intoxicating hemp beverages.

The WSWA convened in Washington, D.C., last week to push for engagement with lawmakers to clarify how the Farm Bill regulates hemp-derived products. The group recommended that “synthetic hemp-derived THC intoxicating products” be prohibited while federal standards for testing and labeling requirements be enacted.

WSWA also supports the production of “only naturally derived THC products from hemp (specifically Delta-9)” and leaves distribution regulation to individual states – “including the possibility of state-level prohibition.”

More than two-thirds (68%) of consumers plan to celebrate Easter, which falls on Sunday, April 20, according to market insights firm Numerator. 

Bev-alc products aren’t high on revelers’ shopping lists, with 18% planning to buy for their celebrations. Of those, 63% plan to buy wine, followed by beer (49%) and spirits (45%). Top plans for celebrating include friend/family gatherings (61%), cooking or baking at home (41%) and decorating (28%). Consumers report their top two intended purchases as food (68%) and candy (57%). 

Tariffs will be the talk of the Brewers Association’s webinar Thursday (2 p.m. ET). 

BA CEO Bart Watson, Craft ‘Ohana president and COO Scott Metzger and GHJ managing director Kevin Michaelan will discuss the United States’ quick changing trade policy in a webinar titled “Tariffs on Tap: Navigating Trade Policy Shifts in Craft Brewing.” They’ll cover aluminum and steel tariffs, as well as the paused reciprocal tariffs and whatever else is happening at that point.

Plus, on this week’s Brewbound Podcast, Chris Riedy, chief revenue officer for cash back app Ibotta, discusses the bev-alc trends the tech firm is seeing and the programs that drive the best results.

And our colleagues at BevNET will be heading to New York City for a Taste Radio meetup. The 2-hour in-person recording takes place at Rethink Food (116 W. Houston St,) from 6-8 p.m. ET.

Family-owned, boutique craft distributor VT Beer Shepherd has sold part of its portfolio, including the distribution rights to Lawson’s Finest Liquids, and has ceased operations.

Baker Distributing (Colchester, VT) has acquired the distribution rights to Lawson’s Finest and other brands from VT Beer Shepherd. 

Following the transfer to Baker, Lawson’s (Waitsfield, VT) is exiting its local self-distribution business, The Beer Guy, to go statewide with Baker, Lawson’s CEO Adeline Druart told Brewbound. 

The closure of VT Beer Shepherd caught several smaller craft brands by surprise, among them Weird Window Brewing (South Burlington), which was not included in the sale to Baker.

Become a Brewbound Insider to go deeper into the story. 

The Brewbound team is hitting the road and heading to the Craft Brewers Conference on April 28 – May 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Brewbound trio will be on the ground, covering all the latest news and presentations coming out of the conference, as well as hosting live podcast interviews at the Brewbound booth (#512).

Make sure to stop by our booth #512, where Brewbound will be chatting with brewery founders and owners, beverage entrepreneurs and c-suite leadership across the industry. Whether you’re a business vet or just starting out, we’d love to meet you and hear what’s new.

How to Connect with Us:

• Stop by our booth (#512): We’re excited to set up our Brewbound Podcast studio at BrewExpo America and engage with brewery leaders and industry suppliers. Swing by to meet our team, watch a podcast interview recording, participate in social content, and walk away with a T-shirt.
• Submit your news: Have news or updates from your brewery? Our team is covering the event and would love to hear from you. Submit your news here.
• Contact us to set up a time to chat: Want to schedule time to connect or be part of our coverage? Reach out to us at news@brewbound.com.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is getting a glow up for the summer with new packaging that celebrates National Parks. 

Yellowstone, Big Bend, the Smokies and Yosemite will be featured on 6-pack can packaging as part of the partnership with the National Park Foundation.