CALIFORNIA BUSINESS MINUTE
Biggest Beer Buying Holidays
05-28-10
Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.
When most people think of beer buying days and holidays, one would think
that St. Patrick’s would be among the leaders if not the leader in beer
sales. But the key phrase is beer buying (off-premise) purchasing of beer.
Experts say a big reason for the lower ranking of St. Patrick’s Day is
because the majority of St. Patrick's Day drinking still occurs at bars
and restaurants, whereas holidays such as Easter are more family-oriented
and celebrated at home. Additionally, seasonal drinking also comes into
play, as St. Patrick's Day is typically cooler than the top five beer-drinking
events.
But, according to a Nielsen report, based upon 2009 data, it found that the
biggest beer buying holidays to be the following:
1. Fourth of July 63.5 Million cases
2. Memorial Day 61.0 M
3. Labor Day 60.2 M
4. Father’s Day 57.5 M
5. Cinco de Mayo 54.0 M
6. Thanksgiving 52.8 M
7. Christmas 52.8 M
8. Halloween 50.9 M
9. Easter 50.7 M
10. Super Bowl 49.2 M
11. St. Pat’s 48.7 M
I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.
NOTE:
The beer market has struggled through the downturn; as consumers look to cut
back spending on discretionary items. Despite beer’s low prices compared to
wine and spirits, off-premise case volume on the year is down 1 percent in
the overall market, according to Nielsen. But one bright spot for the industry
continues is micro-brew beer sales. Volume in this category has risen nearly
9 percent on the year, and dollar volume has risen 12.4 percent to $1.57 billion -
giving it nearly 7 percent market share in dollars.
Though the average price of a six-pack of a micro-brewed beer is about $7.86,
compared with $4.83 in the mass market, consumers have started to view the
specialty beverages as a form of affordable luxury, experts said.
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