Bud Light sales remained stuck in a downward spiral ahead of the critical Fourth of July holiday in the wake of the Dylan Mulvaney fiasco, according to the latest data.
The nation’s top-selling beer saw sales plunge 27.9% in the week ended June 24 — slightly better than its record-worst 28.5% the previous week, according to data from NielsenIQ and Bump Williams Consulting.
The number of units sold plummeted 31.3% from the same time last year — worse than the 31.1% decline the previous week.
“The Fourth of July is the biggest beer holiday in terms of retail sales and an opportunity to move a lot of volume,” Dave Williams, vice president of the consultancy said. “And there has been no notable signs where the course has changed for Bud Light.”
The backlash against Bud Light began on April 1 when Mulvaney posted photos and video of the trans influencer drinking the beer and touting that she was a #budlightpartner.
The resulting outcry has caused Bud Light’s parent, Anheuser-Busch, to lose $27 billion in market cap and has threatened the beer’s two-decade reign as the nation’s top choice.
Mulvaney recently spoke out against the boycotts and Anheuser-Busch, stating that the brewer abandoned her.
Anheuser-Busch’s other brands, which have fallen out of favor as well but to a lesser degree, saw no significant changes in the most recent reporting period.
Sales of Michelob Ultra declined by 4.4% compared to a 4% decline the previous week, while Budweiser was down 12.1% compared to 12.3% the previous week, according to the consultancy.
Anheuser-Busch is trying to entice beer drinkers with rebates for its struggling brands and with a new advertising campaign for Bud Light.
Williams said “any media campaigns take time to manifest themselves.”
Meanwhile, the second-largest beer brand, Modelo Especial, whose international distribution is controlled by AB InBev but whose US operations are owned by Constellation Brands, continues to grab market share from Bud Light.
The number of Modelo units sold grew by 6.4% in the week ended June 24 compared to a 4.5% increase the previous week.
On a year-to-date basis, Bud Light remains No. 1, but Modelo has been outselling its rival since May. In the four-week period ended June 24, Modelo controlled 8.6% market share compared with Bud Light’s 7.1%, the data show.
“Unless something dynamic happens to bring the lapsed Bud Light customers back into the fold, I don’t think we can expect anything to reverse the course” of Bud Light’s trajectory, Williams told The Post.
Retailers and distributors are carefully monitoring these weekly reports to make decisions on how much shelf space to devote to the beer brands they sell.
“Retailers are trying to keep their shelves stocked with the right assortment,” Williams said, adding that Bud Light could lose valuable space as it continues to decline and other brands grow.
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