Innehållsförteckning för December 2023 från Market Watch

MARKET WATCH MAGAZINE celebrated the nation’s top spirits and wine retailers at the annual Leaders Awards Dinner, which was held at The Pierre Hotel in New York City on October 5. The magazine’s Retailer of the Year award went to Bruce Dierking, CEO and owner of Hazel’s Beverage World in Boulder, Colorado. Dierking started his career as a lawyer and segued into the real estate world, where he purchased the 35,000-square-foot shopping center that would become Hazel’s in 2012. The single-unit store has since become the No.-1 beverage alcohol destination in this western city, and consistent double-digit growth year over year has resulted in annual revenue of $35 million in 2022. Six retailers were also honored as MARKET WATCH LEADERS at the dinner. Here’s the list of the class of…

Enthusiasm for Champagne continues to run high, with shipments soaring to near the $1 billion mark last year, a record success story buoyed by people who are increasingly drinking bubbly beyond celebratory occasions. There’s also rising enthusiasm for specialty cuvees, while momentum is on the upswing in the on-premise segment in the wake of Covid-19. Marketers say scarcity of supply remains a key factor holding back faster growth. While total Champagne depletions slipped 4.5% to 1.8 million cases last year, according to Impact Databank, they remain almost 300,000 cases above their 2020 level. While Champagne’s shipment volume to the U.S. declined slightly last year, 2022 was another record year for imports in value terms, surging 19% to €947 million ($998 million), according to the trade group Comité Champagne. “The Champagne…

With continued strong sales gains year after year, Mexican brews have come to define the imported beer category. Thanks to favorable demographic trends, marketers and beer retailers see no signs of the growth letting up, as Mexican imports are projected to soon reach annual depletions of 1 billion gallons. According to the Beer Institute, through September 2023, Mexican beer shipments were up 1% to 773.8 million gallons from the same period a year prior, accounting for a whopping 81% share of the imported beer category. Indeed, eight of the top ten imported brews hail from south of the border, according to Impact Databank. “That statistic really says it all,” says Matt Lindsay, senior vice president of brand marketing at Constellation Brands’ beer division, importer of category behemoths Modelo Especial and…

A few months ago, Stoli Group announced a global rebrand for its renowned vodka brand, aiming to position Stoli as “an authentic brand that embraces and inspires positive change.” The rebrand included officially shortening the name of Stolichnaya to Stoli in an effort to modernize the vodka’s image. “The Stoli brand DNA is all about authentic and forward-looking values,” says global CEO Chris Caldwell. “The shorter, more consumer-relevant name, new contemporary and premium packaging, and a whole new campaign is the right thing to do at this stage of the brand’s journey.” The rebrand came about 18 months after the company decided to stop using the Stolichnaya name, opting instead for Stoli. In its March 2022 announcement, Stoli Group said the move was “in direct response to Russia’s invasion of…

While whisk(e)y and Tequila have gotten most of the attention among spirits growth categories for more than a decade, Cognac has been quietly succeeding too, with total exports of Cognac rising by a torrid 43.3% from 2010 to 2021. Cognac volume by the end of that period was more than double what it was at the start, a trend that put Cognac on equal footing with its two big spirits rivals as a growth star. During the boom years, Cognac’s biggest obstacle was having enough supply to meet the soaring demand. But the trends have shifted a bit recently. After a brief hiccup in 2020, which was blamed on tariffs, Cognac turned to growth in 2021, but volume declined again in 2022. However, the good news is that value has…

M. Shanken Communications, Inc., New York, held the 47th Annual Impact Marketing Seminar on October 4, assembling leading executives from across the drinks business. The industry’s power players convened at The Pierre hotel in New York City for a packed program at the sold-out event, hosted by M. Shanken Communications chairman Marvin R. Shanken. The latest edition of the Seminar featured presentations from top executives across the supplier, wholesaler, and retailer tiers of the business. Shanken opened the event, welcoming the audience to the 47th annual edition of the drinks industry’s signature summit. The morning program featured thought leaders from around the drinks industry, from suppliers to wholesalers to retatilers. Demographic Discussions Bacardi’s Tony Latham kicked off the program by discussing the topic, “Targeting the New Beverage Consumer.” That issue…

Washington, D.C.: Restaurateur Adds Secluded And Worldly Cocktail Haven Designed to evoke a contemporary iteration of a Bedouin tent used in Sahara, Medina opened in October along Washington, D.C.’s Florida Avenue alleyway, just steps from its sister restaurant Maydan. Both venues are operated by Rose Previte, who took inspiration from her travels to Morocco and Tunisia for the new concept. Medina aims to be a no-pretense drinks destination in the nation’s capital, offering cocktails that highlight ingredients from Tunisia, Morocco, Sicily, Malta, and the Canary Islands, as well as wines hailing from Southern Spain, Northern Africa, and the Mediterranean, and a handful of local and global beers. The drinks menu lists classics like an Old Fashioned and Clover Club, as well as creative signatures like the Spice Runner, made with…

Each year, MARKET WATCH sister publication Impact Newsletter honors the best-performing wine, spirits, and beer brands in the U.S. market over the past decade with its “Blue Chip Brands” honor roll. Amid fluctuating economic conditions, shifting consumer tastes, and unforeseen geopolitical challenges, these standout brands have done no less than set the pace in the drinks business over the long term. To meet Impact’s Blue Chip criteria, brands must show at least ten consecutive years of volume growth, or average annual compound growth of at least 0.5% from 2012 through 2022 with positive growth in at least eight of those ten years. In addition, the brands must have maintained gross margins of at least $25 million last year. Spirits: Whiskies, Tequilas Dominate The 35 Blue Chip spirits brands cover a…

In a setting often dominated by cocktails and spirits, the bar has traditionally not been a standout venue for wine. Instead, wine sales are usually stronger at dining tables, where wine can enhance a meal. But some bars do see steady interest in wine—largely by the glass—as consumers embrace exploration in their drinking choices. Wines from California, specifically, are making a push in their home state and further afield, as bar guests look for new flavors and varietals from a familiar locale. “We’ve noticed guests are more interested in the variety of wines offered, specifically by the glass,” says Faith Norris, the general manager of the Emeryville, California Trader Vic’s restaurant location. “We have more guests asking about our house wines, and what the varietal is, and where it comes…