ALEXANDRIA, VA (April 21, 2014)-- During March, nine-liter spirits case sales in the control states fell 0.7% compared to same period sales last year. Despite 2013’s weak comp, sales during the last month of the quarter waned. Contributing factors may be related to: Easter and Passover being celebrated during March, 2013, as opposed to during April this year; five Fridays and four Mondays during last year’s March versus four Fridays and five Mondays this year. Rolling-twelve month volume growth of 1.2% is up from February’s 1.0%. Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Wyoming reported monthly growth rates exceeding their twelve month trends.
Control state spirits shelf dollars grew 1.2% during March while trending at 3.9% during the past twelve months. Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Wyoming reported growth rates that exceeded their twelve month trends.
Price/Mix for March was 1.9%, down 50 basis points from February’s 2.4%.
During March, Irish Whiskey, with 0.9% share of the control states spirits market, was the fastest growing category with 6.6% growth reported and a twelve month trend of 10.6%. Vodka, with 33% share, grew during the same periods at -0.7% and 1.0%. During March the Brandy/Cognac and Cocktails categories grew at rates exceeding their twelve-month trends.
March’s nine-liter wine case sales growth rate was -5.8%. Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Utah, Mississippi, Montgomery County Maryland, and Wyoming reported -7.7%, -9.2%, 2.3%, -1.9%, 2.5%, and 5.4%, respectively. March’s rolling-twelve month wine volume growth, -0.2%, slipped from February’s 0.8%.
| 9L Cases CM % Chg | Shelf $ CM % Chg | Price/Mix | Control States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Control States | -0.7 | 1.2 | 1.9% | |
| Central Region | -0.4 | 1.7 | 2.1% | IA, MD, MI, OH, PA, WV |
| NE Region | 1.9 | 4.8 | 2.9% | ME, NH, VT |
| NW Region | -0.6 | 1.3 | 1.9% | ID, MT, OR, UT, WY |
| Southern Region | -1.7 | -0.3 | 1.4% | AL, MS, NC, VA |
For more information about the NABCA, visit www.nabca.org.
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ABOUT NABCA:
Established in 1938, NABCA is the national association representing the Control State Systems - those jurisdictions that directly control the distribution and sale of beverage alcohol within their borders. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, NABCA’s mission is to support member jurisdictions in their efforts to protect public health and safety and assure responsible and efficient systems for beverage alcohol distribution and sales.