During the four weeks ending March 28, Total Alcohol lagged year-ago levels. NIQ reports. Dollar sales reached $7.8 billion, down -2.4% vs a year earlier, while case volume declined -2.7% to 151.2 million.

On a weekly basis, dollar sales softened to $1.98 billion in the week ended March 28 from $1.99 billion in the week ended March 21, reflecting a -0.9% week-over-weekdecline, as St. Patrick’s Day-driven demand concluded and focus shifts toward upcoming warm-weather occasions. NIQ reports.

Alcohol categories continue to diverge, as Beer remains ahead of Spirits and Wine

• Prepared Cocktails remained the only category to deliver growth, with dollar sales up +4.7%, while case volume fell marginally -0.1%.
• Spirits continued to lead category declines, though weekly trends showed modest improvement, with dollar sales down -5.7% and volume down -4.6%.
• Wine once again followed in losses, with dollar sales falling -5.0% and volume down -5.6%, mostly consistent with performance shown in the prior period.
• Beer sustained its resilient position among traditional categories, as dollar sales fell by -1.0% and volume declined -2.6%

Overall results point to continued pressure in Spirits and Wine, with Beer maintaining its sustained performance among core categories and Prepared Cocktails poised to benefit from warm-weather occasions and evolving consumer behaviors, NIQ said.