Alcohol Sales Up 2.9% in Week: NIQ

If you look at year-earlier numbers, bev/al sales figure remain depressing: During the four weeks ending June 20, Total Alcohol remained under year ago results. Dollar sales reached $8.8 billion, down 3.6% vs the like year-earlier period, while case volume totaled 173.8 million, declining -5.1% vs a year ago, NIQ reports.

But the weekly numbers tell a different story. On a weekly basis, dollar sales rose to $2.2 billion from the prior period (week ended June 13), reflecting a stronger +2.9% week over week increase. The improved weekly momentum reflects continued seasonal consumption trends, supported by FIFA World Cup viewing occasions and the incremental lift from the Juneteenth holiday weekend.

As has been the case for months, Prepared Cocktails continue to support momentum amid seasonal demand, while traditional categories remain pressured. Prepared cocktails dollar sales rose 1.4% while case volume fell 4%. "The continued improvement relative to recent periods underscores the growing influence of summer occasions, as demand strengthens for the RTD segment," NIQ says.

Spirits drove category declines, though trends showed some moderation versus the prior period, with dollar sales down 5.2% and volume decreasing 4.7%, improving by over one percentage point on both metrics. Wine followed closely behind, with dollar sales declining 5.1% and volume down 6.8%. Performance remained relatively flat compared to the prior last four weeks ended June 13, indicating limited momentum change. Beer continued to post the most tempered declines, with dollar sales down 3.7% and volume falling 4.5%, as the category sustains gradual improvement versus earlier periods.

Overall, NIQ says, Total Alcohol reflects a mixed landscape shaped by both seasonal tailwinds and broader macro pressures. Prepared Cocktails remain a key growth driver, helping offset weakness across core categories, while Spirits continue to face the steepest declines. Recent gains appear increasingly influenced by summer demand patterns, with added support from event-driven occasions such as FIFA viewership and the Juneteenth holiday weekend.

Nationwide Weakness Persists

Regional trends continue to mirror broader U.S. softness, with select markets showing relative strength. New Jersey led performance this period, with dollar sales increasing 1.3% and volume up 6.2%.

Ohio experienced the most limited declines, with dollars essentially flat at 0.0% and volume down -2.2%. California remains the primary drag, posting the steepest losses with dollar sales down 6.4% and volume declining 7.5%.

Volume trends differed slightly across key states. New Jersey led volume growth of 6.2% and dollars up 1.3%. Once again, Washington led losses, -7.7% in volume and -4.2% in dollars.

Overall, the latest results indicate divergent levels of pressure across the most important markets, strength seen in Michigan and Ohio is overshadowed by challenges in California and Washington. Whether or not states involving FIFA world cup host cities can spur improved regional trends will be seen in the coming weeks as the event runs to late July.

Food leads channel declines; Club the lone growth driver

Retail channel trends continue to reflect broad-based softness, with declines shifting toward Food, now leading dollar losses at 4.2%, followed by Convenience -4%, Liquor -3.4%, Mass -2.5%, while the All Other channel dropped -0.4%. In contrast, Club stands out as the only channel in growth, posting a modest dollar gain of +0.1%.

Volume trends reinforce continued pressure across core channels, with Convenience driving the steepest declines at -6.5%, followed by Mass -5.1%, Food -5.4%, Liquor -3.9%, while Club (+2.1%) and All Others (+3.2%) saw increases.

Compared with the prior four weeks ended June 13), Club continues to show the strongest momentum, improving from prior dollar declines (1.5%) and building on earlier volume gains (0.4%)

Spirits declines soften in early June

In the four weeks ending June 20th, Spirits remained in decline, though trends showed signs of easing, with dollar sales down 5.2% and volume falling 4.7%. Performance was primarily pressured by underlying trend dynamics, which made up the bulk of the decline (94%), offsetting expected uplift during the peak demand period.

On a weekly basis, performance showed a notable lift, with dollar sales rising to $564.3 from $527.8 million the prior week, marking a strong +6.8% week-over-week increase and signaling some near-term momentum. Tequila benefits from seasonal demand, showing more moderate declines vs. core Spirits categories.

Across top categories, (Vodka, Whiskey, and Tequila), declines persisted but began to differentiate. Whiskey continued to see the steepest declines, with both dollar and volume sales down 6.5%, followed by Vodka followed (-4.7% in value, -4.4% in volume). In contrast, Tequila showed greater resilience, with more moderate declines of -3.7% in value, -1.1% in volume, likely supported by seasonal summer occasions and incremental demand tied to the holiday weekend.

Non-Alc Spirits remains a strong outlier, sustaining rapid growth at +25.1% in dollar sales and +22.1% in volume. All other segments continued to weigh on overall performance, declining -5.3% in dollar sales and -5.4% in volume..

Wine declines steady; weekly sales show a stronger rebound

In the four weeks ending June 20, Wine trends remained largely in line with the prior period, with dollar sales down 5.1% in dollar sales and volume declining -6.8%. The decline was primarily driven by reduced product availability (31% of decline), lower promotional activity (16%), and decreased consumer interest (53%).

On a weekly basis, however, performance showed a more meaningful lift, with sales increasing to $376 million from $363.7 million (+3.3% WoW), suggesting some near-term momentum despite continued softness in underlying demand.

Sparkling Wine remains more resilient as Still Wine continues to drive declines During the four weeks ending June 20, Still Wine led declines with dollar sales down 5.7% and volume slipping 7.2%. Sparkling Wine followed with more moderate declines, down 1.9% in dollars and 3.6% in volume, maintaining relative resilience as it aligns with summer consumption occasions such as spritz and cocktail use cases. Non-Alcoholic Wine remained a growth driver, with dollar sales up +14.4% and volume increasing +10.4%, fueled by ongoing moderation trends

Beer builds on weekly momentum

In the four weeks ending June 20, Beer performance remained below year-ago levels, with dollar sales down 3.7% and case volume declining -5.2%. These results reflect a decline primarily led by reduced consumer interest (78% of decline) and limited product availability (17%).

More notably, weekly strength continued to build, with sales increasing to $979.3 million from $966 million (+1.1% WoW). While the pace of growth moderated slightly, the sustained run of weekly gains signals strengthening near-term demand, supported by seasonal summer occasions and the Juneteenth holiday weekend.

Domestic Super Premium growth accelerates, though core Beer segments remain under pressure Core Beer segments continued to drive overall softness, led by Domestic Premium (-7.3% in value, -8.5% in volume) and Craft (-6.9% in value, -7.9% in volume), with Import Beer also declining (-2.3% in value, -3.1% in volume).

In contrast, Domestic Super Premium continued to build momentum, delivering stronger growth (+1% in value, +0.8% in volume) as it extends its recovery. Cider also contributed more meaningfully on the dollar side (+1.0% in value, - 0.4% in volume), while Non-Alc Beer (+10.7% in value, +8.8% in volume) maintained its strength.