To be sure, beer did experience a decline – dollar sales were down "only 0.9% in the last four weeks, NIQ reported. That was much better than the 2.1% decline in the prior four weeks. Total alcohol losses were led by Spirits, down 3.5% in dollar sales, still better than the negative 6.3% of the prior L4W period and down 2.7% in volume. Wine followed with value falling 2.9% vs. 5.4% in the prior last four weeks. Volume was down 4.9%.

The good news was in prepared cocktails, which showed continued momentum into mid-January, NIQ said, with dollar sales up 7.4% and case volume also up 1%.

Regional sales trends revealed easing declines among most of the top ten states for Alcohol sales with several markets showing signs of mid-January improvement.

Over the last four weeks, each of the top ten states saw improving trends. Texas stood out with the strongest momentum, as dollar sales increased by +0.8%, closely followed by Illinois at +0.2% and New Jersey at +0.0%, while Massachusetts recorded the steepest decline at -4.0%.

Off-Premise

Off-premise results across major retail channels showed improving trends, though performance continued to vary by channel. Liquor and Food led losses, both by -1.7%, followed by Mass at -1.5% and Convenience by -0.1%. Meanwhile, Club showed signs of growth, up by +1.3%. All Others recorded the largest drop at -9.3%.

The strongest improvement in sales performance was observed by Liquor (-5.2% in the prior L4W period) as losses continued to decelerate. Club also saw noticeable improvement (-0.9% in the prior period), shifting into positive territory this period.