Here's To Summer
Progressive Grocer|March 2018

The return of warm weather means exciting seasonal beer and wine products and promotions.

Bridget Goldschmidt
Here's To Summer

When it comes to beverage alcohol, summer is truly sizzling. Suppliers and retailers can leverage the hot season to sell more of the quaffs that consumers love, linking the products to holidays, entertaining and unique events.

Foremost among summer beverage alcohol selections are beer and wine. “Beer sales surge from May through early September, along with sales of rosé and crisp white wines,” notes Jeff Cox, wine buyer at Seattle-based PCC Natural Markets, which operates 11 cooperative grocery stores in Washington state and carries a “thoughtfully chosen” selection of wines, beers and ciders spotlighting Northwest producers. “Reds continue to sell, driven by bright, accessible wines that work well with al fresco and barbecue-oriented dishes.”

In consequence, the company devotes “a greater percentage of ad activity … to beer and cider, while white and pink wines drive the wine side. In store wide promotions, we emphasize items that pair well with seasonal dishes.”

As for which beers are most popular in summer, Cox sees “pale ale and pilsner enjoying a resurgence, while many brewers are now producing lighter-style, traditional ‘lawnmower’ beers at lower prices than their frontline offerings.”

Whatever the style, when the mercury rises, a frosty beer is especially welcome. In fact, Nuno Teles, chief marketing officer at White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken USA, goes so far as to assert, “Summertime is beer time!”

Citing Nielsen figures, he notes that the season “represents nearly 36 percent of total category dollars, and six of the top largest-volume weeks of the year. Heineken USA’s portfolio of high end imported beers enjoys this seasonal spike as consumers flock to cold, refreshing beverages for their warm-weather drinking occasions.”

This story is from the March 2018 edition of Progressive Grocer.

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This story is from the March 2018 edition of Progressive Grocer.

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