NABCA Releases Control States Nine-Liter Spirits Sales for January

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Feb. 23, 2016 - PRLog -- During January, nine-liter spirits case sales growth in the control states fell 1.3% in spite of a weak comp. Rolling-twelve-month volume growth of 2.6% was down slightly from December’s 2.7%. Pennsylvania was the only control state to report a monthly growth rate exceeding its twelve month trend.

January has the smallest share, 7.2%, of the control state annual market, and December with 11.5% has the largest. This January’s volumetric growth rate of -1.3% is the lowest growth rate for January reported since 2000. The highest growth rate, 9.7%, was reported for January, 2001.

Control state spirits shelf dollars were up 2.0% during January while trending at 5.2% during the past twelve months. Pennsylvania was the only control state to report a growth rate exceeding its twelve month trend.

Price/Mix for January is 3.3%, an improvement on December’s reported 3.0%.

January’s Control State spirits growth rate was affected by the Control States’ reporting calendars:

    - Utah, with more than 2% of Control States’ spirits and dollars volumes, reported four weeks

      of sales this year versus five weeks of sales during January, 2015, artificially deflating

      sales and skewing Control States results. Utah had five fewer selling days during this

      year’s January than during last year’s.

    - January, 2016, had five Sundays compared with four during January, 2015. Stores in six control

      states—Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia—are not open

      on Sundays.

- Overall, January, 2016, had thirteen fewer selling days than last year’s January.

-   After normalizing nine-liter spirits case sales for selling-day variations, January’s

volumetric growth is 0.3%, and rolling-twelve-month volume is up 2.7%. Likewise, after

normalizing shelf dollars, January’s control states shelf dollar growth rate is 3.5%

with a twelve-month trend of 5.3%.

-   January’s normalized Price/Mix is 3.2%.

During January, Irish Whiskey, with 1% share of the control states spirits market, was the fastest growing category with 11.0% reported and a twelve month trend of 14.5%. Vodka, with 35% share, grew during the same periods at -2.3% and 1.9%. No category—Brandy/Cognac (6.5%), Canadian (-0.5), Cocktails (-2.1%), Cordials (-3.7%), Domestic Whiskey (-0.2%), Gin (-2.6%), Irish Whiskey (11.0%), Rum (-3.2%), Scotch (-2.9%), Tequila (-0.2%), Vodka (-2.3%)—grew at a monthly rate that exceeded its twelve-month trend.

January’s nine-liter wine case sales growth rate was 0.9%. Pennsylvania (reporting 4.6% 9-liter-case growth for wines), New Hampshire (2.3%), Utah (-21.6%), Mississippi (3.9%), Montgomery County Maryland (-4.3%), and Wyoming (1.9%) are the control states that are the sole wholesalers of wines and spirits within their geographical boundaries. Rolling-twelve-month wine volume growth in the control states was 1.3%, slipping from December’s 1.4%.