Shelf Space

I wouldn't hold my breath...

*money talks*

 

Okay, so my post got deleted? Did the three get deleted and restarted? Let me repeat: Bud, Coors, and Miller will never disappear, ever. A lot of people don't like paying $10 for 6 beers, and not everyone is looking for a culinary beer experience. Most college kids don't give a damn about oatmeal stouts.

Edit: No, there's just two threads of this now.

 

I avoid that vast empty space when looking for a good beer.

 

2017 we will see it.

 

You need to consider volume/velocity when doing shelf planning. Craft just hit a bit over 10% volume share, slightly higher based on dollars. Many stores in fact over index based on volume. Bottom line is that these retailers (and distributors) need to make money, and macro and import volumes are still substantial.

 

It'll take as long as it does for Subway, McDonald's, and Starbucks to disappear from almost every town in the country.

 

Majority of people like beer that is not to be fussed over and brewed the hard way, so I would say it's gonna be a little while

 

Heh. And shelf space isn't meant to be dissected...

 

i run the craft section for a couple of mom and pop stores in florida. and let me tell you guys and girls, the craft is now at 70% cooler space in my flagship store. granted, i am close to disney and golf course's, i get more and more people getting into craft.
when i first started working the craft into the stiore, it was 5-10 skus, nothing more. so its come a long way. and for the sake of my paycheck, i hope it doesnt stop.
with that being said, i really enjoy my beer, so having so many in store, just gives me more of a reason to drink. and im ok with that.

 

BMC pays the bills. Plain and simple. It's all about that gross margin.

 

In some areas. Much sooner than others. For younger markets overall to the craft game. That's going to be the the real penetration battle for many of the breweries looking for real longevity. Lot of market space on the taps still to educate about whatever about good beer out there.

 

Macro beers are ubiquitous, easy drinking, alcohol delivery systems supported by huge marketing budgets. Sure, some specialty shops will eschew the macros, but supermarkets, gas stations, convenience stores etc will continue to dedicate a large chunk of shelf space to cheap beer that lots of people still buy. Like enthusiasts in other areas, we may be opinion makers, but we're still a small segment of the market.

 

Hold up, the macro-lager Budweiser made by a multi-national corporation headquartered in Europe is a domestic, but the craft-lager Jabby Brau made 45 minutes north of me in Framingham MA isn't?

 

Honestly, in my area, its already happened. BMC beers maybe have a shelf in the fridge, maybe.

 

They still represent 95% of total sales... We're a very LOUD vocal minority, but remember and be humbled by the fact that we're still a minority. People like to say that Sam Adams is BMC but they're 3.8% the rest of all the breweries make up the final 1.2%

 

I had this conversation with someone the other day. We finally hit a 10% market share which is great (super fucking yay!), but for every pint of craft, 9 pints of BMC are being poured. Us BAs only go to craft bars, we avoid places like Applebees, Walmart, et al. We dont see those 9 bottles of BL/ML/CL walking out. We also forego every damn hipster can of PBR to get emptied. We also exclude Genessee which is what every grandpa in the midwest drinks. Alot of beer is made and drank by ABInBev. It just takes perspective to see. Which I now have thanks to my job.

Think about this. Who dominates the rural areas? thast BMC. Who dominates Florida? BMC again. Who dominates NY? oh thats BMC.

 

The rise of cooler space can be seen all over the country, all you gotta do is go to a hip neighborhood and you can find liquor stores with mainly crafts in the cooler, which is great. Unfortunately for the other 95+% of the stores selling beer, it's gonna be loaded with good old american 12 and 30 racks. Just because we love the craft, doesn't mean the populous could care any less about what's out there. The same people freaking love chilis and outback steakhouse

 

I stopped using the term 'domestic' a while ago. Sure, when I was a young guy in the 80's searching for quality beer, I drank mostly imports. That's when 'domestic' meant crappy macro yellow fizzy beverage to me. Now not only are most of my favorite beers 'domestic', some of them are made in a brewery that's less than a 15 minute drive from my house. Some of my favorite brews are actually made on my front porch. Yes, it's a wonderful time to be a lover of quality beer.

 

Not much, craft beer including imports already takes more shelf space. Yet, generally speaking most people are buying up bmc. However, I would be willing to bet that bmc is taking up way more square footage in the back storage. The shelf turnover is much greater in bmc. As far as in the front however wine takes up way more than anything, in a typical full spectrum bottle shop. Bottle shops don't really operate like most retail where you dedicate the most sale room floorspace to the biggest sellers.