Lean local on July 3rd and support your local brewery on National Independent Beer Run Day!
July 3rd is National Independent Beer Run Day. In its third year, this holiday celebrating independent craft breweries will be critical in helping get their fair share of beer’s biggest holiday week.
The week of July 4th is the biggest at-home holiday celebration – on average, off-premise sales are usually up 35 percent when compared to a typical week. Through the weeks of COVID-19, off-premise beer sales have grown to $12.8 billion, up 21.4%. According to Nielsen, this growth is being driven by consumers stocking their bars with 30- and 24-packs of beer from the industry’s top 20 brewers. To keep up with demand, off-premise retailers are optimizing their SKUs to make additional room for these larger pack sizes on their shelves. 92% of craft beers are sold in 6- and 12-bottle packs. This pack size concentration limits craft brewers from riding the momentum of beer sales as a result of COVID-19. More importantly, craft breweries are most vulnerable to losing shelf space.
The loss of distribution and sales due to COVID-19 has intensified the financial challenges for craft breweries that need to stay afloat. However, the growing consumer trend of supporting local businesses reveals a silver lining for breweries. Breweries play a significant role in local economies and culture. In 2018, the Brewers Association reported that craft breweries contributed more than $79 billion to the U.S. economy and 550,000 jobs. Consumers can help ensure their survival by buying directly from local breweries or seeking the independent craft brewer seal when shopping in-store. Help make this National Independent Beer Run Day a success by planning a beer run to your local brewery!
Contributed by: Marie Burns, Sr. Director Business Strategy and Planning, Integer Dallas
Image Source: Unsplash
