According to this Marketwatch article, sales of national US megabrands are down, thanks to competition from distilled spirits and wine. Marketing and packaging will change; expect Budweiser in particular to tout the health benefits of beer.
I believe strongly in the health benefits of a beer a day, but let's be serious here - Bud expects consumers to drink a lot more than a beer a day. Of course, given that national trends can swing wildly, who knows? Maybe Americans will respond.
Meanwhile, sales of Guinness and other import brands continue to be strong, and premium/micro brews are also holding their own, according to the article.
What does all this have to do with upstate/CNY? Well, Anheuser-Busch has a major brewery here, and Constellation Brands (quoted in the story as the importer of Corona and Tsingtao, among others) is headquartered in Fairport.
Posted by jimj at August 13, 2005 10:54 AM | TrackBack