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“Big Beer” companies are benefiting from the Coronavirus lockdowns. While UK pubs and restaurants are being crushed by them.
30 UK Pubs And Restaurants Close Every Day
According to a report released on February 26, since December 2019 nearly 12,000 bars, pubs and restaurants have shut their doors forever – a rate of around 30 a day.
And according to the latest Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners the worse is yet to come.
And even though the UK Government has pledged to allow a re-opening of outside bar and restaurant venues from mid-April, experts expect little relief for the struggling hospitality sector as less than half of England’s pubs, bars and restaurants have outdoor areas.
“These numbers set out the full, devastating impact of the pandemic on Britain’s licensed premises,” said CGA’s business unit director Karl Chessell, “The wipeout of Christmas trade was clearly the final blow for many businesses, and the long wait that others now face to open their doors sadly means closures will mount even higher.”
Words To Drink By
Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” – Mark Twain, American writer and entrepreneur
“Healthy” Big Beer Is Booming
The pandemic has been a nightmare. In England pubs are failing, unable to survive almost a year of government mandated shutdowns and the hospitality sector is struggling in the US as well. But a little good news, for us in the beer biz, beer sales are booming at least at the majors.
Last week Anheuser-Busch reported its most recent earnings and its top two sellers, Michelob Ultra and Bud Light, “continued to outperform” as healthier options continued to attract the attention of sheltering-in-place beer lovers. 
Molson Coors also reported strong yearly retail results for its light beers. Miller Light sales grew 8.6% and Coors Light sales rose 6.1%. Blue Moon Light Sky, a lighter version of its popular Belgian-style wheat ale, had a strong launch and was the top-selling new beer, according to CNN Business.
With COVID-19 lingering consumers are choosing beer based on affordability, brand familiarity and product innovations, including in the low and non-alcoholic sector.
Market research giant, Nielsen said that retail sales of beer soared 8.6% last year, totaling $40 billion, with “healthier” beer sales leading the way. Light beer sales jumped 5% to $10.6 billion in 2020.
