Beer Distributors
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 1,400 beer distributors in the US are the middlemen between the suppliers (breweries and importers) and retailers (grocery stores, convenience stores, bars, restaurants, sporting venues etc.). Distributors must provide climate-controlled storage, transportation, and maintenance for perishable malt beverages from the time they leave the brewery until they arrive at the retailer.
Competition from Larger Distributors
Beer distributors are typically small, local operations, but the industry has been consolidating as larger distributors expand through acquisitions.
Declining Market Share
Beer has been gradually losing market share since 2000, when it accounted for over half of all beverage alcohol sales.
Industry size & Structure
The average beer distributor operates 1-2 warehouses, employs 80 workers, and generates about $48.5 million in annual revenue.
- The US has about 1,400 beer distributors with annual sales of about $68 billion and about 112,000 employees.
- The largest populations of beer distributors include California (221), New York (176), Texas (167), Florida (134) and Pennsylvania (119).
- Average inventory is about $5 million.
- 77% of distributors employ less than 100 employees.
- Top distributors in the US include Reyes Holdings, Goldring Gulf Distributing, Ben E. Keith Beverages, Silver Eagle Distributors LP, and Manhattan Beer Distributors LLC.
- The number of breweries that supply the distribution industry is rapidly increasing. Currently, there are about 9,700 breweries in the US, up from 250 in 1990 and 2,300 in 2010.
Industry Forecast
Beer Distributors Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Sep 20, 2024 - Rising Beer Prices
- Producer prices for beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverage merchant wholesalers rose 5.5% in July after rising 4.8% in the previous July-versus-July comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. At the retail level, the consumer price index (CPI) for beer both at home and away in July continued to outpace overall inflation and the CPI for the rest of the beverage-alcohol industry, according to the most recent BLS report. Employment by beer distributors fell 2.1% in July year over year, while average wages at alcoholic beverage merchant wholesalers increased 5.7% over the same period to $27.23 per hour, BLS data show. Beer is losing ground to other alcoholic beverages, most notably spirits. Last year, US beer shipments reached their lowest levels in 25 years, according to data from Beer Marketer's Insights.
- Beer held its own this summer as the alcoholic beverage of choice among adults of legal drinking age, according to new Morning Consult research conducted for the Beer Institute (BI). Two-thirds of Americans opted for beer in the past three months, exceeding wine (54%), liquor (50%) and cocktails (43%). For summertime refreshment, nearly half of Americans (45%) chose lagers, seeking crispness (35%), lightness (33%), and bright or vibrant flavors (26%) in their beers, according to BI. Summer events are prime time for drinking beer, with 66% of the respondents saying they would enjoy a beer at a barbeque, 45% at pool parties, 40% at the beach, and 39% at picnics and outdoor festivals. Forty percent of beer sales occur between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
- Breweries in Europe produced less beer last year, The Drinks Business reported in August. In 2023, breweries in EU countries produced 34.3 billion liters of beer, about 5% less than the previous year, data has shown. Of that total, 32.5 billion liters contained alcohol, while 1.8 billion liters were low- and no-alcohol beer. The bright spot was the production of low- and no-alcohol beer, which rose 13.5% over 2022 levels, illustrating the continued impressive growth of the low- and no-alcohol beer category across Europe. Germany was the top EU-producing country with 7.2 billion liters of beer, which was around a quarter (22.3%) of the total EU production. The beer scene in the US closely mimics the EU, with overall US beer production and imports down 5% last year, according to the Brewers Association, while sales of no-alcohol beer surged.
- Bud Light, once a favorite among beer drinkers, has slipped to third place behind Modelo Especial and Michelob Ultra, The Wall Street Journal reports. Bud Light’s slide follows a devastating boycott of the brand last year and a reduction in retail shelf space allocated to the brand, according to WSJ. Bud Light represented 6.5% of beer dollar sales in US stores in the four weeks ended July 6, compared with 7.3% for Michelob Ultra and 9.7% for Modelo, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data by the consulting firm Bump Williams cited by WSJ. Anheuser-Busch InBev, which makes Bud Light, also makes Michelob Ultra. Overall, however, AB InBev’s share of the US beer market is slipping, sales data show.
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