Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores NAICS 445320

Sep 8, 2025 - US Drinking Rate at New Low

• The percentage of US adults who say they consume alcohol, such as beer, wine and liquor, has fallen to 54%, the lowest level in Gallup’s nearly 90-year trend, the polling firm reported in August. The annual Consumption Habits survey, conducted in July, found the figure fell to 62% in 2023 and to 58% in 2024, before reaching 54% today. Prior to the most recent poll, the rate has been under 60% fewer than 10 times, including 58% in the initial 1939 poll and a one-time low of 55% in 1958. The highs of 68% to 71% were recorded between 1974 and 1981. The downward trend coincides with recent research indicating that any level of alcohol consumption may negatively affect health, a sharp reversal from previous recommendations that moderate drinking could offer some protective benefits. Retailers can stock more nonalcoholic options to entice customers.
• As of August 1, wine and spirits from the European Union face a 15% US import tariff until a different deal between the two countries is reached, Reuters reports. Previously, the US tariff on European wine and spirits was 10%. Brussels would like tariffs reduced to zero or, for wine at least, to the Most Favored Nation (MFN) rates that are set on a fixed cost per liter basis, rather than in percentage terms. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) also would like to see tariffs reduced to zero. "It is extremely disappointing and utterly exasperating that the US and EU have not yet come to an agreement on spirits, which is an easy win for the United States that will help secure our economic vitality during this challenging time for the hospitality industry," DISCUS CEO Chris Swonger said in a statement.

• California shoppers may find empty shelves at beer, wine, liquor stores this summer due to the sudden departure of the nation’s second-largest wine-and-spirits distributor Republic National Distributing Company. RNDC exited California in early September, leaving thousands of retailers without a distributor – and producers without a wholesaler for their brands. California law requires wine and spirits makers to go through a wholesaler to sell their products to retailers and restaurants. The CEO of RNDC, Bob Hendrickson, cited “rising operational costs, industry headwinds, and supplier changes that made the market unsustainable,” for the departure. RNDC’s sudden exit left the US’s largest wine market without a key distributor, as brands like Tito’s and Jack Daniel’s vanished from store shelves. Relatively high business taxes, wages, energy costs, and defections by suppliers to rival Reyes Beverage Group caused Texas-based RNDC to quit the Golden State.
• Producer prices for beer, wine, and liquor retailers hit a new high in July, rising 7.2% compared to a year ago, after falling 1% in the previous July-versus-July annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. By comparison, the retail price of alcoholic beverages for home consumption dipped 0.2% year over year in July and was unchanged from June according to the BLS's July 2025 Consumer Price Index report. Employment by beer, wine, and liquor stores was unchanged YoY in June, while the average industry wage rose 6.6% over the same period to $19.42 per hour, $0.31 shy of its high in March, BLS data show.